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Problems › 129 › solution › 1

A public alphabet, eighteen separate source records

How far the common alphabet goes

Eighteen postcards form this numerical-code packet. Six already had public plaintexts. The campaign applied their proven table to twelve further items: nine are complete literal readings, two reach their physical ends with damaged-sign brackets, and one has a complete number block followed by five unreadable longhand lines. “Complete literal reading” does not guarantee grammatical German: HCP1044 is deliberately printed with its corrupt forms. [1]

The alphabet starts with J, then A through I, then K through Z. It is not ordinary A1Z26. For example, 12.10.6.3.6.18 / 7.18.10.20.26 reads LIEBER FRITZ. Six supplied public answers independently check the same assignments.

NumbersLetters
1–10J A B C D E F G H I
11–20K L M N O P Q R S T
21–26U V W X Y Z

That shared convention licenses letter-by-letter transfer. It does not identify one writer. The signatures distinguish Emma, Marie, Susi, Minna, Liese, and others; one prior control addresses Hans although its catalogue association is Fritz.

Twelve campaign item readings

German comes first. English translations are explanatory and do not replace the diplomatic wording. Spacing, capitals, umlauts, and punctuation may be editorial where the written numbers do not express them. [3]

HCP 913 ; Emma, 26 March

Exact mechanical plaintext:

LIEBER FRITZ BITTE SEI DOCH SO GUT UND KOMME
SONNTAG MIT IN DIE KIRSCHEN NASCHEN POSERITZ
BITTE SCHREIBE MIR OB DU KOMMEN KANNST WURDE
MICH SEHR FREUEN DICH WIEDER ZU SEHEN UM WELCHE
ZEIT ICH FAHRE WEIST ICH NOCH NICHT WENNS GEHT
BITTE KOMME DOCH VIELE GRUSSE VON DEINER EMMA

Joined diplomatic German:

Lieber Fritz! Bitte sei doch so gut und komme Sonntag mit in die Kirschen naschen. Poseritz. Bitte schreibe mir, ob du kommen kannst. Wurde mich sehr freuen, dich wieder zu sehen. Um welche Zeit ich fahre, weist ich noch nicht. Wenns geht, bitte komme doch. Viele Grusse von deiner Emma.

English: “Dear Fritz! Please be so kind and come cherry-picking on Sunday. Poseritz. Please write and tell me whether you can come. I would be very pleased to see you again. I do not yet know what time I will travel. If possible, please do come. Many greetings from your Emma.”

The source literally gives WURDE, WEIST, WENNS, and GRUSSE. The critical line seam is 23.6.10 + 19.20 = WEIST, not WEISS.

HCP 1044 ; Marie, date unknown

Exact physical plaintext:

ACH FRITZE MAX MUS
BLOSZ KEIN KIND
DENN DU WEISZT WIE
MEINE ELTERN SIND MACH
MINN SPATER ODER FRUHER
MIT DES ALTEN NBERZIEHEN
MARIE

Joined diplomatic German:

Ach Fritze, Max mus blosz kein Kind, denn du weiszt, wie meine Eltern sind. Mach minn spater oder fruher mit des Alten nberziehen. Marie.

The exact last group is 14.3.6.18.26.10.6.9.6.14 = NBERZIEHEN; its first digit is definitely 14=N, not 21=U. The joined text is corrupt German in several places, so no smooth English translation is asserted.

HCP 1045 ; Susi, 12 October 1909

Exact physical plaintext:

LIEBER FRITZ
EBEN DEINE KAR
TE ERHALTEN UBER
WAS IST DENN DAS
FUR EIN FOTO WAR
ES DER GEDANKE
IST DAS DIE
GREUDE AUF MEI
NE GESUNDHEIT
MIT KUSZ
SUSI

Joined diplomatic German:

Lieber Fritz! Eben deine Karte erhalten. Uber was ist denn das fur ein Foto? War es der Gedanke? Ist das die Greude auf meine Gesundheit? Mit Kusz, Susi.

