The Spy Toolkit: Extraordinary inventions from World War II by The National Archives & Stephen Twigge

Author:The National Archives & Stephen Twigge [Twigge, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472831491
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2018-05-30T23:00:00+00:00

THE ENEMY

The ingenuity of Britain’s secret service in producing incendiaries and explosive devices concealed in everyday household objects was matched by that of their German counterparts. German intelligence and internal security was divided between the Abwehr and the Sicherheitsdienst (SD). The Abwehr came under the control of the German high command and was responsible for the collection of foreign intelligence, and for counter-espionage and sabotage operations. The SD was the security apparatus of the Nazi party and was controlled by Himmler. Both the Abwehr and the SD ran agents, and this resulted in rivalry. In addition, there was the Gestapo (the Secret Police) and the SS (the Schutzstaffel, Hitler’s personal bodyguard). In German-occupied territories, the Gestapo had the authority to search premises, revoke licences, expel individuals from the locality, dismiss workers and compel the disclosure of bank accounts.

At the beginning of the war, German agents were dropped behind enemy lines, mingled with refugees or were hidden among minority populations. One of the main weapons involved the undermining of morale by spreading exaggerated stories that caused panic among the population and the retreating troops. During the invasion of Poland, Norway and the Netherlands, German sabotage was carried out as part and parcel of the military operation. Well-organised teams of agents, often disguised as tramps, were used to reconnoitre rail and road communications and to report on developments. Town plans, including the location of military headquarters, were also drawn up and updated as necessary. Agents maintained links with Germany through cultural attachés, travel agencies and tourists.

In common with SOE operatives, German operatives were trained in sabotage and subversion techniques, with explosives concealed in a wide variety of household objectives. These included car batteries, tins of food, frozen eggs and firelighters. The majority of German agents operating in Britain were quickly caught by the Security Service (MI5) and used by the British to broadcast false information back to their Nazi controllers. The gadgets and devices used by the German agents were confiscated and turned over to SOE for close examination.

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