German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Hi guys

Do we know the names of German spies parachuted into Britain (and Ireland) during WWII; also the dates they arrived and captured?

Importantly, do we know the unit/units responsible for dropping them? Was there just one unit involved, or many?

Any help obviously appreciated.

Cheers
Brian

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Josef Jakobs the last person to be executed at the Tower of London on 15 August 1941.

Link to Story

I presume the unit responsible for the drop would have been KG200.

I hope others will comment due to my limited knowledge of the subject.

Regards

Clint Mitchell

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Thanks for that, Clint

Most interesting. Let's hope other reports will be as enlightening.

Cheers
Brian

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Double agent Eddie Chapman parachuted in June/July 1944 to report on if V1's were hitting their target, MI5 codename ZIGZAG. I think After The Battle magazine has some artcles on German spies their website lists all editions and the contents of each magazine.

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Hi guys

I've been Googling and have found two interesting early spies:

Willem ter Braak (Dutch) parachuted into England on night of 2/3 November 1940; eventually committed suicide 29 March 1941.

Leniham (Irish) parachuted in to Ireland, near Dublin, in July 1941, but handed himself in to Northern Ireland authorities.

Clint, KG200 not formed until later in the war, so not responsible for early incidents.

PS: Were there any recorded flights by, say, He115s or other seaplanes to land spies in UK?

Cheers
Brian

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Brian,

After The battle issue 011 German spies in Britain lists what they call The Unlucky Sixteen,

Regards

Brian Bines

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Brian,

Here's a page on Wulf Schmidt, aka HARRY WILLIAMSON, parachuted into the UK on 19/20th Sep 1940 having been flown over by Hptm Karl Gartenfeld - follow this link http://www.oldwillingham.com/History/Spy/Tate_Spy.htm

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Brian,

And another one ....

"Karel Richter was a 29 year old Sudeten German who was caught and executed in 1941 for being a spy. He had parachuted into England on 12 May 1941 and was captured just two days later after hiding out in a field."

Follow this link - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/e...er/default.htm

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Brian,

A bit of info. on Mutt and Jeff on this site http://members.iinet.net.au/~gduncan/1942.html

Brian Bines

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Brian,

Regarding the unit(s) used to fly agents to the UK, please refer to KG 200 - The Luftwaffe's most secret unit by Geof Thomas and Barry Ketley.

Page 23 has the following - "it was, however, clearly better to place agents as close as practicable to their intended destinations. As a result the aircraft of Aufkl.Gr.(F)/Ob.d.L. were to be used for clandestine flights to drop secret agents and saboteurs into Great Britain and the remaining neutral countries, some of these agents being recruited from the Lehr und Baukp.zbV 800. This new kind of operation, which required accurate navigation by night was undertaken by the Gruppe Rowehl which seemingly prided itself on the precision of its navigation in the prefered cloudy weather conditions........"

The story continues with reference to Gartenfeld (Staka of 3. Staffel) flying Hermann Goertz to Dublin on 5/6 May 1940.

Page 25 mentions that Gartenfeld flew with Knemeyer to drop Abwehr agents in Central and Southern England.

There is also mention of three agents being landed from a rubber raft on the Scottish coast havng been flown there by an He 115 possibly of Kü.Fl.Gr. 906 - vera de Witte, Theodore Drueke and Werner Waelti. This was on 30 Sep 1940, thet flew from Stavanger-Sola and landed on the Banff coast.

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Not in 1941, KG 200 didn't form until a lot later so this drop was probably made by one of the various elements that were later reorganised into KG 200.

BTW, there's a display case in the Imperial War Museum with items associated with the spies infiltrated into Britain in both World Wars.

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Thanks guys

I have amassed a wealth of information thanks to your assistance, which I am now sorting through.

Cheers
Brian

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Many thanks Martin

There certainly seems to be a lack of in depth information regarding these flights - hopefully more will come to light.

Cheers
Brian

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Hi guys

Still on the subject of German spies parachuted into Britain, can anyone tell me more about the following:

Hubert Sachsel - arrived 22/7/40
Georg Wurstle - arrived 16/9/40
Joseph Dombret - arrived 5/10/40
Kurt Goose - arrived 10/10/40
Arie van Dam - arrived 16/11/40
Hans Reysen - ??

Were any of the above parachute/delivered by seaplane?

Cheers
Brian

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Thanks Martin,

I don't think I can add anything more than Martin above. I've the same sources and less ability to pass on information in the same clarity Martin does. ;-)

Dennis Burke, Dublin

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Hi Dennis

Don't be so modest!

