Joseph Desch - Inventions During WWII

Inventions During WWII

Beginning 1940 Desch's lab was awarded several contracts by the National Defense Research Committee. These contracts made use of Desch's research into fast-firing vacuum tubes, including a high-speed thyratron Desch developed. This tube was used in a counter capable of millisecond speed for the University of Chicago Manhattan Project. This was followed by contract with the OP-20-G section of the Office of Naval Communications. In 1942 his research in the area of electronic counting made him a candidate to evaluate the design for a totally electronic deciphering device created by a group of MIT academics. He gave the opinion that the implementation of the design was not possible, primarily because of the large number of tubes necessary. Believing that the American version of the bombe decryption machine could be built using mechanical and electronic components, and recognizing the National Cash Register Company's capabilities, the Navy moved ahead with a contract. Desch's lab became the United States Naval Computing Machine Laboratory.

In 1943 Desch's team, working in NCR's Building 26 began delivery of completed machines to Op-20-G in Washington. Desch's department was immediately asked to research the problems of breaking Japanese communications. The pressure of cryptanalytic work and the continuing toll of the loss of life in the Pacific theater led to Desch's withdrawal from the project in late 1944. He returned to assist in 1945.