Abteilung IIIb

Abteilung or Division IIIb was the military intelligence of the Prussian / German Army until the end of First World War (1918).

The service was created in 1889 as a section in the General Staff . At the beginning of World War I, the section was upgraded to a department.

First, the area of responsibility of the A III b comprised only the counterintelligence. A foreign intelligence was only limited. 1893 also news stations on the borders of the empire were to "Russia Enlightenment" set up, such as in Gumbinnen, Jarotschin, Kempen, Lublinitz , elk, Soldau and Thorn.

During the First World War the Division III b was significantly upgraded. The A III b was divided into press, propaganda, intelligence and defense.

The A III b was divided into three main sections, which were "Chef III b" under the umbrella of.

In 1917, an explicit authorization for domestic education was adopted. The secret IIIb developed under its last head, Walter Nicolai as war increasingly increased the need for secret police. Never before had a German intelligence such influence in the German Reich. After the war, the division was disbanded.

After the war began, the network of agents in enemy countries was quickly removed as the agents were arrested. The Secret Service could not provide information about enemy intentions and operational deployment plans. The enemy situation Editor of News Department (from 1917 Foreign Armies) at the General Staff were more suspicions delivered as facts. Often the reports of the intelligence proved wrong. Therefore, there was in the assessment of the enemy situation a mishap after another. The fundamental error lay in the separation of news gathering and analysis.

As the war progressed, it increasingly became a secret police and propaganda organization. The head of the secret Nicolai was in the left press, among other things as "father of lies" and disinformation.

In addition, the A III b a massive competition from the Naval Intelligence (also "News Department") and the intelligence operations of the Foreign Office was exposed.

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