Fall 2003

Chris Christensen

Class notes

ADFGVX Cipher
The most famous field cipher in all cryptology is the ADFGVX cipher. It
was invented by Fritz Nebel (1891 1967), a German radio staff officer, and
was installed on March 5, 1918, on the German Western Front for wireless
transmission during a major offensive. It is based upon the idea of the
Polybius square.
Polybius Square
Polybius was a Greek historian and cryptographer of the second century BC.
Polybius used a 5 5 square into which he inserted the 24 letters of the
Greek alphabet. If we use the English alphabet of 26 letters, we must
combine 2 of the letters into one cell say, i and j.

1
2
3
4
5

1 2 3 4 5
a b c d e
f g h i/j k
l m n o p
q r s t u
v w x y z

The square is then used to convert letters to numbers; e.g., h would be 23.
Polybius used a torch system by which an observer could determine the row
and column of the letter being transmitted.

An audible version square, called the "knock cipher," has also been used by
prisoners over the centuries to transmit messages from cell to cell. For
example, to transmit the letter h, the prisoner would
knock knock knock knock knock
In Czarist Russia, the knock cipher was based upon a 6 6 square
containing the 33 letters of the Russian alphabet. Alexander Solzhenitsyn
describes its use in The Gulag Archipelago. The cipher came to Western
Europe with Russian anarchists.
ADFGX Cipher
The ADFGX cipher was based upon a 5 5 square like the following:

A
D
F
G
X

A D F G
a m r e
q d n f
i/j o b u
c k h w
p v s g

X
t
l
y
z
x

We will describe the method for enciphering using the ADFGVX cipher
below.
It is thought that the letters ADFGX (and later V) were chosen because their
Morse code equivalents were dissimilar and, therefore, unlikely to be
confused during transmission.
International Morse Code
A
D
F
G
V
X

ADFGVX Cipher
On June 1, 1918, the ADFGX cipher was replaced by the ADFGVX cipher.
A 29-year-old French artillery captain and cryptanalyst Georges
Painvin of the French Bureau du Chiffre was able to solve enough of
the ADFGVX dispatches that the German spring offensive on June 9
was halted by the French.
This cipher was based upon a 6 6 square, which permits inclusion of all 26
letters of the English alphabet and the ten digits 0, 1, 9. Here is an
example of a square:

A
D
F
G
V
X

A
D F G V X
a
i 2 o 0 d
1 (one) b h 6 m s
t
n w c q 4
l (el) g 7 v y r
f
5 e 3 x z
9
p j k 8 u

Typically, the symbols were randomly arranged in the square; so, it would be
necessary to have a written key to encipher and decipher.
First, each letter and number of the plaintext message was enciphered with
the two letters designating row and column of its positions in the square.
For example,
t
FA

h
DF

e
VF

The message
Thiscipherfeaturessubstitutionandtransposition.

becomes

FADFADDXFGADXDDFVFGXVAVFAAFAXXGXVFDXDDAGFADFDXXXDDDXFA
ADFAXXFAADAGFDAAFDAXFAGXAAFDDXXDAGDXADFAADAGFD

So far, we have only used a Polybius square to encipher the message we

have only done substitution. But, there is more there is a transposition.
To do the transposition, a keyword is needed. Let us use Sinkov (one of
Friedman's first junior cryptanalysts). The message is re-written in six
columns underneath the six letters of the keyword.
S
F

I N K O V
A D F A D

D
X
G
A
G
D
D
D
A
F
F
A
A
X
A
A

X
D
X
A
X
D
F
D
D
A
D
X
A
D
D
G

F
D
V
F
V
A
D
D
F
A
A
F
F
A
F
F

G
F
A
A
F
G
X
X
A
D
A
A
D
G
A
D

A
V
V
X
D
F
X
F
X
A
F
G
D
D
A
V

D
F
F
X
X
A
X
A
X
G
D
X
X
X
D
X

There are 50 letters in the message; this doubles to 100. Because there are 6
columns and 17 rows in the table ( 6 17=102 ) two nulls (a V and an X)
have been added to the end of the message to complete the columns.
Now the columns of the table are rearranged by alphabetizing the letters of
the keyword.
4

I
A
X
D
X
A
X
D
F

K
F
G
F
A
A
F
G
X

N
D
F
D
V
F
V
A
D

O
A
A
V
V
X
D
F
X

S
F
D
X
G
A
G
D
D

V
D
D
F
F
X
X
A
X

D
D
A
D
X
A
D
D
G

X
A
D
A
A
D
G
A
D

D
F
A
A
F
F
A
F
F

F
X
A
F
G
D
D
A
V

D
A
F
F
A
A
X
A
A

A
X
G
D
X
X
V
D
X

Now the string of ciphertext is created by going down columns.

AXDXAXDFDDADXADDGFGFAAFGXXADAADGADDFDVFVADDFAAFFAFFAAVVXDFXF
XAFGDDAVFDXGAGDDDAFFAAXAADDFFXXAXAXGDXXVDX

Typically the message was transmitted in five-letter blocks.

