The traitor who never existed

Behind this somewhat enigmatic title actually hides the translation of a German work, Boar im Zweiten Weltkrieg, written by Wilhelm von Schramm, a former Wehrmacht officer who has served in particular propaganda pharmacies OKW and was a member after the war of the Bundeswehr. He has written extensively on his experience and some issues of the Second World War.

Here von Schramm just destroyed one of the toughest legends of World War II, beginning in 1967: the existence of a traitor within the German General Staff, which would have filled the Lucie network in Switzerland led by the enigmatic Rudolf Rössler. The legend of an omniscient Rössler on Nazi Germany's intentions arises partly thanks to the writings of Foote, a former member of the network, and Flicke in charge of against-espionage radio OKW. In reality, Rössler is interested in military secrets that from the summer of 1939 and comes into contact with the Soviets in June 1941. Rössler is a major source of the USSR in the second half of year 1942 and knows a peak of activity in the first ten months of 1943. The information content is also variable, and the Soviets, who really do not need the network at that time, do nothing to prevent the Swiss police to dismantle it in fall 1943. But the mystery remains about the origin of the sources of Rössler, whereupon builds myth.

It all starts with the arrest in April 1933 Schulze-Boysen, opposing Nazism that passes through the jails SS and sees his friend Otto Erlanger succumb batons thugs of Hitler. This will be the starting point of the "Red Orchestra". Rössler, who heads the People for his League of theater in Berlin refuses absorption of this institution by the Nazis. A few years later, in spring 1941, before the invasion of the USSR, the Vita Nova editions of Rössler, a refugee in Switzerland, make it seem very accurate brochure about the state of the German military and their strategy. This is actually a manifesto of the German Interior Front, behind the Red Orchestra. For Rössler, still reluctant towards the USSR, and has no military training, is in contact with Schulze-Boysen, who managed to escape the clutches of the Gestapo by his relations, and integrated the Minister of the Nazi Air. This is not Rössler, who has no military knowledge or almost, the author of the pamphlet, but Schulze-Boysen.

The Swiss social democracy is concerned in fact the threat coming from the north, despite neutrality. Hans Hausamann, a militia officer and not the regular army, created a clandestine intelligence structure, Ha office, in parallel with the official NS 1 in Lucerne. Or Rössler will become a valuable intermediate for the Ha office, especially with its relations with Schulze-Boysen, well placed in the Air Ministry from 1936. The invasion of the USSR develops what became fair information Switzerland. Many helvètes citizens are then willing to collaborate with the Soviets. The first is Pünter Otto, aka Pakbo. Rössler contacts with the USSR after being recruited to the summer of 1939 for its editions by Christian Schneider, which is linked to the network of Soviet agents of Alexander Radolfi. Schneider, who became friends with Rössler, the network transmits the information that it gives him, and Rössler probably recover from the Ha office, for indiscretions. The Germans quickly intercept the radio link between Switzerland and Moscow in 1941. What we see the information provided by the documents that survived shows that they are still very general, superficial. Schulze-Boysen was finally arrested on 30 August 1942, after a long work of the Abwehr who dismantled part of the network in Belgium. The Abwehr was at that time its peak. But the end of the Red Orchestra does not condemn the USSR to a lack of information, although these are still very general.

Moscow then puts the Swiss network to the test, until December 1942, requiring continual checks on the information transmitted. It was at Christmas appears for the first time the name Werther, in which Lucia (Rössler) now refers regularly and as the basis of the traitor myth. The Abwehr and Gestapo are sure to have eliminated the Soviet intelligence network in the west and do not pay attention to Lucia, while gaining the confidence of Stalin. Moreover, the RSHA, through an agent of the Comintern returned, Johann Wenzel, also conveys false information to Lucie perplexing Moscow. In fact, the Nazis still suffer here once competition in services and a lack of organization. In December 1942, Schulze-Boysen and most of his accomplices were put to death. Rössler, then begins to provide valuable military intelligence in the middle of erroneous information or poisoning. Since it uses code names for different informants who would be placed in the German headquarters, some opponents deduce a traitor informs the Soviet network in Switzerland (especially Flicke in his later writings to the conflict). The Germans themselves, the Funkabwehr, who broke the code of Rado (head of the Soviet network in Switzerland) from the end of March 1943, are convinced of the existence of Werther traitor, and ignore poisoning led by the RSHA . Lucia Information on the launching of the operation of Citadel are also not the best, really. In fact, it is Rössler, who do not forget was working in the theater and was an actor who created Werther from scratch to mask his true intelligence sources, as demonstrated von Schramm.

We see good interest to let run to the existence of a traitor in Nazi Germany, with all the paranoia that can strengthen. All those who sought, even after the war, to identify the supposed traitor failed. The suspicion fell on a member conferences of the General Staff of Hitler, the order of the head of the military history section, General Scherf: Lieutenant Wilhelm Scheidt, who indeed loved intrigues. But in reality, leaks were indirect, what benefited Switzerland. In fact, the border is porous between the two states, and many Germans, including important men for the Nazi regime or its war economy, occasionally staying in Switzerland. Thus, for confidences or indiscretions, the NS 1 Swiss and other intelligence pharmacies whose Ha Lucerne collect information. Von Schramm cites the example of Dr. Meyer, a Swiss economic journalist who founded an economic adviser office and working behind the scenes for Swiss information. It collects, in his case, amount of information indirectly from the mouth of many Nazis characters, including an SS general. And it is to these information sources Rössler has access via the Ha office and Swiss services.

The Abwehr managed to get hold of Kent, aka Victor Sukulow, an important Soviet agent returns it to transmit false information. The Nazis also quickly informed of the arrival of Allen Dulles, a member of the OSS, Switzerland, in late 1942, which changes the situation with regard to Switzerland. The RSHA thinks then to remove the Soviet agents in Switzerland seeps two agents returned there to start the process. But the trick does not, and the Soviet network now knows that the Germans are on his back. Schellenberg went several times in Switzerland from September 1942 to press Swiss neutrality; RSHA leaves knowingly circulate the rumor that a country's invasion plan was developed in the Third Reich. The Gestapo and Abwehr have their own network in Switzerland, including Margaret Bolli who works for the second and delivering messages to the Germans of the Soviet network. Swiss intelligence services run tacitly collaborate in dismantling the Soviet system. Swiss police, which mounts a listening station, stops all network members in September 1943. Rössler, taken in May 1944, will be the one to make the prison. Rado was not arrested. In reality the Soviets, who then send more money, do nothing to help a network with which they are most useful.

After the war, Rössler, via his friend Schnieper, begins for lack of money, serving the information passed to the Czechoslovak communism in 1947. Arrested, they are judged in November 1953 and sentenced to prison terms. Broken, Rössler died destitute, taking his secrets with him in December 1958. As recalled von Schramm finally, betrayal and espionage, in this case, had no decisive impact on conflict: for Citadel, including the Soviets learned more on their own (listening, tactical reconnaissance, undercover agents on German rear) by Lucia. World War II, German side has not been lost by treason. Carell, who gets the myth of Werther in his books, like other seeks to prolong the myth of the "stab in the back" of 1918.