Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share "Hitler’s Trojan Horse” – Nazi Intelligence with Nigel West
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
"Hitler’s Trojan Horse” – Nazi Intelligence with Nigel West
Summary
Nigel West (Wikipedia) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss Germany’s military intelligence service during WWII, the Abwehr. Nigel is known as the expert’s expert on spy history.
Reflections
“The Germans were ruthless. They had really good intelligence on all the bridges. They knew exactly what had to be captured in advance. The bridges would then be held, so as to allow the tanks over, and the tanks wouldn't wait to attack strong points. They would just go directly ahead in order to achieve their objectives.” – Nigel West.
GlossaryAbwehr: Germany’s military intelligence service from 1920-1945, serving both the Riechswehr and Wehrmacht. Translates to “defense.”
Reichswehr: The name for German armed forces from 1919-1935, under the Weimar Republic and first two years of the Third Reich. Per the Treaty of Versailles, the Reichswehr was very limited in arms and personnel. Translates to “Reich Defence.”
Wehrmacht: The name for German Armed Forces from 1935-1945 under Nazi Germany. The heavily militarized and manned Wehrmacht illustrated Hitler’s intentions to expand Germany. Translates to “Defense Force.”
Sicherheitsdienst: The intelligence agency of the Schutzstaffel, or SS. Translates to “Security Service.”
Gestapo: Nazi Germany’s political police force. Notorious for their brutality and representation of Nazi authoritarianism. Full name Geheime Staatspolizei, translating to “Secret State Police.”
EXTENDED SHOW NOTES HERE!
Hitler’s Nest of Vipers: The Rise of the Abwehr, N. West (Frontline, 2022)
Hitler's Trojan Horse: The Fall of the Abwehr, N. West (Frontline, 2023)
*SpyCasts*
Nazis on the Potomac – with former National Park Service Chief Historian Bob Sutton (2022)
A Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany – 101-Year-Old Marthe Cohn’s Incredible True Story (2021)
*Beginner Resources*
July Plot, Britannica (2023) [encyclopedia entry)
From War to War in Europe: 1919-1939, National WW11 Museum (2018) [Background on Interwar Period]
The Treaty of Versailles, What Did the Big Three Want?, YouTube (2016) [3 min. video]
German Chief Spy Admiral Canaris, P. Kross, Warfare History Network (2014)
Abwehr, A. Lerner, Encyclopedia.com (n.d.)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
View all episodes
By SpyCast
5
44 ratings
Summary
Nigel West (Wikipedia) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss Germany’s military intelligence service during WWII, the Abwehr. Nigel is known as the expert’s expert on spy history.
Reflections
“The Germans were ruthless. They had really good intelligence on all the bridges. They knew exactly what had to be captured in advance. The bridges would then be held, so as to allow the tanks over, and the tanks wouldn't wait to attack strong points. They would just go directly ahead in order to achieve their objectives.” – Nigel West.
GlossaryAbwehr: Germany’s military intelligence service from 1920-1945, serving both the Riechswehr and Wehrmacht. Translates to “defense.”
Reichswehr: The name for German armed forces from 1919-1935, under the Weimar Republic and first two years of the Third Reich. Per the Treaty of Versailles, the Reichswehr was very limited in arms and personnel. Translates to “Reich Defence.”
Wehrmacht: The name for German Armed Forces from 1935-1945 under Nazi Germany. The heavily militarized and manned Wehrmacht illustrated Hitler’s intentions to expand Germany. Translates to “Defense Force.”
Sicherheitsdienst: The intelligence agency of the Schutzstaffel, or SS. Translates to “Security Service.”
Gestapo: Nazi Germany’s political police force. Notorious for their brutality and representation of Nazi authoritarianism. Full name Geheime Staatspolizei, translating to “Secret State Police.”
EXTENDED SHOW NOTES HERE!
Hitler’s Nest of Vipers: The Rise of the Abwehr, N. West (Frontline, 2022)
Hitler's Trojan Horse: The Fall of the Abwehr, N. West (Frontline, 2023)
*SpyCasts*
Nazis on the Potomac – with former National Park Service Chief Historian Bob Sutton (2022)
A Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany – 101-Year-Old Marthe Cohn’s Incredible True Story (2021)
*Beginner Resources*
July Plot, Britannica (2023) [encyclopedia entry)
From War to War in Europe: 1919-1939, National WW11 Museum (2018) [Background on Interwar Period]
The Treaty of Versailles, What Did the Big Three Want?, YouTube (2016) [3 min. video]
German Chief Spy Admiral Canaris, P. Kross, Warfare History Network (2014)
Abwehr, A. Lerner, Encyclopedia.com (n.d.)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More shows like SpyCast
View all
SpyCast
1,530 Listeners
Dan Snow's History Hit
4,773 Listeners
Secrets and Spies Podcast: Espionage | Global Issues | Current Affairs
273 Listeners
Darknet Diaries
8,065 Listeners
TRIGGERnometry
2,156 Listeners
WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk
1,418 Listeners
The Team House
1,652 Listeners
True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics
1,958 Listeners
In Moscow's Shadows
368 Listeners
SPYCRAFT 101
347 Listeners
Short History Of...
2,847 Listeners
NatSec Matters
269 Listeners
The Spy Who
593 Listeners
The Poppy Day Bomb | Times Investigates
36 Listeners
The Rest Is Classified
984 Listeners