Rammjäger
Elite Member
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2007
- Messages
- 4,173
ww2 encrypted message found
- Thread starter Karletto
- Start date
Pappy Griff
Forum Supporter
What a CLASSIC!!
My parents watched all the old ones... Miracle on 34th Street, It's a Wonderful Life, Holiday Inn, etc. every Christmas. Well this is MY "every Christmas must watch" movie...
DRINK YOUR OVALTINE
hahahahahahha
Awesome find OP. To be honest, if I found that round, I probably would have reburied it head first rather than carry it out. Did the bullet fall off the shell casing and that's how you found the note? I wouldn't even think to look inside.
I was a radio operator in the US military in the early 70s. When I went to training they had us practice breaking the code on these type messages. Assuming it's a simple substitution code, it could be done, although it's hard with such a short message. Letter frequency in English is in this descending order: "etaoin shrdlu" if I remember correctly. I got pretty good at it, but never used it in the field.
dockmur
Junior Member
My grandfather served in Italy, I inherited all of his military gear. He saved all of his daily code books, so looked it up. Here is the message:
QM is code for the officer that was tasked with coordinating forces for a particular engagement. This is an engagement status letter that is addressed to that officer.
The (6) 5 letter codes read as follows, from left to right, top to bottom:
THEY - THROW - GRENADES - WE - PULL - PINS - AND - THROW - BACK
The final code at the bottom is a phrase:
NOTIFY REINFORCEMENTS STAND DOWN - NOT NEEDED
QM is code for the officer that was tasked with coordinating forces for a particular engagement. This is an engagement status letter that is addressed to that officer.
The (6) 5 letter codes read as follows, from left to right, top to bottom:
THEY - THROW - GRENADES - WE - PULL - PINS - AND - THROW - BACK
The final code at the bottom is a phrase:
NOTIFY REINFORCEMENTS STAND DOWN - NOT NEEDED
Mike Conowingo
Full Member
The find is amazing and then being able to have someone read the code. Speechless.
The OVALTINE comment is hilarious. With winter the way it's been. My kids are bundled up like the little brother, they can barley hold their arms down. Too funny but it doesn't stop em.
The OVALTINE comment is hilarious. With winter the way it's been. My kids are bundled up like the little brother, they can barley hold their arms down. Too funny but it doesn't stop em.
Karletto
Senior Member
Holly molly
ase of spades!
Thanks docmur!
We are all very exited and thankful. The owner is also interested in few photos or a story, a lesson in coding or something...
Thanks again
ase of spades!
Thanks docmur!
We are all very exited and thankful. The owner is also interested in few photos or a story, a lesson in coding or something...
Thanks again
gtoast99
Forum Supporter
So this has GOT to be one of the coolest things I've seen found with a metal detector. If this site had a banner, I'd vote for it, haha.
My 2 cents - If dockmur can post or send you some high-quality images of the code book, I'd write an article for American Digger Magazine on the find, the code, the decryption, about the nature of the area it was found in and the discovery. It would make a fascinating story. I hope we get to read about it in it's entirety.
My 2 cents - If dockmur can post or send you some high-quality images of the code book, I'd write an article for American Digger Magazine on the find, the code, the decryption, about the nature of the area it was found in and the discovery. It would make a fascinating story. I hope we get to read about it in it's entirety.
7centsworth
Forum Supporter
That is one of the coolest finds I have seen found. And then someone on here decode it made it even better. Thanks for sharing it with us.
jakerdz
Senior Member
Threads like this are what make this forum and hobby great!
Karletto
Senior Member
no problem and feel free to contact me any of you
If this thing happens, i am on full disposal to italian and also american part...
I agree we would need more photos about the place, the owner and similar.
About the code book. If your (US) authorities reading the article find that docmur is in possession of the codes, would it be a legal problem in your country? It happened 60years ago but still...
Vermonster
Elite Member
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2014
- Messages
- 9,477
That is just plain awesome!!!
Diggin Funatic
Forum Supporter
Great find! Love that GI's sense of humor. However, I believe I have heard this phrase before: "THEY THROW GRENADES, WE PULL PINS AND THROW BACK". LOL! I bought a box of stuff from a WW2 vet who had passed away. There were hundreds of letters included. While reading through the letters I found a code sheet. Before this man shipped overseas he had composed a code system for his family in case he was captured or wanted to convey special information to his family. When writing home, the soldiers would write their serial number on the correspondence. His idea was to substitute a number/numbers within his serial number to convey that secret message (am well, need food, am wounded, etc...) hoping the US or enemy censors would not discover the switch. I later learned that other soldiers had the same code idea.
Seven
Forum Supporter
Awesome find!
Karletto
Senior Member
It turns out docmurs decoding was all a joke. 
@Docmur: you are a bit stupid let me say that. It's not 1st of april. I was spreading and translating your !!!! also on italian forum. There are like 4 pages open.
I should have know with low total messages like that...
@Docmur: you are a bit stupid let me say that. It's not 1st of april. I was spreading and translating your !!!! also on italian forum. There are like 4 pages open.
I should have know with low total messages like that...
Glennz
Elite Member
I think this should be donated to a local war museum if I found it :P
dockmur
Junior Member
It turns out docmurs decoding was all a joke.
@Docmur: you are a bit stupid let me say that. It's not 1st of april. I was spreading and translating your !!!! also on italian forum. There are like 4 pages open.
I should have know with low total messages like that...
I got several PM's on this, including one from you. Other PM's were from people that got the joke. I replied to you in a very kind way, explaining to you that it was a joke, and explained that it was one of the stories often told by a dear friend that served in Italy during WW2. I'll tell you another since they upset you so much... "I have used Italian rifles for sale, excellent condition, only dropped once." I then went on to thank you for contacting me, and told you how much I enjoyed reading post's from Europe. So now you have to post this garbage. Well EXXXCCCUUUSSSEEE MEEEE for upsetting your thin skin. How about I get my message count up to a 1000 by replying "Nice Find" to every post on this site...would that make ya' happy?
