Rudolf Kochendörffer

Rudolf Paul Joachim Kochendörffer (21 November 1911 in Pankow – 23 August 1980 in Dortmund) was a German mathematician who was a Professor of mathematics in the University of Rostock specialising in algebra, Group theory and theory of finite groups and their representation.[1][2] During World War II, Kochendörffer worked as a mathematical cryptanalyst in the mathematical referat of Inspectorate 7/IV, that would later become part of Referat I of Group IV of the General der Nachrichtenaufklärung (abbr. GDNA), the signals intelligence agency of the Wehrmacht and was known as a cryptographic tester of the Enigma cipher machine.[3] Kochendörffer was a Member of the Scientific Advisory Council for Mathematics at the State Secretariat for the Higher and Specialist Schools of the GDR, a staff member of Mathematical Reviews and collaborated with the Zentralblatt MATH[2]

Rudolf Kochendörffer
Mathematician Kochendoerffer.jpg
Born(1911-11-21)21 November 1911
Munich
Died23 August 1980(1980-08-23) (aged 68)
Pankow
CitizenshipGerman
Alma materHumboldt University of Berlin
Known forWriting several textbooks on algebra and group theory.<bt> Tester of Enigma cipher machine security, and decoding of Swiss Enigma K.
Scientific career
Fieldsalgebra
group theory
InstitutionsUniversity of Göttingen
Technical University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
University of Rostock
Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
University of Tasmania
Technical University of Dortmund
Gesellschaft für Angewandte Mathematik und Mechanik
Mathematical Reviews
Zentralblatt MATH
Doctoral advisorIssai Schur
Erhard Schmidt
Ludwig Bieberbach

Personal life

Rudolf Kochendörffers father, Albert Kochendörffer(1877-1958) was a lending bookseller (German: Leihbuchhändler). His mother was Bertha Kochendörffer. In 1930, Kochendörffer completed his Abitur. Kochendörffer subsequently studied at the Technical University of Berlin from 1930 to 1936 on the study of mathematics, physics and philosophy.[4]

In 1936, he was promoted to Dr Phil, with a doctoral thesis titled: Investigations on a presumption of W. Burnside (German:Untersuchungen über eine Vermutung von W. Burnside) (Burnside's theorem), whose doctorals advisors where among others, Ludwig Bieberbach, Issai Schur and Erhard Schmidt, but was forced to resign as a Jew in 1935. During 1938/9 he was an assistant at the University of Göttingen. From 1939 to 1942 he was an assistant to the cryptanalysis department of the German Foreign Office (German: Auswärtiges Amt) and from 1942-1945 he was employed as a mathematical cryptanalysis in the OKW/Chi and the GDNA. from 1946 to 1948 he worked as a Senior assistant at the Mathematical Institute of the Humboldt University of Berlin. In 1948, Kochendörffer habilitated in the subjects of mathematics in Berlin, and was promoted to full professor, therein working as a lecturer. He then found position for a year as Professor with full lecturing for mathematics at the University of Greifswald. At the start of the new decade in 1950, Kochendörffer became a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Rostock, a position he held until 1966.[2]

Kochendörffer specialized in group theory. He was also known for writing various algebra textbooks. Between 1967-1970 Rudolf Kochendörffer was Visiting Professor of Mathematics, Faculty of Natural Sciences at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz,[5] and at the University of Tasmania. Between 1970-1977, Kochendörffer finished his career as Professor of Mathematics at the Technical University of Dortmund.[2]

He was a member of the Mathematische Gesellschaft der DDR, German Mathematical Society and the member of Gesellschaft für Angewandte Mathematik und Mechanik.[2]

Honours

In 1960, he was awarded the Patriotic Order of Merit in Bronze, which was recognized in 1967. In 1963 he received the National Prize of the German Democratic Republic, National Prize III. for science and technology.

Publications
  • Einführung in die Algebra. Berlin 1955, 4. Aufl. 1974. (English Edition: Introduction to algebra. Groningen 1972).
  • Determinants and matrices (German:Determinanten und Matrizen). Leipzig 1957, 5. Aufl. 1967. (License Issue Stuttgart 1970).
  • Lehrbuch der Gruppentheorie. Unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der endlichen Gruppen. Leipzig 1966. (English Edition: Textbook of the group theory with special consideration of the finite groups. Leipzig 1966, English Group Theory, McGraw Hill 1970).
  • On supplements of finite groups. Groningen 1963.
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References
  1. Rudolf Kochendörffer at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
  2. "Kochendörffer, Rudolf". University of Rostock. Catalogus Professorum Rostochiensium. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  3. Kochendörffer, Rudolf. "DF-38 The Enigma". Google drive. TICOM. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  4. "Kalliope-Verbund". Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Prussian Cultural HeritaStaatsbibliothek zu Berlinge. Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  5. "Prof. Dr. Rudolf Kochendörffer". Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Universitätsbibliothek. Gutenberg Biographics. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
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