B-Dienst and Allied Submarine Operations

[Platon Alexiades]

Hello,

Although the work of ULTRA in the war is fairly accessible to most readers, the work of Axis forces in deciphering enemy signals is not easily found. Enrico Cernuschi has recently published 'Ultra: La Fine di un Mito" [Ultra: the End of a Myth] in which he argues that ULTRA did not have a great impact on the war. This is debatable as it is very difficult to evaluate the exact proportion of successes due to ULTRA.  Information cannot be solely judged on its operational value. I am well informed of the work of B-Dienst during Weserübung but its work in the Mediterranean Theatre is not as well known. Has anyone located the B-Dienst files after 1940, especially those concerning Allied submarines?

Many thanks.

Platon

[MarkusL]

Hello,
the only book I know in English dealing with the subject is
J. P. M. Showell: German Naval Codebreakers
which has as interesting "Further Reading " section.
Regards
Markus

[Darius]

Hallo Platon,

ich habe Notizen zu X-B-Berichten der Skl./Chef M.N.D., diese gehen aber erst ab 1943 los.



Darius

[Platon Alexiades]

Hello Markus and Darius,

Thank you both for your suggestions. Darius: are these X-B-Berichten referring to the Mediterranean? Available at NARA or only in the German Archives? Do you have a reference number?
I have also read Heinz Bonatz' "Seekrieg im Äther" who is quite good but I am looking for signals from the B-Dienst specially in the Mediterranean concerning Allied submarines. I have seen a couple of signals in May-June 1943 which are mixed in German shipping files but no files specifically from the B-Dienst.
About 30 years ago I had access at NARA of an original bound volume (red in colour) of X-B Berichten (not a microfilm) which was one of a series actually held by the NSA. It had not been returned to Germany with the other files. These were compiled reports and not the actual signals such are those available for Weserübung.

Best regards,

Platon

[TW]

Dear Platon,
I have no idea concerning activities or successes of German B-Dienst in the Mediterranean Theater. I will ask Axel Niestlé when we meet in late October in Stuttgart.
Even Prof. Rohwer has not been busy with B-Dienst activities in Mediterranean. The only reference I ever found is:
Ralph Erskine : German Intelligence on Torch [i.e. landing North Africa] In: The German Enigma Cipher Machine. / Ed.by Brian J Winkel and others. Artech House: Boston, London 2005.
Best regards
Thomas

P.S. The chapter "The Biggest Surprise" (In: Kahn, Hitler's Spies, S.462-478) is also focussing the landing of the Allies in North Africa. It comes to the conclusion, that the mountain of contrarious informations and observations (among others also from B-Dienst) made it really difficult for Naval Staff "Operationsabteilung" to come to effective decisions.

Das Kapitel "The Biggest Surprise" (Kahn, Hitler's Spies, S.462-478) geht ebenfalls auf die Landung der Alliierten in Nordafrika ein, und es zeigt sehr anschaulich, wie ein riesiger Wust von gegensätzlichen Informationen und Beobachtungen (darunter auch vom B-Dienst) es der SKL-Operationsabteilung echt schwer machte, zielführende Entscheidungen zu treffen.

[Platon Alexiades]

Dear Thomas,

Many thanks for the references which I will check.

All the best,

Platon