Although the
Poles were successful in the offence they neglected their defence.Their
diplomatic ,military attaché and resistance movement codes were read by the
Germans during the war.
The
information concerning the codes of the Polish resistance movement comes from
''European Axis Signal Intelligence in World War II '' :
EASI vol4
-Army High Command Signal Intelligence Service p179,180
Work on
Polish Resistance Movement traffic - The most notable results in
the Agents section were achieved in the interception and solution of the
systems used by the Polish Resistance Movement, particularly during the Polish
uprising in Warsaw in 1944.From information passed on this system,
the dispositions of the Polish liberation troops as well as friction between
them and the Russians could be established. It was possible, moreover, to solve
all wireless traffic which the Polish government in London carried
on with its organizations in Poland. In, order to preserve secrecy and to
insure quicker delivery of the decodes, eight members of the Vauck section were
transferred in the autumn of 1943 to the Polish section of the Signal
Intelligence Agency of the Supreme Command, Armed Forces (OKW/Chi) for
work there. The clear text was published by the Armed Forces in their bulletins
and was given extremely restricted distribution, To insure complete radio
intercept coverage, the Armed Forces Agency (OKW/Chi) ordered its station at
Lauf also to intercept the traffic. First Lt. Schubert, a cryptanalyst of GdNA,
wrote a brief account of the systems used by the Polish National Resistance
Movement in which he stated that systems 006, 117, 118, and 181 were broken and
that others were worked on. Most of them were simple two figure substitutions
used without an indicator, with some variations in development and the use of
basic keys or key phrases.
EASI vol 3 –
Signal Intelligence Agency of the Supreme Command Armed Forces p58
The most
valuable intelligence results from Polish traffic, however, were obtained
through the breaking of the traffic between the underground organization in
Poland and its government in London. This traffic was said to have been
particularly valuable during the period immediately preceding the Normandy
Invasion. All wireless traffic from England was banned, but the traffic of
Polish agents to England continued and was read. Most of this traffic seems to
have been in a five-figure system. The original break was apparently made not
by OKW/Chi but by the Agents Section of Inspectorate 7/VI (In 7/VI).Once the
break had been made, however, the traffic proved to be so valuable that in the
autumn of 1943 a group from the Agents Section of In 7/VI was transferred to
the Polish desk of OKW/ Chi where it worked as part of the organization. The
translated clear texts were published as regular VN’s and given an extremely
limited distribution. The traffic itself was intercepted by the OKW/Chi
intercept station at Lauf.
The Brits
found out about the German success with Polish codes by intercepting and
decrypting German messages in September '44.It’s not clear what measures
were taken to close off this leak .
Here are some
intercepted messages from British Archives HW 40/244 ‘’Polish: evidence that
the OKW (High Command of the German Armed Forces) was reading traffic passing
between London and the Polish underground’’ :
Secret. To
Chief of Security Police in the General Gouvernment, Dept.(roman) IV, for
Ostubaf. SCHINDHEIM, CRACOW. (Dated 30/8).
Subject:
6207 from LONDON to WARSAW, 23/8/44, no address, No. 500, No. 199 Text A point
3.
The
government is negotiating for an agreement with the Soviet Government with a
view to a common prosecution of the war against the Germans. These agreement
proceedings should lead to a lasting Polish-Soviet friendship after the war.,
This rapprochement should offer possibilities of a Polish-Soviet alliance which
should guarantee close political and economic cooperation
between Poles and the Soviets while recognizing the principles of
the sovereignty of each state and the obligation of non-intervention in the
internal affairs of the other country. Aim of the alliance will also be
envisaged as the elimination of German influences in Central Europe and preventing
the possibility of a repetition of German aggression. Further alliances between
POLAND and GREAT BRITAIN and FRANCE will serve this purpose. Another alliance
will be formed with CZECHO- SLOVAKIA. In similar manner the most friendly
relations with the U.S.A. will be cultivated.POLAND will share the rights
which will ensure peace to the Peoples striving for peace
by a general security system.
POLAND will also participate in the occupation of GERMANY, principally in
those eastern territories which will abut on the future Polish frontiers .In
the settlement of POLAND’s frontier problem the Polish Government will be
guided by the following principles which have been brought into uniformity with
those of the SOVIET UNION in a spirit of friendship and with regard to the
basic interests of the Polish nation. 1) POLAND, which has sacrificed so much
in this war and which alone of all the nations occupied by GERMANY produced no
QUISLING, cannot emerge from this war territorially diminished. In
POLAND the main centres of cultural life in the East and the sources of raw
material which are necessary to a guarantee of the economic life of the Polish
State will remain. A new ruling on questions of nationality, restoration of
citizenship arid voluntary exchange amongst the POLISH, UKRAINIAN
and WHITE RUSSIAN populations will be undertaken. The ultimate settlement of
the question of the POLISH-SOVIET frontier will be decided in conformity with
the requirements of democracy by the constitutional parliament £SEJM£. In the
North and the West no removal of the German population will (remainder not
seen).
From OKW WNV
Fu. (Roman) III J (0), No. 2262/44, on 30/8:-
From WARSAW
to LONDON, 25/8/44, to Colonel PERKINS, No. 651, 25/8,
JULIUS ,WARD
No. 54293. Subject: RAF.
"Dear
Sir, help is urgently necessary in the centre of the city of WARSAW. Ammunition
for the anti-tank weapon of the PIAT type which was sent is completely
exhausted. Dear Sir, the most important (word illegible) needed are (word
illegible), anti-tank weapons, heavy machine-guns, ammunition of all kinds. The
best area for dropping is the area south of the JEROZILIMSKA Avenue in its
continuation to the East as far as NOWY SWIAT, West as far as the MARSZALKOWSKA
and south as far as PIUSA Street. This area is free from Germans. Dear Sir, I
received your communication of 19/8/44 on 20/8/44. Signed JULIUS WARD."
In
subsequent posts i'll look into the compromise of Polish diplomatic and
military attache codes.
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