EKSPOZYTURA ABWEHRY W MIĘDZYWOJENNYM WOLNYM MIEŚCIE GDAŃSKU (1920–1939) – KADRA, AGENTURA, ZADANIA
ABWEHR EXPOSURE IN THE INTERWAR FREE CITY OF GDAŃSK (1920–1939) – STAFF, AGENCY, TASKS

Summary/Abstract: The cadres of German intelligence structures operating in the interwar Free City of Danzig changed several times over the years to suit current conditions and needs. The managerial staff was mainly recruited from people of German nationality. In turn, among the collaborators were not only people of German origin, but also high‐ranking Polish officers, officials, as well as deserters from the Polish army or others. In the spy work they carried out, they saw mainly material gain, but ideological or political issues were also a secondary motivation. The reason for this was the Prussian resettlement policy, which had been scrupulously pursued for many years, as well as extensive anti‐Polish propaganda. Quite a number of cases of spying in favor of Germany were detected by Polish counterintelligence. These cases ended in arrests and conviction by a Polish court. The consequence of the deconspiration, in the German services, was the adaptation of Polish information and intelligence structures to the new conditions and the introduction of further methods and measures, in order not only to gain information about the enemy, but also to secure their own secrets. The Polish side dealt quite efficiently with the Abwehr’s actions in the area of the Free City of Danzig, but despite the many defeats suffered as a result of confrontations with the Polish “two”, it was German intelligence that dictated the pace and scope of this rivalry. They thus pursued their stated goal, which was, among other things, the weakening and eventual collapse of the Polish state.

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