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12 Jul, 12 tweets, 7 min read
The Stasi bunker in Bavaria
#thread

Unnoticed by Western intelligence services, the Stasi established a secret "Stay Behind" network in West Germany. A piece of #ColdWarHistory that has been forgotten 1/12
The "Haus am Berg" with the address Geitau 21 was a holiday guesthouse with a view of the Alps. Geitau, a tourist spot between Schliersee and Bayrischzell. But the lonely house on the mountainside had another function. It served as a secret commando bunker for the #Stasi 2/12
The location was perfectly chosen. A few hundred metres away is a field airport. Ideal for rapid troop deployments. The Austrian border is a few kilometres away. Numerous winding paths cross the green border of both states 3/12
The #Stasi set up secret weapons depots around the village of Geitau. The secret Stasi HQ with its weapons depots had several targets. Among other things sabotage operations against the 10th #SpecialForces Group, Flint Kaserne in Bad Toelz ... 4/12
... and attacks against #Warnamt X (a civilian observation bunker in the event of war) hidden in a forest between Ammersee and Starnberger See 5/12👇 goo.gl/maps/chXUpFS9v…
Initially founded as an anti-terrorist unit, (1960s) over time it developed into its own "Stay-Behind“ organisation: Arbeitsgruppe des Ministers/Sicherheit (AGM/S) 6/12👇 stasi-mediathek.de/themen/organis…
A maximum of operational agility, operational thinking and military readiness was demanded of these men. In the 1980s, about 1000 #Stasi AGM/S were ready for sabotage operations in West Germany 7/12
But the secret #Stasi warriors exported their knowledge. Members of the West German Communist Party (DKP) were trained in underground warfare 8/12👇 spiegel.de/panorama/zeitg…
The house owner from Geitau had moved to Bavaria as a #Stasi spy (#HVA) at the end of the 1950s. He had a low-profile job at Siemens. The bunker was built in the early 1980s at the height of the arms race 9/12
Ironically, the building was constructed with funding from the West German state - „on behalf“ of East Berlin. The newspaper story 1995
10/12👇 berliner-zeitung.de/erddepots-der-…
After the fall of the Wall, the Stasi bunker was uncovered. The owner of the house was sentenced. Former DKP members from West Germany also had to stand trial. The secret weapons depots were empty when they were found 11/12
Western Stay Behind and the Green Berets from Bad Toelz 12/12 👇

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More from @LCueilleur

Le cueilleur Profile picture
25 Feb
US spy pub in Hamburg
#thread

Most people know the #Reeperbahn in Hamburg only at night. Numerous bars hide a lot of bizarre stories. A pub served as an important spy place against Poland for a U.S. intelligence agency. The pub even operated to the service 1/7
Hamburg's St. Pauli district attracts many figures - tourists, homeless people, love-seekers and sailors. And it is precisely these that various Western intelligence services are targeting during the Cold War. 2/7
Especially seamen behind the Iron Curtain are important sources of information and possible candidates for espionage in the home country. 1955, COMNAVER (US Naval Forces Germany) wrote a report on a pub: "The tavern served as a contact house for Polish agents in Hamburg" 3/7
Read 7 tweets
Le cueilleur Profile picture
27 Oct 20
Small service - big tasks
#thread

Luxembourg played an active role in the Cold War. For the Soviet bloc it was an important gateway for intelligence operations. The State Intelligence Service #SRE is unable to cope with its tasks. Assistance comes from abroad 1/13
Under Soviet pressure exerted since the late 1960's, Luxembourg agreed to sign an air traffic memorandum with the USSR in 1974 and a formal agreement in 1975. Shortly afterwards #Aeroflot opens a travel agency in Luxembourg city 2/13
Another service moves into the office building in 35, rue Glesener a little later. Above the travel agency the #SRE intelligence service operates a covert office. All movements at Aeroflot are monitored and registered 3/13
Read 13 tweets
Le cueilleur Profile picture
7 Oct 20
It was not only the US that helped #Aut to build up its signing capacities. #BND know-how was/is in great demand. The #Bundesnachrichtendienst was/is dependent on Austria for information gathering in the Balkan region 1/7
Between 1960 and 1980, the #BND was highly supportive of radio reconnaissance in particular. The espionage was of course also aimed at the Soviet presence in Austria 2/7
Cooperation culminated in the war in Yugoslavia. There were several mobile receiving stations along the Slovenian border. Austrians and Germans „shared headphones“ at that time 3/7
Read 7 tweets
Le cueilleur Profile picture
6 Oct 20
The fear of the lover from the East
#thread

The #Stasi/#KGB used so-called Romeos on female secretaries in West Germany with great success. Women were particularly targeted in ministries and the security apparatus 1/5
Especially in the 1970s there were a number of East lovers in West German beds who had been busted. In 1979, six "spies for love" were discovered within a few weeks. All of them were either married or permanently involved with full-time Stasi or KGB staffers 2/5
In the same year, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz launched a poster campaign. "There is a code word for opening safes: love"" warned the intelligence service 3/5
Read 5 tweets
Le cueilleur Profile picture
1 Jun 20
The early BND machine records program
#thread

At the beginning of 1960s, the #BND submerged in a flood of data. With the help of the #CIA, the BND wanted to make the technical leap. The main objective: The automation of #sigint, #humint and #osint data handling 1/6
A CIA report (1965) states: ‚CADITE (BND) has an archaic index card and file system which involves some 1,5 million index cards which lead to dossiers filed in country sections and subfiled by intelligence service. There is no document control‘ 2/6
‚It is clear from the revelations during this session that CATIDE'S capability for name  tracing and information support in protection of its own operational security, and it's response to name trace request from other services, is poor,‘ the CIA report says 3/6
Read 6 tweets

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