Rudolf Roessler
Rudolf Roessler | |
---|---|
Kriens, Switzerland | |
Nationality | German |
Other names | Lucy or Lucie |
Citizenship | German |
Occupation(s) | Journalist, Publisher, editor Agent |
Years active | 1939-1943 |
Organization | Rote Drei |
Rudolf Roessler (German: Rößler; 22 November 1897 – 11 December 1958) was a Protestant
Early life
Roessler was born on 22 November 1897 in Kaufbeuren, Kingdom of Bavaria.[6] His father was Lutheran Bavarian Forestry official[7] Georg Roessler and his mother was Sophie née Kleemann.[8] He was the youngest of five children. Roessler graduated from St Anna High School in Augsburg at the age of 17.[2]
When he was eighteen, Roessler was drafted with the 2nd Württemberg Infantry Regiment 120 in Ulm in 1916.[2][9] On 28 April 1916, he was sentenced to 5 months and 15 days in prison for unauthorized removal from the troops; an appeal against this was unsuccessful. Roessler was pardoned to serve at the front on July 15.[10] First he was commanded to the Battle of the Somme, one of the most costly battles of World War I on the Western Front. After the failed British breakthrough attempts came to an end, Roessler took part in trench warfare on the slightly dented German front from 27 November to 21 December. After serving at the front, he developed a lengthy stomach and intestinal illness near Arras and was admitted to the Denain and Tegel hospitals.
After the end of the war in 1918, he studied theology in Augsburg.
In Berlin, he was a member of the Herren Klub, a prestigious
In January 1934 and while still in Berlin, he co-founded the
In May 1934, Roessler emigrated to Switzerland as a refugee with his wife Olga,[14] with the help of his friend, Xaver Schnieper, who Roessler had met during his studies in drama[4] in Germany.[19] The Nazi regime revoked his German citizenship in 1937.[14] In 1939, Roessler became a member of the group that was associated with the left-wing Catholic journal Die Entscheidung (Decision)[14] that was published by Xaver Schnieper.
World War II
On 30 May 1938, Roessler was visited by two of his contacts, the German generals
In the summer of 1939, Xaver Schnieper approached Roessler and invited him to work for Swiss Intelligence.[6] Roessler accepted the position on the condition that the offer was official.[6] At that time, Schnieper was working as a junior officer in the Swiss Intelligence agency Büro Ha, at the time located near Teufen, and he introduced Roessler to Major Hans Hausamann.[4] Roessler was one of the most important sources of intelligence for the Büro Ha.[21]
During his career, Roessler provided intelligence to the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, at the minimum. He was often able to deliver accurate intelligence within one day of the orders being issued. For instance, a German army commander found a copy of his own orders in the Red Army headquarters building in the Polish town of Łomża when his unit occupied it after wresting it from the Russians. This was reported to the German high command, yet they were unable to find the leak.[4]
Operation Citadel
In early March 1943, Hitler planned a massive offensive against the Kursk salient known as Operation Citadel in the hope of regaining the initiative in the east.[22] On 15 April 1943, Hitler signed Order Number 6 to begin the offensive.[22]Within 24 hours Alexander Foote had informed Soviet intelligence.[22] Roessler's intelligence wasn't only strategic in nature;[22] he also supplied the Soviets with detailed information on the new German Panther tank.[22]
Roessler's Sources in World War II
The record of messages transmitted show that Roessler had four important sources.[4] It was never discovered who they were.[4] The four sources whose codenames were Werther, Teddy, Olga, and Anna were responsible for 42.5 percent of the intelligence sent from Switzerland to the Soviet Union.[4]
The search for the identity of those sources has created a very large body of work of varying quality and offering various conclusions.[23] Several theories can be dismissed immediately, including by Foote and several other writers, that the code names reflected the sources' access type rather than their identity- for example, that Werther stood for Wehrmacht, Olga for Oberkommando der Luftwaffe, Anna for Auswärtiges Amt (Foreign Office)- as the evidence does not support it.[4] Alexander Radó made this claim in his memoirs, that were examined in a Der Spiegel article.[24] Three and a half years before his death, Roessler described the identity of the four sources to a confidant.[4] They were a German major who was in charge of the Abwehr before Wilhelm Canaris, Hans Bernd Gisevius, Carl Goerdeler and a General Boelitz, who was then deceased.[4]
