Imperial Germany: The Lack of Covert Action that cost them WWI

By Darek Leimeister

The time period before The Great War had many nations utilizing four elements of intelligence to try and gain a better position against or with one another. Collection, analysis, covert action, and counter intelligence were conducted by all the great powers. All of these nations had strengths and weaknesses in the operating of the four elements before the war broke out in Europe. The single most significant element of intelligence that affected Germanys prewar position was that of a lack in covert action. Covert actions according to Shulsky and Schmitt: the purpose is to influence the actions of foreign governments or events of circumstances in foreign countries. These attempts can be directed at the government of a country, at the society as a whole, or at a particular segment of it.1 Covert action is not an element of intelligence that is solely limited to the use of clandestine agents in foreign countries; it can be a multitude of things that affect the actions of foreign governments. The use of information and disinformation along with strategically placed propaganda account for some.2 Shulsky and Schmitt value covert action, but also believe that it is much different from traditional intelligence which would encompass the collection and analysis elements. These elements are intelligence as a source of information, while covert action is intelligence as an act. There is not one of the four elements of intelligence that is easy to define; if you ask ten people you will get ten different answers which could all possibly be correct. The fact is that collection and analysis are easier to define while some authors of intelligence do not even consider covert action a part of it.3 It is clear that had it been utilized more efficiently by the Germans the war would have had a much different outcome. Imperial Germanys pre-World War I position would have been characterized as one of the great powers of Europe. They had one of the most powerful armies and were working on rivaling Great Britain for control of the waters by upgrading their navy. Their imperialist

government believed that there was no alternative to war during this time. They knew they needed to be proactive so they created what was known as Section IIIb. This section of the Grand Staff had military attaches working in France and Russia on ground intelligence, and naval intelligence in Great Britain.4 Germany knew that it needed Britain to stay neutral, or support them if a war was going to break out in Europe. The development of the Dreadnought 5 by Great Britain allowed the Germans to realize they were outmatched at sea and focus their intentions on the army so they would not be devastated in a two front war with no strong allies. It was no surprise to Germany that they would have to fight a two front war as evidenced by the Schlieffen Plan.6 One large problem that Germany faced was in the decision making of the few elites in control of the empire. They were conducting operations before any analysis of the collected intelligence could be undergone.7 Germany had too many preconceived ideas that affected their decision making and ultimately led to the downfall of their illustrious empire. Covert action was conducted by Imperial Germany before the breakout of The Great War, but not nearly effective enough. Germany was a nation of great pride and extensive racism which hurt the nation internally because of the many nationalities that resided inside their borders. This powerful nation had internal turmoil going on from the inside, a feeling of encirclement8 had its citizens terrified, and led to a redirection of effort from the navy to the ground war.9 One attempt to collect naval intelligence on Britain through covert action by the imperialist was easily thwarted. Dr. Max Schultz flew a German flag outside of his house boat while trying to maintain cover as a citizen of Great Britain. He held dinner parties and thought getting his guests drunk would allow them to tell British naval secrets. Schultz was ultimately caught by the British and they attempted to turn him and feed Germany faulty information through him. His capture and lack of intelligence gathered on the British navy was a complete

failure by German covert action as the British obtained his secret code book when they arrested him for espionage.10 This incident is easily the most recognizable blunder on the part of Germany failing at covert action, but there are several others that contributed to them losing the war. Many factors contributed to the defeat of Imperial Germany in The Great War, but they could have been avoided. Germany collected stacks of relevant intelligence (including accurate numbers on French military units), and had hit analysis perfectly in certain situations. In the end, Germany did what it set out to do which in some circumstances involved sending out the attack before the blueprint was written.11 As a result of this, the only way they could have succeeded in World War I would have been through successful covert action. French analysis intelligence was far superior to Germany in the pre-war time period. Their cabinet noir12 was well advanced at code breaking and proven so when the French Prime Minister Joseph Caillaux asked the German ambassador for original copies of their meetings that had been discovered by the Qaui dOrsay.13 The lack of German operatives conducting covert action in France allowed the ambassador to be totally unaware that they had been reading their secret correspondence. This led to the French knowing the intentions of the Schliffen Plan and, only due to poor analysis on their part, could have easily cost Germany the war much earlier. Another blunder of German lack of covert action intelligence again involved the British. The Belgium ultimatum could have been conducted through the hands of an agent of influence14 instead of demanding a free passage through the neutral country which allowed Britain to make up their mind to fight against Germany, and took all negotiating powers away from the imperialists.15 The Great War saw many mistakes of intelligence from all the countries involved. Imperial Germany however arrogant they were and even with the multiple miscues they made,

none was bigger than enticing the United States to join the war. Germany essentially drew the United States into WWI through the Zimmerman telegram16 which was partially intercepted by Great Britain who informed the United States of its contents. Germany was holding its own even with the weak ally of Austria-Hungary and had established an impressive fight against the Triple Entente.17 Covert actions would have allowed them to stay on top in the war had they been utilized efficiently to influence the foreign governments of Mexico and Japan. The entrance of the United States into the war was the ultimate downfall for Imperial Germany and its allied powers of Austria-Hungary as the extra man power and weapons of the United States was too much to take on. In conclusion, Germany had a mighty army that fought hard and fast in WWI. This powerful nation could have been set up much better for The Great War if it had conducted covert action more thoroughly in the years leading up to The Great War. Their lack of influence in foreign countries allowed for their superior army to fall, which supports the fact that their lack of covert action intelligence was the single most significant element to influence their pre-war position.

Bibliography:
Herwig H. Holger, Imperial Germany, in Knowing Ones Enemies: Intelligence Assessment Before the Two World Wars. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1984. Schulsky, Abram N. and Gary J. Schmitt. Silent Warfare: Understanding the World of Intelligence. Washington, DC: Brasseys Inc., 2002 Siegel, Jennifer. Modern Intelligence History: History 584. Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University, 2011.

Endnotes: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Schulsky and Schmitt, 77. Schulsky and Schmitt, 81. Schulsky and Schmitt, 75-76. Herwig, 65 The Dreadnought was a Royal Navy battleship created by the British that had the most advanced technologies of the time period. British Spy Scares II. B. The Schlieffen Plan was a German plan that had them fighting a two front war and would need to attack west quickly against France before their ally Russia could mobilize, and the attack would come through Belgium. French Humint Herwig, 94. Herwig, 90. Herwig, 80-81. Siegel, Germany II. Herwig, 71. Cabinet Noir was a device used to read foreign correspondence by the French, and in turn break codes of foreign governments. Siegel French Cryptology and Cabinet Noirs. Siegel, The Strange Death of French Decryption II. Schulsky and Schmitt, 83. Agents of Influence are governmental agents who can more or less influence governmental policies. Siegel, The Move to War http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/world/uswwi.html Zimmerman attempted to provoke Mexico and Japan into attacking the United States with the promise of German assistance after the European front was conquered. A message containing Zimmerman's intent was decoded by the British and sent to the US, further swaying Americans to action Siegel, Building Blocks of the Balance.

7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

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