English: “Dear Fritz! I have just received your card. But what sort of photograph is that? Was that the idea? Is that the ‘joy’ at my health? With a kiss, Susi.”

The first numeral of GEDANKE is overwritten but source-verified as 8=G. GREUDE is unambiguous and is not silently repaired to FREUDE.

HCP 1046 ; unsigned, 13 July 1909

German: Du kleiner Bösewicht.

English: “You little rascal/scoundrel.”

HCP 1047 ; Susi, 24 July 1909

German:

Liebes Schätzchen! Sollte es schlimmer geworden sein, was ich nicht hoffe, so gehe wieder zum Arzt. Es grüßt und küsst dich deine Susi.

English: “Dear sweetheart! If it should have got worse; which I hope it has not; then go back to the doctor. Your Susi sends greetings and kisses.”

HCP 1050 ; Minna, 17 March 1910

Diplomatic German:

Lieber Fritz! Endlich ein Lebenszeichen von dir, und freue mich sehr, dass es schon besser geht. Vieleicht möchten wir Montag wieder zusammen sein. Was ist denn so plötzlich über dich gekommen? Gute Besserung, baldiges Wiedersehen. Gruß, Kuß, Minna.

English: “Dear Fritz! At last, a sign of life from you, and I am very glad that you are already feeling better. Perhaps we would like to be together again on Monday. What came over you so suddenly? Get well soon; see you again soon. Greetings, kisses, Minna.”

The missing grammatical ich and spelling Vieleicht are source-level.

HCP 1051 ; Minna, 31 March 1910

Diplomatic German:

Lieber Fritz! Ich komme heute wieder ein bischen zu dir, wenn es recht ist. Herzlichen Gruß u. Kuß, deine Minna.

English: “Dear Fritz! I’ll come to you again today for a little while, if that’s all right. Warm greetings and kisses, your Minna.”

HCP 1113 ; Susi, 30 July 1909

German: Geliebter Schatz! Bin zur bestimmten Stunde bei dir. Deine Susi.

English: “Beloved darling! I’ll be with you at the appointed hour. Your Susi.”

HCP 1134 ; Susi, 11 March 1910

German: Liebes Schätzchen! Sende dir die besten Grüße. Deinen Wunsch für Sonntag kann ich nicht erfüllen. Susi.

English: “Dear sweetheart! Sending you the best greetings. I cannot fulfil your wish for Sunday. Susi.”

Complete physical extents with source-limited glyphs

These cards have no unseen continuation. Their remaining brackets are damaged or malformed source marks, not unbroken cipher.

HCP 978 ; unidentified, 10 September 1909

Visible numeric groups:

18.2.21.19.[23-like?] / 11.15.13.6.14
11.2.14.14.19.20 / 5.21 / 2.3.2.18

Mechanical text: RAUS[W?] KOMEN / KANNST DU ABAR.

Strong intended German: Raus kommen kannst du aber.

English: “But you can come out.”

The possible mark after RAUS, missing second 13 in KOMMEN, and source ABAR/ABER digit cannot be made more certain from the scan.

HCP 979 ; unidentified, 10 September 1909

Mechanical diplomatic plaintext:

Lieber Fritz! Heute geht es wieder besser, weiss aber noch nicht, wie es heute Abend sein wird. Gestern hatte ich starke[s?] Fieber + [S?]olle ich nicht.

English through the secure connected span: “Dear Fritz! Today things are better again, but I do not yet know how it will be this evening. Yesterday I had a high fever …”

The physical message ends after ICH NICHT. The line-broken S completing STARKES is crossed, and the first digit of [S?]OLLE is too faint to freeze. The odd final grammar is not repaired.

