Five WWII Double Agents Who Deceived Both Sides
During World War II, some spies chose to work for the enemy instead of facing execution. A 29-year-old Spaniard named Juan Pujol García created a phony intelligence network for Britain, successfully misleading Germany about D-Day as part of Operation Fortitude. For his remarkable work, he was awarded the Iron Cross and made a Member of the Order of the British Empire. Eddie Chapman, a 1914-born safecracker, volunteered for Germany's Abwehr after being imprisoned on June 30, 1940, later switching sides to MI5 and earning the nickname Zigzag. He tricked the Nazis and was sent back to Germany in 1943. On June 13, 1941, William Sebold, a 37-year-old German-American, informed the FBI about a spy ring, leading to 33 arrests. Dutch agent Christiaan Lindemans betrayed Resistance members, ultimately taking his own life in prison in 1946. Meanwhile, Polish pilot Roman Czerniawski set up a large informant network for Britain and redirected V-2 rockets, receiving the OBE for his contributions.
Key facts
- Juan Pujol García, a 29-year-old Spanish citizen, ran a fake agent network for Britain and was awarded both the Iron Cross and the MBE.
- Eddie Chapman, born in 1914, was a safecracker who joined MI5 after being trained by the Abwehr and was code-named Zigzag.
- William Sebold, a 37-year-old German-born U.S. citizen, helped the FBI arrest 33 Nazi spies on June 13, 1941, breaking the Duquesne Ring.
- Christiaan Lindemans, known as King Kong, betrayed Operation Market Garden details to the Nazis in 1944 and committed suicide in prison in 1946.
- Roman Czerniawski, a Polish pilot, built the largest British informant network and helped divert V-2 rockets, receiving the OBE.
- Operation Fortitude was a successful Allied plan to mislead Germany about the D-Day invasion, aided by Juan Pujol García.
- Eddie Chapman was smuggled back to Germany in 1943 and deactivated by November 1944.
- The Duquesne Ring was the most extensive agent network broken up in US history.
Entities
Artists
- Juan Pujol García
- Eddie Chapman
- William Sebold
- Christiaan Lindemans
- Roman Czerniawski
- Greta Garbo
Institutions
- MI5
- Abwehr
- FBI
- Gestapo
- Royal Army
- Secret Service
- Dutch Resistance
- French Resistance
- The National Archives
- Wikimedia Commons
- National Military Museum
Locations
- Spain
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Channel Islands
- Belgium
- Netherlands
- Holland
- England
- New York
- United States
- Lisbon
- Portugal