Cheers
Brian

Parachutist in Manchester Ship Canal
 

Hi guys

Here's tricky one!

Apparently on the night of 7/8 September 1940, a German agent was dropped by parachute but unfortunately fell into the Manchester Ship Canal near the Mersey estuary, and was drowned.

Any ideas?

Cheers
Brian

Re: Parachutist in Manchester Ship Canal
 

Any references for the origin of that story, Brian? I've never heard it before but that doesn't mean it is untrue!

Re: Parachutist in Manchester Ship Canal
 

But was he disguised as a nun?

Re: Parachutist in Manchester Ship Canal
 

Why is this in the Allied section? Was he a double agent, perchance?

Re: Parachutist in Manchester Ship Canal
 

The secret war with Germany: deception, espionage, and dirty tricks, 1939-1945‎ by William B. Breuer

"Yet another German spy parachuted into the Manchester Ship Canal in Lancashire and drowned. His espionage career in Britain had lasted less than five minutes"

Deceiving Hitler: double cross and deception in World War II‎ by Terry Crowdy

"The first of these was an unfortunate fellow who avoided capture by landing in middle of the Manchester Ship Canal near the Mersey estuary on the night of 7 September 1940 and was drowned."

Re: Parachutist in Manchester Ship Canal
 

Hi sceptics!

Paul has provided part answer for Achtam

Nick - you've been watching too much TV!

Chris - because I had no luck in the Luftwaffe section!

No inference to being a double agent, but someone living in the Manchester area just might have some knowledge!



Cheers
Brian

Re: Parachutist in Manchester Ship Canal
 

I wonder if there are any other Boards out there that might be better suited as strictly speaking, espionage has a loose connection to 'Luftwaffe & Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum'?

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Maybe,.. See London Gazette for 31 March 1939 Issue number: 34612
Page number: 2191
or search for BRITISH GLYCERINE MANUFACTURERS

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Code Name= GANDER Dropped Northampton dropped either night of 3/10/40 or 4/10/40

See also

http://www.zamboodle.demon.co.uk/rss/guy.htm


I think Guy Lindell has info mixed up... He is refering to Reysen but has 'Karl Grosse who I assume is Kurt Goose - arrived 10/10/40 name! I also think everyone asumes Goose = GANDER.....

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

I think this actually may the Belgian Lt Dombret of the Belgian General Staff sold Germany Belgium's secret plans for defense long before the war broke out

Re: Parachutist in Manchester Ship Canal
 

Hi Chris

I'm enquiring about agents parachuted into Britain by He111 or Do215 of 2/Aufkl.ObdL, or those flown over via He115s of KuFlGr.906 from Norway - surely a strong aviation connection!

As someone else wrote on another thread - you don't have to respond if you're not interested!

With due respect and apology! That's another beer you owe me when we meet!

Cheers
Brian

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

I must admit I am starting to wonder if the 'Parachutist death' may me a bit of mis-information.... and while all other German Spies have been 'identified' this has never...

Would be interesting to see if a body was recovered

As some some of the published data does not 'match up'.... and some spies were captured and 'just vanished' and not executed or put back to use as double cross.. I just wonder if this may have be an elaborate ruse to fool the germans some way... Just a thought...

There are a couple of other instances of German spies being caught which I can't pin down to and indivual namely...


"Three of the anonymous members of the Lena Team managed to drop to their pinpoints, bury their parachutes, and make their their separate ways undetected almost to their destinations.

One of them reached London but was caught the day he got there after his first dinner in a Soho restaurant; he handed the waitress some food coupons for his for his meal. The Abwehr did not know that none was required in British restaurants..


The other came a cropper when buying a railroad ticket for Bristol, the city to which he had been assigned. The clerk told him that the price was "ten and and six," and the police were called when the man handed over ten pounds and six shillings.


The mystery man of the team — the "Dutch refugee" called "Jan Villen Ter Braak" (actually Engelbertus Fukken) in his phony papers phony papers — was found shot dead in a deserted air-raid shelter in Cambridge. He must have been killed or committed suicide shortly after his arrival, for he still had the familiar suitcase with his belongings and his Afu set.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem_Ter_Braak

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Ah.........this is a better place for it rather than Allied Aircraft related. This is what I meant-are we talking aircraft or spies and it would appear that concensus is the latter. Don't worry, I will not hold you to that beer (I do not like Greene King-Rayments is much better)

Re: German spies parachuted into Britain
 

Could it be a piece of quietly disseminated black propaganda - to scare potential spies/traitors and/or cheer up spy-frit Brits?