Funkspiel
Encyclopedia
Funkspiel was the name given to a counter-espionage
operation carried out by German counter-intelligence
during the Second World War. It consisted of using captured and "turned" (meaning forced to work for the Germans) clandestine radio operators in France
to send false messages back to the enemy (the United Kingdom in particular), and allowed the German services to intercept Allied military information, transmit disinformation
to the enemy and to fight resistance movements. So, the German counter-intelligence "played" (pretended) to be a resistance movement, with a script for the piece written by the Gestapo
or the Abwehr
.
The last faked message that the Germans would have exchanged with London in this operation was this: "Thank you for your collaboration and for the weapons that you sent us". However, the Germans did not know that the British intelligence services had realised the truth of the German stratagem at least two weeks before this transmission. Thus, if the Germans had been able to gain certain benefits from the operation, the strategy was later used against them and from May 1944 onwards the operation was no longer a success.
Funkspiel also referred to a technique of German U-boat
radio operators who would synchronously vary the frequency transmission knob to confuse any Allied personnel that happened to pick up the same channel.
Counter-Espionage
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operation carried out by German counter-intelligence
Counter-intelligence
Counterintelligence or counter-intelligence refers to efforts made by intelligence organizations to prevent hostile or enemy intelligence organizations from successfully gathering and collecting intelligence against them. National intelligence programs, and, by extension, the overall defenses of...
during the Second World War. It consisted of using captured and "turned" (meaning forced to work for the Germans) clandestine radio operators in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to send false messages back to the enemy (the United Kingdom in particular), and allowed the German services to intercept Allied military information, transmit disinformation
Disinformation
Disinformation is intentionally false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately. For this reason, it is synonymous with and sometimes called black propaganda. It is an act of deception and false statements to convince someone of untruth...
to the enemy and to fight resistance movements. So, the German counter-intelligence "played" (pretended) to be a resistance movement, with a script for the piece written by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
or the Abwehr
Abwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
.
The last faked message that the Germans would have exchanged with London in this operation was this: "Thank you for your collaboration and for the weapons that you sent us". However, the Germans did not know that the British intelligence services had realised the truth of the German stratagem at least two weeks before this transmission. Thus, if the Germans had been able to gain certain benefits from the operation, the strategy was later used against them and from May 1944 onwards the operation was no longer a success.
Funkspiel also referred to a technique of German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
radio operators who would synchronously vary the frequency transmission knob to confuse any Allied personnel that happened to pick up the same channel.