Abwehr
German military intelligence from 1921 to 1944, heavily penetrated by the Allies
Overview
The Abwehr served as German military intelligence through the world wars, led from 1935 by Admiral Wilhelm Canaris. Its World War II networks were thoroughly penetrated by British intelligence, and many of its agents were doubled into channels feeding deception to Berlin, directly enabling the Double-Cross System and the Fortitude cover for D-Day. After the July 1944 plot against Hitler, in which Canaris was implicated, the organization was absorbed by the SS security apparatus. Canaris was executed at Flossenburg in 1945.
Related Topics
Bundesnachrichtendienst
The BND grew from the Gehlen Organization, the network of former German officers run by the CIA in the early Cold War, gaining leg...
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security ran domestic surveillance and foreign espionage for East Germany from 1950 to 1990, deploying info...
DGSE
The Direction Generale de la Securite Exterieure succeeded the SDECE in 1982 and collects foreign intelligence from the Boulevard ...
AIVD
The AIVD succeeded the BVD in 2002 and monitors espionage, terrorism, and proliferation threats to the Netherlands. Its oversight ...