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Cetun t1_ir9sqen wrote

Reply to comment by Commie_EntSniper in TIL about Operation Bernhard. During WWII, Germany attempted to bring about the collapse of the British economy by forging ≈£130 million in British bank notes. The notes are considered among the most perfect counterfeits ever produced, and are very difficult to differentiate from legitimate notes. by rkadeYT

A lot of the Abwehr were not sympathetic with the Nazis (Either because of ideological differences or the fact the Nazi party operated its own parallel intelligence agencies that competed with them). So as it turns out, most Abwehr agents sent over to great Britain basically turned themselves in as soon as possible and became double agents. Which usually means their job was to go to a bunch of high profile parties so they can be seen with people of influence to maintain their cover so that German intelligence would think they are doing work. In reality they were just getting drunk and spending money on both the British and German dime. I believe some of them even got to keep their German pensions after the war.

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-veskew t1_ira01rg wrote

Do you have further reading on that, or podcasts? Seems like something out of a movie

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IAmBadAtInternet t1_ira7d4n wrote

There’s a great book about an American woman who essentially founded spy craft by her work in occupied France: A Woman of No Importance. The Abwehr features prominently and comes off as mostly incompetent except for 1 extremely dangerous counterintelligence agent.

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Cetun t1_irbeddx wrote

Incompetent if incompetence was legitimately attempting to sabotage the Nazis. On more than one occasion Canaris, the head of the Abwehr, meet with Allied representatives and basically said "So what if one day Hitler were to suddenly die and all the top Nazis were rounded up and arrested, what kind of peace deal would offer?"

Canaris later being executed and the Abwehr being basically abolished after the Nazis figured out what he was up too.

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petsku164 t1_irbbyzu wrote

Look up Juan Pujol Garcia. Originally a "double agent" helping the British and later hired by British military intelligence.

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Themacuser751 t1_irb02z2 wrote

That's hilarious. I hope some day I can obtain a job like that.

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