International Conference KNOWLEDGE-BASED ORGANIZATION Vol. XXIII No 2 2017 THE STRUCTURE AND METHODS OF GRUPPE 6 E FROM GERMAN SECRET SERVICE DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR Marian ZIDARU ”Andrei Saguna” University, Constanta, Romania [email protected] Abstract: In this paper I present the general background picture of the development of Gruppe (group) 6 E from German Secret Service. As a result, for the personal interest of Ernst Kaltenbrunner in the work of the Gruppe, 6E developed a working basis which differs from the normal functioning of the other Laendergruppen (groups of countries), a tendency which became more marked after the transfer of the central office from Berlin to Vienna in 1943. A liaison officer only remained in Berlin. This paper presents the final structure of the Gruppe and the leading personnel, and it is under this final organization that the work of the Gruppe in the Balkan States. The Gruppe maintained liaison officers with the Herman Neubacher and Altenberg Dienststellen (Altenberg offices), these liaison officers being directly subordinated to the Gruppenleiter (Group leader). In common with the outside offices, with which he kept in personal contact, and an Auswerter (analyst) responsible for the evaluation and dissemination of information. The Referate (Abstrat) conducted their operation through the Hauptbeauftragte (Chief Comissioner) working in the various countries under suitable cover. Keywords: Referate, Kaltenbrunner, Balkan states, Gruppe 6 E 1. The Origins was concerned solely with the security of The Sicherheitsdienst (SD-Security German industry. In this capacity it worked Service) was created in 1933 by Reinhard in close collaboration with Abteilung Heydrich as the intelligence service of the (Department) III of the Abwehr (German NSDAP (Nazi Party). In the early stage the Military Intelligence) and with the SD did not operate completely Gestapoamt (Gestapo Office). The independently of the party as its early Abteilung developed gradually, and by functions tended to overlap with those of 1937 became, in the reorganization of the other sections in the party, which did not SD-Hauptamt (main office from SD), Amt welcome its creation. The following (Office) III. The new Amt III was itself account therefore of the development of SD subdivided into three section of which activities tends to be misleadingly Abteilung (Department) III/3 contained the simplified, and this factor should be borne germ of the subsequent Amt (office) VI of in mind. It is only at a much later date that the RSHA (Reich Main Security Office). the SD as an Intelligence service became clearly defined and separated from the other 2. The Development of the Work activities of the Nazis parties. By 1934 of Abteilung III/3 Heinz Jost, later to become Amstchef (chief Amt III functioned in its early stages of office) VI, had been given the task of through the then existing SD organization setting up what became Abteilung of Oberabschnitte and its subordinate (Department) VI of the SD-Haupamtan- formations throughout Germany. The Abteilung (Haupamtan Department) whose development of its work was most marked function was essentially a security one and in Eastern Europe where it gradually DOI: 10.1515/kbo-2017-0147 © 2017. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License. 388 assumed a more positive role in German of the Anschluss to the future of the SD was industry acting latterly as a positive that it represented the first offensive espionage service as against security operation undertaken by it, and the Service, and was able to provide the SD- significance of this success was not lost on Hauptamt (SD-main Office) with a fairly Reinhard Heydrich. Equally important, picture of the German industry and its though the importance was not immediately productive capacity. This development of apparent, was the effect of the Anchluss Amt (office) III work was a general one (Austria Annexation) on the subsequent throughout Germany but in the East a history of Gruppe (group) VI E. Prominent further line of development was taking among the figures who had played a leading place as early as 1937. The Oberabschnitte part in the underground movement in (Upper sections), in Eastern Germany Austria prior to the Anschluss were Ernst began to act as collecting centers of Kaltenbrunner and Hermman Neubacher, information on political trends in those both of whom were to be closely identified countries sharing a common frontier in with the work of VI E subsequent to Germany but in the East, especially Heydrich late in 1942. In addition, the SD- Czechoslovakia and Austria, where the Leitabschnitt (SD-guide section) which was large pro-German minority groups served set up in Vienna immediately after the as a source of information the constant Anschluss had among its personnel some passage backwards and forwards across the offices who were to become leading