Recoverable numeric block; erased longhand remains

HCP 1060 ; Liese, 23 November 1911

Exact physical numeric plaintext:

LIEBER FRITZ VIELEN
DANK FUR DEINE KARTEN
HABE HEUTE DEN ARZT GEFRAGT OB
ICH KANN SONNABEND AUSGEHEN
BIN ALSO BIS SONNABEND MITTAG FREI

Joined diplomatic German:

Lieber Fritz, vielen Dank fur deine Karten. Habe heute den Arzt gefragt, ob ich kann Sonnabend ausgehen. Bin also bis Sonnabend Mittag frei.

English: “Dear Fritz, many thanks for your cards. I asked the doctor today whether I can go out on Saturday. So I am free until Saturday noon.”

Five extremely faint longhand baselines follow. Multiple source passes and separate color/contrast enhancements do not support a stable connected transcription, so they remain [connected cursive unrecoverable]. The terminal signoff deine Liese is independently secure. This card is not claimed as a complete full-letter reading.

Six previously public controls

These are prior answers, reproduced with their supplied misspellings and uncertainties because they establish what was already known. They are not counted as new cracks. [2]

HCPPublic readingIdentity actually named
1041deine karte erhlten besten dank wenn es mir möeglich komme ich Freitag zu dier eruarte dich an der bahn 2 uhr 58 m herlichen grusz und kusz deine mariaMaria
1042mein lieber fritz erwarte dich Donnerstag abend 1/2 9 uhr an der durchfahrt habe zwar nicht viel zeit aber ein paar minuten werde ich mir schon nehmen es grist dich deine martaMarta
1043susz ist schätzchen bei dir zu sein dich zu missen qualvolle pein bei dir ist himmelseligkeit trennung von dir bringt höllenleid dein herzblättchen“Herzblättchen”
1048fritz heut früh hörte ich das du in schweidnitz bist wie es meinem fritz wen es dir angenehm ist würde ich dich gern einmal bsuchen grüst deine minnaMinna
1049lieber schatzel da werden wir wohl auf gar keinen freien sonntag zu hoffen haben den h k werdet ihr total zu schanden machen am sonntag were es schon gegangen wenn du hritzel nur gewollt hättest es gruszt g kuszt dch dennoch deine susi bitte um einen langen briefSusi
1059frohes wünscht liese lieber hans amisier dich recht gut und denk mal an mich grusz kusz lieseLiese, writing to Hans

Checking errors instead of correcting them away

The HCP1044 source group 14.3.6.18.26.10.6.9.6.14 starts with a clear 14 and therefore gives NBERZIEHEN, not UBERZIEHEN. HCP1045 similarly has a clear initial 8 in GREUDE, not the 7 needed for FREUDE. An overbar doubles a numeral in DENN. These are cases where knowledge of German could make a transcription look better while making it less faithful. [5]

HCP1060 received separate source passes and native-color, channel, contrast, and row-crop inspection. Its five longhand baselines still do not support stable connected words; only the closing deine Liese is secure. An established numerical alphabet cannot recover missing cursive strokes. No complete-letter claim is made for that card.

Source transcription limits

The saved raw inventory for HCP913 disagrees with its reported reading at several positions, including LIBER/LIEBER, NASCHE/NASCHEN and HREUEN/FREUEN. These have not been silently repaired in this edition. Its reported complete reading remains a campaign result, with this transcription discrepancy now explicit; a fresh comparison with the original would be needed to settle it.

What is not claimed

The 28 August 2026 audit checked portal item states, the six supplied public answer files, the collection paper, and bounded phrase searches. It found no prior exact-item reading of the campaign targets within those surfaces. This supports nine complete campaign literals and three source-limited readings, not universal first-ever priority. [4]

HCP1059 says “Lieber Hans”; HCP1060 says “Lieber Fritz.” Their common key is not evidence that Hans and Fritz are the same person or that all the cards describe one relationship. The packet is closed at the documented source limit, with every remaining damaged or erased span still stated.

References