Composition of the Abwehr

The British were notoriously successful with their "Double Cross" counter-intelligence operation in WWII, finding and converting literally every German agent in the United Kingdom. I have heard it said that part of this success, like the success of the Soviets in infiltrating the British ranks after the war, was due to the composition of the Abwehr: that the ranks were filled with people who were somehow inclined to support the British over their government.

Does anyone have any more details on this? Was it that the Abwehr was filled with aristocracy who opposed the populist Nazis? Was it dominated by educated intelligentsia? Was it simply populated by an "old guard" that resented the Nazi Party's attempts to monopolize power? Was it resentment over Hitler's 1937 interference? How many vons and zus are we talking here? Doctorates?
 
My understanding was that it was dominated by anti-Nazis and German resistance. I'l leave the meat to someone knowledgeable on this subject, but I think that Canaris's leadership, especially in the GR, and helped by leading the Abwehr, led to him attempting to mold it into such an organ.
 
More along the lines of the old guard, but with some aristocracy. Don't forget it was a military intelligence agency, and thus made up out of (former) officers, sharing the same backgrounds. Not all aristocracy, but quite a lot of upper-middle class people, sons of pastors and so on, usually quite devoutly Christian. Think former Zentrum and DNVP adherents. They tended to be both ideologically opposed, as well as opposed to Nazi actions, especially the Kristallnacht and Knight of Long Knives. These were people who preferred order, stability and tradition over street thugs who talked about vague Nordic prophecy.

At least, that goes for the higher ranks. Those lower on the totem pole didn't come from such high-esteemed, well-educated backgrounds, especially field agents. Not a lot of difference between those and Gestapo agents in practice (though usually the Gestapo agents were a lot more ruthless).
 
But remember because the Abwehr's upper echelons who dominated by men who loathed Hitler and because they controlled promotion no die hard Nazi could get above a certain level, though most voluntarily transferred to the SD.
 
The British were notoriously successful with their "Double Cross" counter-intelligence operation in WWII, finding and converting literally every German agent in the United Kingdom. I have heard it said that part of this success, like the success of the Soviets in infiltrating the British ranks after the war, was due to the composition of the Abwehr: that the ranks were filled with people who were somehow inclined to support the British over their government?

There were many anti-Nazis in the Abwehr, but none of them collaborated openly with British intelligence. The agents captured or turned by the British were not Abwehr men, but people recruited by the Abwehr. Many of them were never pro-German, and joined just so they could defect.

No, the real problem was that the Abwehr, like most of the Nazi state, was infested with self-interested and corrupt men. The Abwehr controllers of agents in Britain depended on their agents' success for their own career success, including pay, being stationed in Spain (and not on the Eastern Front), and control of expense money for agents (which was regularly skimmed by Abwehr controllers).

British controllers tended to be skeptical and worry constantly about agents being captured or turned. German controllers defended their agents against all criticism, praising their results extravagantly.

This made the Abwehr extremely gullible to deceptions.

It should be further noted that late in the war, when Abwehr agents started thinking about defecting, the British were very worried. Such defections would "unmask" and therefore shut down all their best double agents. This would cut off future deceptions. One potential defection in 1943-44 threatened to expose the whole D-Day deception, when the man was arrested by the Gestapo.
 
Top