Rudolf F. Staritz
Abwehrfunk - Funkabwehr
Technik und Verfahren der Spionagefunkdienste
Page initiated on 3 July 2016
Current status: 25/6/2018
Please consider towards the end of this webpage, the re-issued version of Rudolf Staritz's
The re-issue concerns mainly better photo- and related illustration quality; but also the text has become now digitally searchable!
Last summer (2017) Mr Norbert Dotzel approached us with the query whether he should re-issue the old 1985 version.
During the course of his endeavour Rudolf Staritz traced better quality photos and other materials.
Mr Dotzel most kindly commenced to type the entire old manuscript into his computer, but kept the line of the genuine version. Your advantage - since its entire has become digitally searchable!
He really did a great job!
Abwehrfunk- Funkabwehr
Contribution 2 added on 7 July 2016
Bilder aus dem Bereich des Geheimen Funkmeldedienstes des OKW Amt Ausland/Abwehr
Introduction
Rudolf Staritz may be regarded being the longest living Abwehr wireless operator; who is currently at an age of 94.
The ‘Abwehr’ was the German Military Intelligence- and Counter Intelligence organisation from somewhere in the 1930s up to the final days of the Third Reich era.
Without going into details, briefly:
This will not imply, that its entire structure vanished by then. General Gehlen formerly head of FHO (Fremde Heere Ost), offered himself and parts of his wartime organisation to the Americans in May 1945. 'Fremde Heere Ost' dealt mainly with military intelligence related to the eastern theatres. However, these lines aren’t exactly pointing eastwards, but covered also more or less South-Eastern hemispheres.
In 1946, after a lengthy (interrogation) stay in the US, he started up on German soil an organisation that relied upon former Abwehr sources; which the Western Allies did not possess, yet.
First being organised as a section of an US Intelligence entity.
This organisation became later known as Organisation Gehlen, after the German Federal Republic had been established in 1949. Also known as 'Pullach' (near to Munich), after the place and compound where it has been established since.
The new German Army called 'Bundeswehr' was officially established in 1956. Neglecting the forerunner 'Organisation Blank'.
About this period, the Org (Gehlen’s organisation) was designated Bundes Nachrichten Dienst abbreviated BND, since.
The Bundes Republik Deutschland (BRD) was becoming soon thereafter part of the Atlantic Alliance, known as NATO.
Rudolf Staritz luckily is still possessing a quite bright memory although, he blames his current state of short time memories. Maybe slightly true, but his wartime recollections are still rather sharp.
I
could luckily record 12 hours and 45 minutes interview, taken on 26 and 27 April
2016. Maybe the word interview is misleading, pointing into a direction with a
few words and he starts talking on a series of subjects like an avalanche
a vivid stream.
This interview was taken among friends, which circumstance changes the environment quite much.
After his retirement from the Deutsche Bundespost in Darmstadt, he started with publishing in amateur periodicals on Abwehr matters.
This resulted, logically, in a series of contacts to former colleagues; some of whom was once his superior (like was Otto Blank).
Please bear in mind, that like in British R.S.S., German Abwehr operators had often been derived from circles related to wireless amateurs. Albeit, that the number of HAMs in Germany had been restricted to a total of 472 (474?) amateurs (when the DASD found someone capable of possessing a HAM license, the poor chap had to wait until, for whatever reason, someone had quit). But, quite a number of licensed listening stations were existing (during wartime days, they still could listen on shortwave; this engagement was normally a precondition for once being in the position obtaining a real HAM license). All being obligatory a member of the DASD (and about German wartime HAM stations), though, the listening stations got a designated DE... number. I consider, that D stood for Deutschland and E for Empfang (receiving) station. I recently have read in the July eDEN issue an interesting contribution on British wartime R.S.S. services; actually relying mainly upon volunteering wireless amateurs. What attracted my attention, was, that the intercepted German messages showed the regular application of international operational (HAM) abbreviations. I discussed this point with Staritz on 1st July, and he agreed fully upon it. Also the correspondence between Staritz and his former colleagues pointed strongly into this direction. Quite some of his (former) colleagues possessed before the war an amateur license. However, when HAM licenses where obtainable from early 1949 onwards, quite many (former) Abwehr wireless colleagues were among these 'early birds'.
I was luckily allowed to copy (digitalising) his entire correspondence folder, which contains most interesting inside information. It should, in due course, be studied in depth.
It is, however, obvious that its content cannot be used directly on the web - owing to copyright matters and personal implications.
Apparently, quite some of these fellows knew each other from wartime days.
Rudolf Staritz started quite soon after his retirement (1983) with putting his recollections and current knowledge on paper. His focus was to create a book, containing historical context with espionage (wireless) technology; including electronic schematics. During his wartime engagements in Stahnsdorf (here they designed and constructed all Abwehr spy sets. But it also constituted an Abwehr communication centre, latter function in early 1942 being taken over by the Abwehr Funkleitstelle Belzig). In those days, Rudolf Staritz illegally copied all available spy-set schematics and did hide these in the place where his parents lived.
However:
He encountered quite some difficulties; one publishing house demanded changes here and there, whilst another would like to have it reshuffled.
Finally it did not mature, then, in autumn 1989, the ‘Iron Curtain’ was turned down. New facts were born and he laid his endeavour at acta.
Among the papers that I took home for copying in April, was the typed manuscript named:
Abwehrfunk – Funkabwehr
I digitally copied it the best way possible, although, for practical reasons, I have, as usually, not taken the highest resolution possible, as to keep data quantity suitable for the world wide web. However, what you will encounter in some respect provides slightly better photo quality than the genuine document; but sadly, Staritz could currently not find (tracing) his genuine folder containing the very many negatives. I reproduced the (photo) pages with our AGFA Arcus 1200 scanner which also possesses excellent anti-aliasing facilities (Raster), in some respect resulting in a slightly better reproduction quality; but what isn’t visible, even our scanner can’t add the missing details.
XEROX copiers in the early 1980s did not yet make good photo quality reproductions.
Please accept this unique manuscript the way it is.
We have no time the reissue it.
The re-issue (25-6-2018) is accessible just at the hyperlink below
Its content may be used for personal interest or educational purposes; commercial application being restricted. Please notice - that fair quotations should be made at all times, when its content being duplicated or being referred at.
In cases of doubt please contact us at:
Please type in what you read
(Abwehr-2)
On 7 July 2016
Bilder aus dem Bereich des Geheimen Funkmeldedienstes des OKW Amt Ausland/Abwehr
This booklet have been prepared about 1985
Its purpose was meant mainly for Rudolf Staritz's private recollection
After my suggestion: shouldn't we publish the Abwehrfunk-Funkabwehr manuscript on the web? He responded instantly that this is a good idea, but "I would like to go through it first whether it needs some changes or that like". Actually he wanted only that we add that its concerns a 'never before published manuscript concept' status ca 1985; and, that a handwritten notice should be removed. This latter notice suggested to add something on SOE, but there have been so many publications on this subject in the meantime, that he skipped this subject.
Hereafter I suggested - we shouldn't also make public also his small booklet (Heft) called: Bilder aus dem Bereich .... ?
Also in this case, he asked me only to implement when it had been engendered about.
Bilder aus dem Bereich des Geheimen Funkmeldedienstes des OKW Amt Ausland/Abwehr
Again: Its content may be used for personal interest or educational purposes; commercial application being restricted. Please notice - that fair quotations should be made at all times, when its content being duplicated or being referred at.
In cases of doubt please contact us at:
Please type in what you read
