Intell
Conquest of Northern Ireland
Seamas O’Donovan Although nominally still a member of the Commonwealth, Ireland had declared itself neutral on the outbreak of war. This was tacitly recognised by the British, who appointed Sir John Maffey as a de facto ambassador shortly afterwards. The most immediate threat to Ireland’s neutrality was the IRA, which in 1938 had come under the leadership of Seán Russell,…
Most Recent
SPY, BRITANNIA III
Running concurrently with the plot to snare Mary, Walsingham had been successful in obtaining intelligence on the Spanish preparations for invasion. The first of his successes was in the running of the double agent, Sir Edward Stafford. Sent to France as Elizabeth’s ambassador in 1583, Stafford was quickly snapped up…
How Obscure Satellites Detected an Iranian Missile Attack and Saved American Lives
When the Space-Based Infrared System spotted ballistic missiles, U.S. troops had time to take cover. By Kyle Mizokami              Sep 16, 2020 A U.S. system designed to warn of enemy missile attacks successfully detected an Iranian missile attack in January. The early warning gave American troops at their Iraqi base time…
German in Signals Intelligence Russia I
German officers attending an OKW signals intelligence course in JĂĽterbog, near Berlin, in October 1944. Left to right: Oberwachtmeister Suenkel; behind the tutor, Hauptmann Russ, of the Fenast post at Treuenbrietzen; the tutor, Major Philiptitsch, also of the Fenast post at Treuenbrietzen; Major Wend, commanding the Fenast at Lauf; Regierungsrat…
German in Signals Intelligence Russia II
The German invasion of southern Russia in 1941. German signals and listening network was extensive due to the need to communicate over the huge distances involved. Their signals intelligence war was as complicated as the rest of this huge military campaign. Counter intelligence radio played a major part in directing…
Military Communication, the Korean and Vietnam Wars (1945-1975)
The SAGE building at McGuire Air Force Base, circa 1958. On the far left are cooling towers for the generators located in the (low) middle building. The “cube” has four floors, with air conditioning and wiring on the ground, the computers on the second floor, offices on the third and…
Behind the Battle of Europe
Aircraft forced to land because of foggy conditions. Shortly after the pilot and the passenger were arrested by the Belgian Gendarmerie, top secret documents were found: the plans for the invasion of the Low Countries. The passenger named Major Reinberger tried several times to destroy the documents, but never succeeded.…