Hans-Thilo Schmidt
Encyclopedia
Hans-Thilo Schmidt codenamed Asché or Source D, was a spy
who, during the 1930s, sold secrets about the Germans
' Enigma machine
to the French
. The materials he provided facilitated Polish
mathematician
Marian Rejewski
's reconstruction of the wiring in the Enigma's rotors
and reflector
; thereafter the Poles were able to read a large proportion of Enigma-enciphered traffic.
was introduced, he contacted French
intelligence
and offered to supply information about the new machine. His offer was accepted by Captain Gustave Bertrand
of French Intelligence, and he received from the French the codename Asche, and was assigned a contact, the French agent codenamed Rex.
For the next several years, until he left his position in Germany, he met with French agents at various European cities and supplied them copies of the Enigma machine's instruction manual, operating procedures, and lists of key settings. Even with this information, however, French Intelligence was unable to break messages encrypted on the Enigma. Nor were the British
cryptologists whom Bertrand contacted able to make any headway.
In December 1932, Bertrand shared intelligence obtained from Asché with the Polish General Staff
's Cipher Bureau (Biuro Szyfrów
). Mathematician-cryptologist Marian Rejewski had already set up a system of equation
s describing the operation of the then new German Army Enigma rotor-wirings. The key
-settings lists provided by Schmidt helped fill in enough of the unknowns in Rejewski's formula
e, allowing him to speedily solve the equations and recover the wirings. That accomplished, the Poles were henceforth able to read Enigma traffic for nearly seven years to the outbreak of World War II
as well as for a time into the War, while operating in conjunction with French intelligence in France
. In a two-week January 1938 trial, they solved and read about 3/4 of all German Wehrmacht
— Army — Enigma intercept
s: a remarkable result, considering that parts of the raw intercepts were garbled or incomplete due to interference [Kozaczuk, Enigma 1984, p. 45].
After the battle of France
, the French agent who had been Schmidt's case officer, a German citizen named Stallmann who went by the name "Rodolphe Lemoine" and used the codename "Rex," was arrested by the German Gestapo
and betrayed Schmidt as a French spy. Schmidt was arrested on April 1, 1943, and in September 1943 his daughter was called on to identify his body; her account (as recounted in Sebag-Montefiore's book) suggests that Schmidt may have committed suicide.
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
who, during the 1930s, sold secrets about the Germans
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
' Enigma machine
Enigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
to the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The materials he provided facilitated Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
Marian Rejewski
Marian Rejewski
Marian Adam Rejewski was a Polish mathematician and cryptologist who in 1932 solved the plugboard-equipped Enigma machine, the main cipher device used by Germany...
's reconstruction of the wiring in the Enigma's rotors
Rotor machine
In cryptography, a rotor machine is an electro-mechanical device used for encrypting and decrypting secret messages. Rotor machines were the cryptographic state-of-the-art for a prominent period of history; they were in widespread use in the 1920s–1970s...
and reflector
Reflector (cipher machine)
A reflector, in cryptology, is a component of some rotor cipher machines, such as the Enigma machine, that sends electrical impulses that have reached it from the machine's rotors, back in reverse order through those rotors.- Other names :...
; thereafter the Poles were able to read a large proportion of Enigma-enciphered traffic.
Selling Enigma secrets
In the early 1930s, Schmidt was an employee at the German Armed Forces' cryptographic headquarters, the Cipher Office. Shortly after the military version of the Enigma machineEnigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
was introduced, he contacted French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
intelligence
Intelligence (information gathering)
Intelligence assessment is the development of forecasts of behaviour or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organization, based on a wide range of available information sources both overt and covert. Assessments are developed in response to requirements declared by the leadership...
and offered to supply information about the new machine. His offer was accepted by Captain Gustave Bertrand
Gustave Bertrand
Gustave Bertrand was a French military intelligence officer who made a vital contribution to the decryption, by Poland's Cipher Bureau, of German Enigma ciphers, beginning in December 1932...
of French Intelligence, and he received from the French the codename Asche, and was assigned a contact, the French agent codenamed Rex.
For the next several years, until he left his position in Germany, he met with French agents at various European cities and supplied them copies of the Enigma machine's instruction manual, operating procedures, and lists of key settings. Even with this information, however, French Intelligence was unable to break messages encrypted on the Enigma. Nor were the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
cryptologists whom Bertrand contacted able to make any headway.
In December 1932, Bertrand shared intelligence obtained from Asché with the Polish General Staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
's Cipher Bureau (Biuro Szyfrów
Biuro Szyfrów
The Biuro Szyfrów was the interwar Polish General Staff's agency charged with both cryptography and cryptology ....
). Mathematician-cryptologist Marian Rejewski had already set up a system of equation
Equation
An equation is a mathematical statement that asserts the equality of two expressions. In modern notation, this is written by placing the expressions on either side of an equals sign , for examplex + 3 = 5\,asserts that x+3 is equal to 5...
s describing the operation of the then new German Army Enigma rotor-wirings. The key
Key (cryptography)
In cryptography, a key is a piece of information that determines the functional output of a cryptographic algorithm or cipher. Without a key, the algorithm would produce no useful result. In encryption, a key specifies the particular transformation of plaintext into ciphertext, or vice versa...
-settings lists provided by Schmidt helped fill in enough of the unknowns in Rejewski's formula
Formula
In mathematics, a formula is an entity constructed using the symbols and formation rules of a given logical language....
e, allowing him to speedily solve the equations and recover the wirings. That accomplished, the Poles were henceforth able to read Enigma traffic for nearly seven years to the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as well as for a time into the War, while operating in conjunction with French intelligence in France
PC Bruno
PC Bruno was a Polish-French intelligence station that operated outside Paris during World War II, from October 1939 until June 9, 1940. It decrypted German ciphers, most notably messages enciphered on the Enigma machine.-History:...
. In a two-week January 1938 trial, they solved and read about 3/4 of all German Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
— Army — Enigma intercept
Intercept
Intercept may refer to:*X-intercept, the point where a line crosses the x-axis*Y-intercept, the point where a line crosses the y-axis*Interception *The Mona Intercept, a 1980 thriller novel by Donald Hamilton...
s: a remarkable result, considering that parts of the raw intercepts were garbled or incomplete due to interference [Kozaczuk, Enigma 1984, p. 45].
After the battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, the French agent who had been Schmidt's case officer, a German citizen named Stallmann who went by the name "Rodolphe Lemoine" and used the codename "Rex," was arrested by the German Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
and betrayed Schmidt as a French spy. Schmidt was arrested on April 1, 1943, and in September 1943 his daughter was called on to identify his body; her account (as recounted in Sebag-Montefiore's book) suggests that Schmidt may have committed suicide.
Further reading
- Nigel West, Seven Spies Who Changed the World. London: Secker & Warburg, 1991 (hard cover). London: Mandarin, 1992 (paperback).