AXDXAXDFDDADXADDGFGFAAFGXXADAADGADDFDVFVADDFAAFFAF
FAAVVXDFXFXAFGDDAVFDXGAGDDDAFFAAXAADDFFXXAXAXGDXXV
DX

Cryptanalysis

From the sender's point of view, the message is doubled in length but the use
of only six letters speeds transmission and likely makes transmission more
accurate. Also, numbers can be directly enciphered (rather than having to be
written out). There is also a savings in training because the radio operators
need only know six Morse code equivalences rather than the entire Morse
code alphabet.
The cryptanalyst should notice the use of only six letters and suspect an
ADFGVX cipher with the initial enciphering being done using a 6 6
Polybius square.
But, this is a very difficult cipher to break. Plaintext letters (and numbers)
are substituted by digraphs in some sense, the single letter frequencies are
"divided between" the two letters. Then transposition effectively scatters the
single-letter characteristics.
In his book, Kahn describes Painvin's difficult solution to a few of the
ADFGVX ciphers. Painvin's partial (but sufficient) success was followed by
"a long leave of convalescence." (And, subsequently by an "immensely
successful business career.") But Painvin said of his solution of the
ADFGVX ciphers that they left "an indelible mark on my spirit, and remain
for me one of the brightest and most outstanding memories of my
existence."
Frank Rowlett was one of the first cryptanalysts hired by William Friedman
for the Signal Intelligence Service (SIS) of the Army Signal Corp in 1930.
SIS was the successor to Yardley's Black Chamber. Rowlett, in his book
The Story of Magic, [Magic was the name for decryptions produced by the
Purple analog. Friedman called his staff "magicians."] describes his
encounter with ADFGVX.
[Friedman] sketched out for us the work that had been done in France
during the last war on the German field army cipher known as the
ADFGVX cipher. He explained that during the war no satisfactory
general solution to the system had been devised. Only occasionally
could the Allied cryptanalysts recover one of the keys used by the
Germans, and this could only be achieved under very special
circumstances. He identified this type of solution as the "Painvain
Solution," named after it inventor Captain Georges Painvain, who was
a French Army cryptanalyst [Friedman] had worked with during
6

World War I, a man whose cryptanalytic ability was held in high

esteem by both the French and the Americans.
The initial break into the system is described, starting on page 215, in
Precis de Cryptographie Moderne by the French cryptographer
Charles Eyraud published in 1953. According to Eyraud, this break
came during early April 1918 when the French intercepted two
messages, each of three parts, which they soon determined to be
retransmissions of the same basic information, since there were only
slight differences in the ciphertexts of the two messages. One of the
French cryptographers, M. Painvain, was able to exploit this case of
retransmission and recovered both the transposition key and the
digraphic substitution employed in the messages. With the keys
recovered from these two messages, the French cryptanalysts were
able to read all the other messages sent during the same period.
Although the French cryptanalysts had recovered the full details of the
system from this initial break, they were unable to solve the keys for
other days, except when they were fortunate enough to intercept two
messages in which substantial repetitions occurred.
Superencipherment
The ADFGVX cipher has two parts. First, the plaintext message is
enciphered into a string of the letters ADFGVX. Then the string is enciphered
with a transposition cipher. This is called superencipherment and
enciphered message is again enciphered. Often ciphertexts are
superenciphered with a transposition cipher.

Exercises
1. Use the ADFGVX square

A
D
F
G
V
X

A
D F G V X
a
i 2 o 0 d
1 (one) b h 6 m s
t
n w c q 4
l (el) g 7 v y r
f
5 e 3 x z
9
p j k 8 u

and the keyword mathematician to encipher the message

TheFirstWorldWarmarksthegreatturningpointinthe
historyofcryptology.

(The cause of this was the enormous increase in the use of radio
communications, which can be intercepted by the enemy, in combat.)
2. Decipher the following message that was enciphered using the ADFGVX
square given in exercise 1 and the keyword Sinkov.
GGDFDVXGDFDAGXGVAAAAFVGVFFFDFDADAFDD

3. How many 6 6 ADFGVX squares are possible?

4. Encipher the message
Sampletheelectronicenvironmentoftheeastcoastof
NorthKorea.Emphasisisinterceptingcoastalradar

with a Caesar cipher with additive key 7 and then superencipher that
ciphertext with a transposition cipher using a rectangular array with keyword
enigma.

5. Explain the difficulties that you would encounter in trying to decipher the
superenciphered text of exercise 4.

6. Use the Polybius square

1
2
3
4
5

1 2 3 4 5
a b c d e
f g h i/j k
l m n o p
q r s t u
v w x y z

to convert the message NorthernKentuckyUniversityto a string of

numbers.
7. Decipher the following message that was enciphered using the ADFGVX
square given in exercise 1 and the keyword English.
XAGGGDAVAXDADXDDXFXXVXAFXGAV

8. Decipher the following message that was first enciphered with a Caesar
cipher with additive key 6 and then superenciphered using a rectangular
array with keyword English.
ZXRKKROMZKIEKTKTIOMKNGRGTZTI

10