frontiers. members of VIE. It was in fact the It was these two tendencies in the work of Anschluss which gave birth to the ‘Austrian Abteilung (Department) III/3, its ability to Group’ which was to play an important part act as an espionage rather than a security in the subsequent history not only of service, and the readiness with which it Gruppe (group) VI E, but in the could extend its could extend its interest development and dissolution of Amt from Heydrich to the extent of instructed (office) VI. Jost to prepare the foundation Abteilung The fundamental change of policy which III/3. In this Jost was merely given his this new departure involved was that the general conception being that Jost should new service should work quite exploit to establish good contacts in independently of the existing business circles and to develop the facilities Oberabschnitte (Upper sections), which which the Oberabschnitte near the German would confine themselves to their normal frontier provided for espionage activities SD functions. In their place it was proposed outsides the Reich. to set up the so-called Blockstollen (block The factor however which had been chiefly tunnel) to act as the focal points from which instrumental in influencing Heydrich’s the envisaged espionage activities could be decision to attempt directed. In point of fact only three such Auslandsnachrichtendienst (Foreign Blockstollen were created-at Hof under intelligence service) was the part played by Hans Christian Daufeldt (later to become the SD in the Anscluss (annexation) with Gruppenleiter (group leader) VID), at Tilsit Austria in March 1938. The role of the SD under Heinz Graefe (later Gruppenleiter was a prominent one, though the direction VIC), and at Vienna under Hastuf (captain) of its activities had be from a very much Groebl (later employed by Amt (Office) VI higher level than Jost as Leiter (leader) of as its representative in Switzerland and Abteilung III/3. The SD had functioned as subsequently in Rome). But even these the liaison between the underground Nazi three Blockstellen had been set up only in Party in Austria and the governmental the face of considerable opposition from the authorities in Germany, but the importance Leiter of the SD- Oberabschnitte, who 389 regarded themselves as the proper channel intelligence services) based on Jost’s for SD reports, irrespective of the extended Abteilung III/3, the new service becoming scope of the, new stations. The Blockstellen Amt (Office) VI. The creation of Amt VI were not destined by the subsequent course was in fact a recognition of the work of of events to have a long history, but they Amt III in the preceding year; the security played an important part in the events functions of Amt III in the new Amt TV leading up to the creation of Amt (Office) and Amt VI became an offensive and not a VI. defensive service. It was Werner Goettsch who acted as the The General Position in the Early Stages: It intermediary between the Foreign Office will be appreciated from the account given and Jozef Tiso in accordance with the plan in Part 1 that of the new Grupped formed previously conceived by Ribbentrop for the under Amt VI that dealing with South- political crisis. The information received Eastern Europe was in the most favorable through the Blockatlle (Bloc cat) at Hof, position for beginning the new tasks where Daufeldt had been working in anointed to: the Landergruppen dealing collaboration with Sturbanfü hrer (major) with the far East ,the Near East, Western Hermann Rossner a special assignment, Europe, and the western Hemisphere, had showed that by February 1936 a more virtually to begin from scratch, while the active participation by the Germans was Gruppe responsible for the Balkan had the possible. Werner Goettsch and Oswald advantage of experience in the type or a Kraus operated under the orders of the certain amount of experience in the work, Foreign Office, while and whole enterprise and, probably most important of all, the was directed form Vienna where Walter territory which it had to exploit lent itself to Stahlecker had become Leiter. Goetsch and exploitation in view of the active SS-Standartenführer (colonel) Dr. Edmund subversive groups already in existence in Veesenmayer now established contact with the Balkan States. The General effect of this the Slovaks themselves, and it was Goettsch position was that while the other to whom Tiso send his letter addressed to Laendergruppen of Amt v1 in the early Hitler requesting German intervention in stages spent the first months of their order to maintain Slovak independence. existence in efforts to estabilish a suitable Apart from the SD, the incident is of note working basis, work in the Balkans as it represents one of the very few occasion continued under the original impetus of on which Ribbentrop not only asked for the previous SD-Leitabschnitt (leading section) help of the SD, but took the advice it Vienna.