Abwehr

The Abwehr was a German intelligence organization from 1921 to 1944. The word Abwehren means "to ward off", implying counterespionage; this term was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only. After February 4, 1938, its name in full was Amt Ausland/Abwehr im Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Foreign Bureau/Defence of the Armed Forces High Command).

The Abwehr Under Canaris

Before the War

Before he took over the Abwehr on January 1, the soon-to-be Admiral Canaris was warned by Patzig of attempts by Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich to take over all German intelligence organs. Canaris, a master of backroom dealings which was so much a part of life, thought he knew how to deal with them. But even while he tried to maintain at least a cordial relationship with them, the antagonism between the Abwehr and the SS did not stop with Canaris at the helm.

Related Topics:
January 1 - Reinhard Heydrich

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It came to a head in 1937 when Adolf Hitler decided to help Josef Stalin in the latter's purge against the Soviet military. Hitler ordered the German Army staff should be kept in the dark about Stalin's intentions, for fear that they would warn their Soviet counterparts. Accordingly, special SS teams, accompanied by burglary experts from the criminal police, broke into the secret files of the General Staff and the Abwehr and removed documents related to German-Soviet collaboration. To conceal the thefts, fires were started at the break-ins, which included Abwehr headquarters.

Related Topics:
1937 - Adolf Hitler - Josef Stalin - Soviet military

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When Hitler replaced the Ministry of War with the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), the Abwehr became its intelligence agency, although with some degree of independence therefrom. Canaris reorganized the agency in 1938, establishing the following major departments, which existed until its dissolution:

Related Topics:
Ministry of War - 1938

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• I. Espionage
• G false documents
• H West army west (Anglo-American intelligence)
• H Ost army east (Soviet intelligence)
• Ht army technical
• i communications
• L airforce
• M naval
• T/Lw technical air force
• W economics
• II. Sabotage and special tasks
• III. Counterespionage

Both Army and Navy officers headed these sections.

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In this reorganizaton, Canaris took care to surround himself with a hand-picked staff, notably his second-in-command, Hans Oster and Erwin von Lahousen, Section II Chief. All but one of them were not member of the Nazi party. The exception was Rudolf Bamler, who was appointed as chief of Section III to cement Himmler's trust in him, but Canaris made sure to keep a tight leash on him and giving him limited access to operational information.

Related Topics:
Hans Oster - Erwin von Lahousen

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The Abwehr During World War II

Under Canaris the Abwehr expanded and proved relatively efficient during the early years of the war. Its most notable success was Operation Nordpol, which was an operation against the Dutch underground network let up by the British Special Operations Executive. In March 1941 the Germans forced a captured SOE radio operator to transmit messages to Britain in a code that the Germans had obtained. Even though the operator gave every indication that he was compromised, the receiver in Britain did not notice this. Thus the Germans had been able to penetrate the Dutch operation and maintained this operation for two years, capturing agents that were sent, and sending false intelligence and sabotage reports, until the British caught on.

Related Topics:
Operation Nordpol - Dutch - British - Special Operations Executive - March - 1941 - Sabotage

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But it was ineffective overall for several reasons. Much of its intelligence was deemed politically unacceptable to the German leadership. Moreover, it was in direct competition/conflict with SS intelligence activities under Reinhard Heydrich and Walter Schellenberg. The animosity between the SS and Abwehr did not stop there. Many of the Abwehr's operatives ? including Canaris himself ? were in fact anti-Nazi and were involved in many assasination attempts against Hitler, including the most serious one on July 20, 1944. Canaris even employed Jews in the Abwehr and used the agency to help a small number of Jews to escape from Germany into Switzerland. But perhaps the biggest reason was that Canaris himself sought to undermine the Nazi cause.

Related Topics:
Walter Schellenberg - July 20, 1944 - Jews - Switzerland

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Despite its many intelligence coups it was more than negated by many Abwehr agents ? with Canaris' blessing ? to aid the Allies in whatever covert means necessary. He personally gave false information which discouraged Hitler from invading Switzerland. He also persuaded Francisco Franco not to allow German forces to pass through Spain to invade Gibraltar. He even provided intelligence to the Allies on German intentions as well.

Related Topics:
Switzerland - Francisco Franco - Gibraltar

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The SS continually undermined the Abwehr by putting several Abwehr officers under investigation, believing them (correctly) to be involved in anti-Hitler plots. The SS also accused Canaris of being defeatist in his intelligence assessments, especially on the Russian campaign. One such briefing reportedly resulting in Hitler seizing Canaris by the lapels, and demanded to know whether the intelligence chief was insinuating that the Germany would lose the war.

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The Frau Solf Tea Party and the End of the Abwehr

The incident which eventually resulted in the dissolution of the Abwehr came to be known as the "Frau Solf Tea Party", which took place on September 10, 1943.

Related Topics:
Frau Solf Tea Party - September 10 - 1943

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Frau Johanna (or Hanna Solf), the widow of Dr. Wilhelm Solf, a former Colonial Minister under Kaiser Wilhelm II and ex-Ambassador to Japan, had long been involved in the anti-Nazi intellectual movement in Berlin. In a tea party hosted by her a new member was included in the circle, an attractive young Swiss doctor named Reckse. It turned out that Dr. Reckse was an agent of the Gestapo, to which he reported on the tea party and turned over several incriminating documents.

Related Topics:
Wilhelm Solf - Kaiser Wilhelm II - Ambassador - Japan - Gestapo

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The Solf circle was tipped off and had to flee for lives. But they were all rounded up on January 12, 1944, and eventually everyone who had involvement in the Solf Circle except Frau Solf and her daughter the Countess Lagi Gräfin von Ballestrem were executed.

Related Topics:
January 12 - 1944

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One of those who were executed was Otto Kiep, an official in the Foreign Office, who in turn had friends in the Abwehr, among them are Erich Vermehren and his wife, the former Countess Elizabeth von Plettenberg, who were stationed as agents in Istanbul. Both were summoned to Berlin by the Gestapo in connection to the Kiep case. Fearing for their lives, they got in touch with the British and defected.

Related Topics:
Erich Vermehren - Istanbul

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It was mistakenly believed in Berlin that the Vermehrens absconded with the Abwehr's secret codes and turned them over to the British. That proved to be the last straw for Hitler. Despite the efforts of the Abwehr to shift the blame to the SS or even to the Foreign Ministry, Hitler had had enough of Adm. Wilhelm Canaris and he told Himmler so twice. He summoned the chief of the Abwehr for a final interview, accusing him of allowing the Abwehr to "fall into bits". Canaris quietly agreed that it was "not surprising", as Germany was already losing the war.

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So Hitler fired Canaris on the spot, and on February 18, 1944, Hitler signed a decree that abolished the Abwehr, its functions taken over by the RSHA. This action deprived the armed forces (and the anti-Nazi conspirators) of an intelligence service of its own and strengthened Himmler's control over the generals.

Related Topics:
February 18 - 1944 - RSHA

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Canaris, by this time a vice admiral, was cashiered and given the empty position of chief of the Office of Commercial and Economic Warfare. He was arrested on July 23, 1944 in the aftermath of the July 20 Plot against Hitler and executed shortly before the end of the war, along with Oster his deputy.

Related Topics:
Vice admiral - July 23 - 1944

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