The most reliable study by the CIA Historical Review Program[4] concluded that of the four sources, the most important source was Werther. The study stated he was likely Wehrmacht General Hans Oster, other Abwehr officers working with Swiss intelligence, or Swiss intelligence on its own. [25][4] There was no evidence to link the other three codenames to known individuals.[4] The CIA believed that the German sources gave their reports to Swiss General Staff, who in turn supplied Roessler with information that the Swiss wanted to pass to the Soviets.[26]
Arrest
Roessler, along with Paul Böttcher, Rachel Dübendorfer, the courier Tamara Vigier, and Christian Schneider, were arrested on 19 May 1944.[4] On 22–23 October 1945, the Swiss military court sentenced each to two years.[4] Roessler was incarcerated at the prison of Lausanne until his release on 6 September 1944.[27]
Cold War
Roessler was arrested again on 9 March 1953,[15] at the same time as Xaver Schnieper.[14]
Under interrogation Roessler admitted that he had been contacted by Karel Sedlacek in 1947,
After he was released from jail, Roessler spent his last years living quietly in Kriens. He continued to write.[14] His articles, which were unsigned, appeared in the Lucerne daily newspaper, the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, Freie Innerschweiz.[29] Roessler continued to argue against West German rearmament and for international solidarity.[14] The articles can be split into two categories.[29] The first category was short articles of one to two pages and that focused on a part of a larger topic. The second and more important was articles that were on specific areas of interest, ran to four or five pages and covered subjects within economic, social, colonial and security policy.[29] These bigger articles often contained a number of abbreviations that were subject to change, so it was not possible for the reader to determine who the author was.[29] Roessler was disillusioned with the Cold War, particularly after his trial, particularly when he was accused of spying in favour of the Soviet Union.[29] Therefore, his work at the newspaper was not formally recognized. Even this obituary failed to mention his work there.[29]
Roessler was not a Social Democrat.[29] So it was difficult to determine how his political analysis was affected by his articles being published in a social-democratic daily newspaper, as other sources on his life, politics and cultural outlook have so far been lacking. In a telephone call to the Freie Innerschweiz on 29 May 1991, his friend, Xaver Schnieper confirmed that Roessler would certainly not have written anything that contradicted his own opinion.[29]
Roessler was committed to the socially disadvantaged, combined with a criticism of the idea that technology and armament were the only way to a better world. He had aversion to the hysteria of the Cold War and its associated militarism that made him appear more left-wing today than many social democrats at the time.[29]
Analysis
There are a number of sources that claim that the Red Three was functioning before the war and that Roessler, as Lucy, sent information to the Soviets that provided advanced warning of Hitler's impending attack on Russia.[4] However, on examination of the radio messages that were transmitted by the group, proves that Rachel Dübendorfer didn't form a clandestine relationship with Roessler until the late summer of 1942.
Roessler's value to the Red Three and the Soviets derived entirely from his sources in Germany. This context is probably misleading, as the CIA believed that the German sources gave their intelligence to Swiss General Staff, who in turn supplied Roessler with information that the Swiss wanted to pass to the Soviets.[26]
Publications
- Roessler, Rudolf (1941). Die Kriegsschauplätze und die Bedingungen der Kriegführung (in German). Lucerne: Vita-Nova Verlag. OCLC 71984810.
See also
- Vita Nova Swiss publishing house created by Roessler
References
- ^ ISSN 0024-3019. 00243019. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d Kellerhoff 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-19-976173-9. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Tittenhofer 1993.
