Englandspiel
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Das Englandspiel, also called Unternehmen Nordpol (Operation North Pole), was an enormous counter intelligence operation launched by the German Intelligence Organization (Abwehr) during World War II. German forces captured Allied resistance agents operating in the Netherlands and used the agents' codes to fool the Allies into continuing to provide the agents with information and supplies. About fifty Allied agents were identified, captured, and executed. Between Silk and Cyanide by Leo Marks describes some of the British efforts to detect the ruse which ran for quite a long time.
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[edit] The beginning
The British Special Operations Executive (SOE) was sending Dutch intelligence agents into the occupied Netherlands during the war. As early as 1942, the operation was penetrated by the German counter-espionage under Major Hermann Giskes of the Abwehr and continued under German control. "Clandestine" radio transmissions from the Netherlands fed the British fake information. Despite the fact that the apprehended radio operator tried everything to let his superiors in London know he had been caught, the SOE’s Dutch Division, N Section, allowed agents to be dropped in the Netherlands who were apprehended upon arrival. 54 of the 59 captured agents perished in the Mauthausen concentration camp in 1944. However, it is curious to know that there has been several very serious investigations about the Englandspiel. With hind sight, it seemed that the British purposefuly set up Dutch agents in a type of Propaganda warfare, attempting to divert German attention. Many agents who were caught and forced to continue their broadcasting sent, in their messages, hidden codes which said they had been compromised. These were ignored. A Dutch and American Field Marshal, not long ago, set up a series of investigations about these suspicions. As they began their investigations, and went to England to collect the British records of that time, there was a sudden fire. The English also claimed that many of their Intelligence agents and de-coders at that time were amateurs, and therefore could not be held responsible for codes they might have missed. After reading over American documents, which had not been burned around the time the investigations began, it turned out that the British were not employing amateurs, and knew very well what they were doing. Purposefuly sending Dutch agents to their deaths, to save some of their own troops. Similar to what they did with Polish troops during Opperation Market Garden.
[edit] Suspicions
In 1943, two Dutch agents did manage to escape from captivity, but their claims on returning to Britain were dismissed and they were arrested for suspected counter-espionage. Leo Marks, one of the SOE's codemasters was suspicious of the messages from the Dutch operatives; however his suspicions were ignored.
Once the supplies came to an end, Major Giskes himself sent a clear text message to the SOE on 1 April 1944 revealing his role in the capture of the Dutch agents.
[edit] Dates
During the Englandspiel the following people (amongst others) were dropped in the Netherlands:
- 28-8-1940: Lodo van Hamel, brought to Oegstgeest in Zuid-Holland;
- 5-7-1941: Aart Alblas, dropped near Nieuweschans in Groningen, 16-7-1942 arrested
- 6-11-1941: Huub Lauwers and Thijs Taconis, dropped near Ommen in Overijssel. Lauwers was arrested on 6-3-1942, Taconis on 9-3-1942;
- 9-12-1941: Wim van der Reijden, brought to Scheveningen, arrested on 13-2-1942;
- 23-2-1942: Evert Radema and E.W. de Jonge, brought to Katwijk aan Zee, Radema was arrested on 29-5-1942, De Jonge on 22-5-1942;
- 28-2-1942: Gerrit Dessing, dropped near Ermelo in Gelderland, returned via Brussel to England on 2-9-1943;
- 27-3-1942: Nol Baatsen, dropped near Kallenkote, east of Steenwijk in Overijssel and immediately arrested;
- 29-3-1942: Jan Molenaar and Leo Andringa, dropped near Holten in Overijssel; Molenaar was injured and committed suicide (pill), Andringa was arrested on 28-4-1942;
- 29-3-1942: Gosse Ras and Han Jordaan, dropped near Holten in Overijssel, Ras was arrested on 1-5-1942, Jordaan two days later;
- 5-4-1942: Henk Sebes and Barend Kloos, dropped near Harskamp, Ede in Gelderland, Sebes was arrested on 8-5-1942, Kloos on 29-4-1942;
- 18-4-1942: Jan de Haas (as a replacement for Molenaar), brought to Castricum, arrested on 28-4-1942;
- 29-5-1942: Herman Parleviet and Toon van Steen, dropped near Kallenkote, east of Steenwijk in Overijssel and arrested immediately;
- 22-6-1942: Jan van Rietschoten and Jo Buizer, dropped near Holten in Overijssel and arrested immediately;
- 26-6-1942: George Jambroes and Jozef Bukkens, dropped near Kallenkote, east of Steenwijk in Overijssel and arrested immediately;
- 23-7-1942: Gerard Jan van Hemert, dropped near Holten in Overijssel and arrested immediately;
- 24-9-1942: Karel Beukema toe Water and Cees Fortuyn Droogleever, dropped near Balloo in Drenthe and arrested immediately;
- 24-9-1942: Mooy and Jongelie, dropped and immediately arrested;
- 1-10-1942: Aart van Giessen, dropped and immediately arrested;
- 23-10-1942: Jan Hofstede and Christiaan Pouwels, dropped near Holten in Overijssel and immediately arrested;
- 28-11-1942: de Kruijff and Charle Ruseler, dropped and immediately arrested;
- 29-11-1942: John Ubbink and Herman Overes, dropped and immediately arrested;
- 13-2-1943: Trix Terwindt, dropped and immediately arrested;
- 16-2-1943: Van de Nor, Kees Hulsteijn and Braggaar, dropped and immediately arrested;
- 18-2-1943: Gerrit van Os and Jan Kist, dropped near Voorthuizen in Gelderland and immediately arrested;
- 18-2-1943: Wim van der Wilden and his cousin Piet van der Wilden, dropped and immediately arrested;
- 9-3-1943: Pieter Dourlein, dropped near Ermelo in Gelderland and immediately arrested;
- 21-4-1943: Klaas Wegner, Freek Rouwers and Ivo Uytvanck, dropped and immediately arrested;
- 21-5-1943: Oscar de Brey, Anton Mink and Laurens Punt, dropped and immediately arrested;
- 07-10-1944: Harmen Koopmans and G. Ensink, dropped at Dokkum and immediately arrested. Koopmans killed at De Woeste Hoeve near Apeldoorn.
[edit] Aftermath
After the war reproaches have been made to the SOE for serious flaws in the preparation of the missions, and for ignoring warnings that agents had been caught (notably the absence of the "security key" - a change in the transmission protocol). However, it has also been argued that SOE had set up the operation for the single purpose of leading the Germans into believing that an invasion would take place in the Netherlands (rather than Normandy), and knowingly sent the operatives to their deaths. Similar allegations have been made about the fate of Francis Suttill and the SOE "Prosper" network in France.
[edit] References
- Giskes, H.J., London Calling North Pole, written by the German spy chief who ran the operation
- Leo Marks, Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's War, 1941-1945. (HarperCollins, 1998). ISBN 0-684-86780-X.
- Philippe Ganier-Raymond, The Tangled Web, (Arthur Barker 1968, Warner Paperback ISBN 0-446-65934-7, originally published in French as Le Réseau Éntranglé) one of the central stories in Marks' book, the betrayal of the SOE Dutch network, told from the Dutch and German points of view.
