ABSTRACT
Notice that the phrase 'X groups lost' means that an error has crept in at some stage between the initial encoding and reciphering of the message and its final breaking and translating by the intercept and codebreaking unit. Sometimes the nature of the error may be obvious; then the codebreaker's emendation will be shown, but in brackets, to stress that it is conjectural. Similarly remarks like 'strong indications Mandalay' or 'fair indications Meiktila' will be found when the text has been mangled, or when the message hints at something not explicitly stated, which the person collating and evaluating the message, rather than the cryptographer-translator, wishes to add for the benefit of the intelligence staff at headquarters. It is not the codebreaker's job to make such conjectures on the basis of what he believes to be operational probability although he will naturally have that in mind when he casts up possible restorations of the text. 1 (Prome - Rangoon) 'On 16 September (1944) enemy fighterbomber aircraft, probably of type HARIKEN (Hurricane) attacked river transport on the Irrawaddy 10 km south of here. Some of them were carrying stores and ammunition for this unit. Out of seven vessels three were sunk, one was set on fire, and one was badly damaged and had to be beached. The survivors of the native crews abandoned ship and escaped into the countryside. It is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit men for this job. One enemy aircraft is thought to have been damaged by anti-aircraft fire and may have crashed.'