- ^ a b Bauer, Arthur O. "KV 2/1627 - Rudolph ROESSLER". The National Archives, Kew. p. 14. Retrieved 2 July 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c Kesaris 1979, p. 344.
- ISBN 978-0-8108-6320-0.
- ^ Kamber 2010.
- ^ Volkman 1996, p. 239.
- ^ Kamber 2010, p. 93.
- ^ Accoce & Quet 1967, p. 30.
- ^ a b Jörgensen 2004, p. 94.
- ^ Accoce & Quet 1967, p. 29.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Max Huber (2003), "Rudolf Rößler", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 21, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 751–752; (full text online)
- ^ a b "Werther hat nie gelebt" (in German). Spiegel-Verlag. Der Spiegel. 10 July 1972. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d Conzemius, Victor (January 1989). "Otto Karrer (1888-1976): Theological Forerunner of "Aggiornamento"". The Catholic Historical Review. 75 (1). Catholic University of America Pre: 55–72.
- ^ Wachtel, Michael; Shrayer. "In Battle for the German Mind: Evsei Shor, Rudolf Roeßler, and the Vita-Nova Publishing House". The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. Harvard University. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ISBN 978-3-11-096630-5. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ISBN 9780715366844. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ a b Jörgensen 2004, p. 95.
- JSTOR 26201964.
- ^ a b c d e Jörgensen 2004, p. 98.
- JSTOR 260932.
- ^ "Werther hat nie gelebt" (in German). No. 29. Spiegel-Verlag. Der Spiegel. 9 July 1972. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ Kesaris 1979, p. 185-193.
- ^ a b Kesaris 1979, p. 345.
- ^ Kesaris 1979, p. 167.
- ^ a b Bauer, Arthur O. "KV 2/1627 - Rudolph ROESSLER". The National Archives, Kew. p. 5. Retrieved 2 July 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "PA 215 Roessler, Rudolf: Manuskripte für die "Freie Innerschweiz", 1938-1958 (Akzession)". State Archives of Lucerne. Staatsarchiv des Kantons Luzern. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
Bibliography
- Accoce, Pierre; Quet, Pierre (1967). A man called Lucy; 1939-1945. New York: Coward-McCann. p. 29. OCLC 44768514.
- Tittenhofer, Mark A. (22 September 1993). "The Rote Drei: Getting Behind the 'Lucy' Myth" (PDF). CIA Library. Center for the Study of Intelligence. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- Jörgensen, Christer (2004). Hitler's Espionage Machine: German Intelligence Agencies and Operations During World War II. Spellmount. ISBN 978-1-86227-244-6. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Kellerhoff, Sven Felix (4 July 2013). "Rudolf "Lucy" Rössler, der beste Weltkriegs-Spion" (in German). Die Welt. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- Kamber, Peter (January 2010). "Die Macht der Gesinnung' und 'das romantische Ich:Rudolf Roessler und der deutsche Widerstand 1939-1944" [The power of conviction' and 'the romantic ego: Rudolf Roessler and the German resistance 1939-1944] (PDF). Peter Kamber (in German). Frankfurt: Exil. pp. 87–105. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- Kesaris, Paul. L, ed. (1979). The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. Washington DC: University Publications of America. ISBN 0-89093-203-4.
- Volkman, Ernest (1996). Spies : the secret agents who changed the course of history. Chichester: Wiley. OCLC 60281716.
Further reading
- Accoce, Pierre; Quet, Pierre (1972). A man called Lucy. A Berkley medallion book. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan. OCLC 3998850.
- Boveri, Margaret (1956). Der Verrat im XX. Jahrhundert. Rowohlts deutsche Enzyklopädie, 23-24, 23-24 ; 58 ; 105-106 (in German). Hamburg: Rowohlt. pp. 114–123. OCLC 1284501429.
