In my last blog, I looked at the man who paid for Vera Eriksen’s burial, Ernst Bodo Wilhelm Theophil von Zitzewitz (what a name!). Ernst had married Anne Vera Viktoria von Bonin in 1951, who also seemed to have ancestral roots in the Pommern region. After that post, David Tremain sent me a message with […]
Two Abwehr von Bonin’s and their connection to Vera Eriksen Read More »
N.B. updated 25 May 2019 Last week I posted a book review of David Tremain’s new book: The Beautiful Spy: The Life and Crimes of Vera Eriksen. On the last page of the book Tremain mentions that, according to Kirstine Kloster Anderson (a Danish writer who also published a book on Vera), Vera’s burial was
Every once in a while, I chip away at lingering mysteries. A recent email exchange with Tony Percy (www.coldspur.com) about Kurt/Karl Grosse/Goose reignited my curiosity about this mysterious spy. I wrote an earlier blog post about his capture and short-lived career as a double agent but there are still many unanswered questions. One of the
Mystery Spy GOOSE/GANDER – Kurt Karl Goose Read More »
Two years ago, I wrote a blog post about the German Abwehr’s activities in Hamburg. Many of the agents sent to England from the Continent in 1940 and 1941 were run by spymaster Nikolaus Ritter from the Abwehr’s Ast Hamburg (Referat I Luft) offices. Early in my research into Josef Jakobs I discovered that he
German Abwehr Activities in The Hague Read More »
N.B. I have written a follow-up post about Bruin which can be accessed here. During research for a few recent blog posts, I’ve been reviewing Guy Liddell’s diaries, the original documents from The National Archives at Kew. In that process, I’ve come across a few interesting tidbits that warranted further investigation, if only to satisfy
Dutchman Harm Knol Bruins – German Spy and Civil Engineer Read More »
I’ve known for a while that Robin W.G. Stephens, commandant of Camp 020, had spent some years in Muscat during the late 1920s. The more I dug into the Muscat Levy Corps, however, the more perplexed I became. What was a British officer doing commanding a group of soldiers, drawn from what is now Pakistan,
The Muscat Levy Corps and Captain Robin William George Stephens Read More »
Every once in a while, I chase after intriguing stories that pique my interest. One of those stories is that of enigmatic Lt. Col. Adrian Simpson, mentioned in several Coldspur blogs. Simpson served with MI5 in B3 as a wireless expert for a brief time before moving on to serve with MI(R)in the Middle East.
MI5’s Wireless Radio Advisor – Lt. Col. Adrian Francis Hugh Sibbald Simpson Read More »
I am always intrigued to see how MI5 handled the espionage cases, how they decided whom to prosecute and whom to intern for the duration of the war. The story of Gösta Caroli is particularly intriguing because of his great attempt at escape in January 1941. Caroli landed in England via parachute in September 1940.
The Great Escape (Attempt) of Gösta Caroli Read More »
I had emailed Christopher Andrew (author of the authorized history of MI5 – Defend the Realm/Defence of the Realm) a few weeks back asking if he had any further information on Robin W.G. Stephens, commandant of MI5’s secret interrogation centre, Camp 020. Specifically, I was interested in any information on Stephens’ death. Andrew replied back
Robin W.G. Stephens – Some more leads Read More »
A few years ago, I received an email from a cousin of Robin W.G. Stephens (commandant of Camp 020). Robin had an aunt… and this cousin is the grandson of the aunt. I think. I had applied for Stephens’ army records in 2016 but, without a family connection, I received the sanitized version of his
Robin W.G. Stephens and the Estrangement wrought by War Read More »