clipped from www.jproc.ca

The Enigma was one of the best of the new electromechanical cipher machines produced for the commercial market in the 1920s. Hugo Koch, a Dutchman, conceived of the machine in 1919. Arthur Scherbius first produced it commercially in 1923. Impressed by its security, which was based on statistical analysis, the German government acquired all rights to the machine and adapted it to the needs of its new, modern military forces. It became the standard cipher machine of the military services, of German agents, and of the secret police. It was also used at all echelons from high command to front-line tactical units including individual airplanes, tanks, and ships. An ordinary three-wheel Enigma with reflector and six plug connections generated the following number of coding positions:

3,283,883,513,796,974,198,700,882,069,882,752,878,379,955,261,095,623,685,444,055,315,226,006,

433,616,627,409,666,933,182,371,154,802,769,920,000, 000,000