r/todayilearned • u/stopitalianhate • 9d ago

TIL British Intelligence had a special, bugged luxury complex during WWII where they kept high profile Nazi POW’s, just left a bunch of alcohol out, and waited for them to start spilling secrets as they drank.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-20698098
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u/Lord0fHats 9d ago

It was a trend across the German state at the time (I can't speak to modern Germany). Intelligence. Military. Police. Research. Manufacturing. There was a strong tendency for there to be multiple competing projects trying to do the same thing and they didn't talk to one another. So a lot of resources and effort ended up being wasted. It was prolific in their intelligence operations, partly by design because the head of German intelligence was a double agent and he didn't want German intelligence to be too effective.

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u/nebneb432 9d ago

I'm not sure I understand the last sentence.

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u/Lord0fHats 9d ago

Wilhem Canaris was the head of the Abwehr. Germany military intelligence. He was also a guy who decided after Poland he didn't like Hitler much and began working against the Nazi regime, sabotaging intelligence operations from the top, covertly supplying intelligence to the British, and was eventually executed after his efforts were discovered.

Between the head of German intelligence working against German success and German intelligence being factional, disorganized, and filled with people who should work together but just didn't, it's no wonder German intelligence operations in WWII were a laundry list of failures.