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German Air Force signal intelligence 1956: A museum of comint and sigint
Cryptologia, Jul 1999 by van der Meulen, Michael
ABSTRACT: A survey of the development of the German Air Force Intelligence organization is given. Included is a description of the first public German Museum of Air Force Signal Intelligence located at the General von Seidel Kaserne (Garrison) at Tier-Euren.
KEYWORDS: Germany, Air Force, intelligence, COMINT, ELINT, SIGINT, museum, archive, exhibition.
I. SURVEY OF GERMAN AIR FORCE SIGNAL INTELLIGENCE
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In theory, communications intelligence (COMINT) and electronic intelligence (ELINT) or signal intelligence (SIGINT) should be an integrated function within the electronic warfare operations of the German Air Force. In practice SIGINT is placed within the reconnaissance branch of the Air Force. This branch has responsibility for radar reconnaissance and image (picture) reconnaissance. The necessary close cooperation between SIGINT and the combat capabilities of electronic warfare (EW) is hampered by this division. In this way, the German Air Force structure is contrary to that of the Army.
The German understanding of EW also differs from the American understanding. COMINT and ELINT are just a part of EW. Cryptanalysis has been an integrated part of COMINT in Germany since after WW II. This integrated view of EW causes difficulties for historians as much as the complex technology and other obstacles like eyes-only secrecy.1 On Monday, 9. May 1955 exactly to the day ten years after the unconditional surrender of the Wehrmacht, the German flag was raised at SHAPE HQ near Paris. An American Sergeant assisted by a British and a French Sergeant hoisted the German flag while the British 4th Royal Hussars whose uniform once had been worn by Winston Churchill played the German National Anthem.2 During initial planning for the new German Armed Forces the Ministry of Defense ordered the development of national military intelligence organizations3 under the designation Fernmelde- und Elektronische Auflclarung (Communication and Electronic Intelligence) as a part of Electronic Warfare for the three service branches: Army, Air Force and Navy.4 At Porz-Wahn, a suburb of Cologne, the nucleus of the Air Force Intelligence organization was forming the Zentralauswertung der Fernmelde- and Elektronischen Aufklarung (Central COMINT and ELINT evaluation).
From this nucleus, the soldiers of Signal Detachment 711 were sent to Osnabruck on 10 January 1957. Many soldiers and employees of the Air Force Signal Intelligence branch had been in the very same business during WW II in the Luftnachrichtentruppe (Air Signal Corps) of the Air Force. Among the first were Col. Oeljeschlager, Mr. Schemainda and, as commander, the former radio-officer-- in-charge under the High Command of the Air Force during WW II, Col. Herbert Flesch.5 In September 1957, a cryptanalytic group was established within Signal Detachment 711 and for this group, Col. Flesch and Col. Kretschmer from the Ministry of Defense recruited Lt. Col. Waldemar Werther as cryptanalyst from the French Deuxieme Bureau.6 On 1 May 1958, Signal Detachment 711 was renamed Fernmeldefuhrer B Nord (Signal Commander B North) and a part of the personnel were dispatched to Mannheim to build up Signal Commander B South. In the same year, cooperation between the German and American Air Force within Project Rainbow started.7 During WW II, Konrad Zuse developed his tube computer, the Z3, to assist in tedious and laborious tasks in cryptanalysis. At Bad Hersfeld, Konrad Zuse continued his former wartime work and the Zuse Z22R was born. In December 1959, two employees of Signal Sector North, one of the signal sectors of Signal Commander B North, attended the programming course for the Z22R at Bad Hersfeld.
Again units were renamed and in January 1960 Signal Commanders B North and South became Signal Regiment 71 at Osnabruck and Signal Regiment 72 at Feuchtwangen (1962) respectively.8 In 1958, Signal Commander B North started a long kept secret enhancement of signal intelligence activities. On 17 January 1959 a meeting took place between Lt. Col. Swarte and 1st Lt. Hielkama from the Royal Dutch Air Force and Captain Waldemar Werther and employee Kaibel from Signal Commander B North at the 45th Liaison Unit, Zeist/Netherlands. During this meeting, agreement was reached for future cooperation between the Royal Dutch and German Air Forces. It was agreed that the Dutch officers Captain Jan Willem Stout and 1st Lt. Hielka Hielkama would be responsible for strengthening cooperation with Osnabruck.
Another agreement was reached that Dutch soldiers would attend the cryptanalytic courses at Osnabruck and exchange daily intelligence reports over the Lorenz-I-Mischer 544b. In this early meeting in 1958, still more material was exchanged, for example, the cryptanalysed Russian system PT 53. Cooperation between the Royal Dutch and German Air Force has continued over the years.9
Although a promising start had been made, radio direction finding and listening posts were still housed in inadequate buildings. In 1963 the construction of SIGINT towers, the child of Captain Skibbe in cooperation with Col. Kretschmer (BMVg 10) and General a. D. Reinhard Gehlen (BND 11), began on the Schneeberg mountain of the Fichtelgebirge range, with the first tower for Signal Sector E. Average construction time per tower was between two and three years. Around 1968 the last tower at Hohen Bogen (Bayerischer Wald) for Signal Sector F was completed.12 A reorganization of the signal intelligence units of the Air Force was initiated and evolved into the following:
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