Abteilung or Division IIIb was the military intelligence of the Prussian / German Army until the end of First World War (1918).
Contents
History
The service was created in 1889 as a section in the General Staff . At the beginning of World War I, the section was upgraded to a department.
Tasks
First, the area of responsibility of the A III b comprised only the counterintelligence. A foreign intelligence was only limited. 1893 also news stations on the borders of the empire were to "Russia Enlightenment" set up, such as in Gumbinnen, Jarotschin, Kempen, Lublinitz , elk, Soldau and Thorn.
Heads
Outline
During the First World War the Division III b was significantly upgraded. The A III b was divided into press, propaganda, intelligence and defense.
Outline 1915
The A III b was divided into three main sections, which were "Chef III b" under the umbrella of.
War years and resolution
In 1917, an explicit authorization for domestic education was adopted. The secret IIIb developed under its last head, Walter Nicolai as war increasingly increased the need for secret police. Never before had a German intelligence such influence in the German Reich. After the war, the division was disbanded.
Overall, the performance as a secret service were rather poor. After the war began, the network of agents in enemy countries was quickly removed as the agents were arrested. The Secret Service could not provide information about enemy intentions and operational deployment plans. The enemy situation Editor of News Department (from 1917 Foreign Armies) at the General Staff were more suspicions delivered as facts. Often the reports of the intelligence proved wrong. The enemy situation arranger wrong with the secret IIIb writing. Since the enemy situation editors no knowledge of the seriousness of the sources of the intelligence service templates, these reports could not be assessed clearly. Therefore, there was in the assessment of the enemy situation a mishap after another. The fundamental error lay in the separation of news gathering and analysis.
As the war progressed, it increasingly became a secret police and propaganda organization. The head of the secret Nicolai was in the left press, among other things as "father of lies" and disinformation. Despite the increasingly massive form of interference and influence in the Empire the Empire broke in 1918 for the secret surprise together. Altogether, performance was poor in the kingdom and abroad.
In addition, the A III b a massive competition from the Naval Intelligence (also "News Department") and the intelligence operations of the Foreign Office was exposed.