- C.P.S. (6 November 1953). "Le Jugement Contre Roessler Et Schnieper" [The judgment against Roessler and Schnieper] (in French). D.J. Couchoud. La Tribune de Lausanne.
- Fischer, Ernst (2020). "Rössler, Rudolf". Geschichte des deutschen Buchhandels im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert. Teil 3, Suppl: Exilbuchhandel - Supplement / verf. von Ernst Fischer (in German) (2nd updated and expanded ed.). Frankfurt: MBV Marketing- und Verl.-Service des Buchhandels. p. 410. ISBN 978-3110688634.
- Foote, Alexander (1954). Front cover image for Handbuch für Spione Handbuch für Spione (in German). Darmstadt: Leske Verlag. OCLC 1201232765.
- Hastings, Max (2015). The secret war : spies, codes and guerrillas 1939-45. London: William Collins. OCLC 934038363.
- Kamber, Peter (2010). Geheime Agentin: Roman (1st ed.). Berlin: BasisDruck. ISBN 978-3-86163-097-5.
- Kamber, Peter (2010). "Csatorna Berlinbe - Rachel Dübendorfer, Christian Schneider és Rudolf Roessler". In Hegedüs, Abel; Suba, János (eds.). Tanulmányok Radó Sándorról (in Hungarian). Budapest: HM Hadtörténeti Intézet és Múzeum. pp. 45–73.
Studies on Alexander Radó. Edited versions of the papers presented at the scientific conference held in Budapest on 4-5 November 2009
- Kurz, Hans Rudolf (1972). Nachrichtenzentrum Schweiz: die Schweiz im Nachrichtendienst des zweiten Weltkriegs (in German). Frauenfeld: Huber. OCLC 870632.
- Read, Anthony; Fisher, David (1981). Operation Lucy: most secret spy ring of the Second World War (First American ed.). New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, Inc. ISBN 0-698-11079-X.
- Röder, Werner; Strauss, Herbert A. (1980). "Rössler, Rudolf". Biographisches Handbuch der deutschsprachigen Emigration nach 1933. Vol. 1. Munich: K.G. Saur ; Distributed by Gale Research Company. p. 609. ISBN 9783598100871.
- Rossé, Christian; Marguerat, Philippe (2006). Le Service de renseignements suisse face à la menace allemande, 1939-1945. Renseignement, histoire & géopolitique. Études (in French). Lavauzelle: Panazol (Haute-Vienne). OCLC 421037965.
- Thomas, Louis (1968). "Alexander Rado" (PDF). Studies in Intelligence. 12 (3).
- Tittenhofer, Mark A. (4 August 2011). "The Rote Drei: Getting Behind the 'Lucy' Myth" (PDF). CIA Library. Center for the Study of Intelligence. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- Volkman, Ernest (1994). Spies: the secret agents who changed the course of history. New York: John Wiley. pp. 237–246. ISBN 9780471557142.
- Ziemke, Earl F. (1980). The Soviet juggernaut. World War II. Alexandria, Va.: Time-Life Books. OCLC 6709078.
- "Sandor Rado: The Jovial and Worldly Spy". Studies in Intelligence. 30. Center for the Study of Intelligence: 2. 1986. ISSN 1527-0874.
- Schnieper, Xaver (28 May 1966). "Mobilisierung des Gewissens. Porträtskizze Rudolf Rössler" (in German). No. 128. Lucerne. Freie Innerschweiz.
- "Lucy contra OKH" (in German). No. 12. Hamburg: Spiegel-Verlag. Der Spiegel. 16 March 1954. p. 20. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- "Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft contra Lucy" (in German). No. 14. Hamburg: Spiegel-Verlag. Der Spiegel. 30 March 1954. p. 29. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- "Verräter im Führerhauptquartier" (in German). No. 4. Hamburg: Spiegel-Verlag. Der Spiegel. 15 January 1967. Retrieved 23 April 2024.