Live Enigma Machine Demonstration

The World War II German Enigma Cipher Machine – Live Demonstration and Explanation by Mike Pritchard of the Australian Spy Museum

For The Military History Society of New South Wales, 11:30am, Saturday, 6 September 2025, The Auditorium, Anzac Memorial Hyde Park, Sydney CBD.

The German Enigma machine is one of the most powerful and mysterious artefacts of WWII. Carrying the very plans the Germans executed in the field, the majority were destroyed by the Germans in retreat, then by their captors including Australia.

This talk uniquely uses fully operational 1940’s cipher machines to show how the machines work, and the process used to create encrypted messages. We also have a brief look at the influence of Enigma on the birth of computing, and successive cryptography equipment.

Seeing working Enigma machines is a touchstone experience for anyone working in IT, or interested in the history of intelligence.

Speaker and Demonstrator – Mike Pritchard, Australian Spy Museum

Mike Pritchard is the founder of the Australian Spy Museum in Sydney. Mike worked in IT and cyber security for decades before late in career deciding to focus on bringing a passion project to life − creating a museum that explains espionage and the origins of modern cyber threats. Australian Spy Museum’s 1000+ artefacts trace the history of espionage and cryptography from the Renaissance into the digital age. Some are now fully restored and operational, allowing people to actually see the secret technology of the Cold War at work.

For information call 0419 698 783 or email: president@militaryhistorynsw.com.au