The Enigma machine was a cipher device used by the German military during World War II to encrypt and decrypt secret messages. It utilized a series of rotating disks, or rotors, that scrambled letters in a complex manner, making it difficult for enemies to decipher the communications. Each setting of the rotors created a different encryption, allowing for a vast number of possible combinations. The machine's effectiveness relied on its complexity and the secrecy of its settings. However, the efforts of codebreakers, particularly those at Bletchley Park led by Alan Turing, eventually succeeded in cracking the Enigma code, significantly aiding the Allied forces.