Erich Gimpel
Encyclopedia
Erich Gimpel was a German
spy
during World War II
. He was very professional, resisting interrogation
. Indeed, his interrogators came to admire him in some respects.
in the 1930s. When World War II began, he became a secret agent, reporting the movement of enemy ships to Germany. When the United States
entered the war in December 1941, Gimpel was deported back to Germany.
He then served as an agent
in Spain
.
He was next chosen to attend a spy-school in German-occupied The Hague
, where he first met the American
malcontent and traitor William Colepaugh
, an unstable drifter who would ultimately betray him. As unreliable as Colepaugh was, Gimpel felt he needed an American to help him succeed on his mission in the United States.
The pair were transported to the USA by the U-boat
U-1230
, landing at Hancock Point
in the Gulf of Maine
on 29 November 1944. Their mission was to gather technical information on the Allied war effort, especially the Manhattan Project
, and transmit it back to Germany using an 80-watt radio Gimpel was expected to build.
Together they made their way to Boston
and then by train to New York
. Before long Colepaugh decided to abandon the mission, visiting an old schoolfriend and asking to turn himself in to the FBI, which was already searching for German agents following the sinking of a Canadian ship a few miles off the Maine coastline (indicating a U-boat had been nearby) and suspicious sightings reported by local residents. The FBI interrogated
Colepaugh, who revealed everything, enabling them to track down Gimpel.
, accused of conspiracy
and violating the 82nd Article of War. They were found guilt
y and sentenced to be hanged
, but for Gimpel, this was delayed by the unexpected death of the President of the United States
, Franklin D. Roosevelt due to a custom not to hold any executions during a period of State Mourning. Later, after the war ended, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment
.
Gimpel was sent to Alcatraz, where he played chess with Machine Gun Kelly
. After ten years, Gimpel was released in 1955 and returned home to West Germany. He later would make his home in South America.
Gimpel was interviewed by Oliver North
for his Fox News Channel
program War Stories with Oliver North
in the episode "Agent 146: Spying for the Third Reich".
He died in Brazil in 2010.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was very professional, resisting interrogation
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
. Indeed, his interrogators came to admire him in some respects.
German secret agent
Gimpel had been a radio operator for mining companies in PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
in the 1930s. When World War II began, he became a secret agent, reporting the movement of enemy ships to Germany. When the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entered the war in December 1941, Gimpel was deported back to Germany.
He then served as an agent
Secret Agent
Secret Agent is a British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. The film starred John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, and Robert Young...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
He was next chosen to attend a spy-school in German-occupied The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, where he first met the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
malcontent and traitor William Colepaugh
William Colepaugh
William Curtis Colepaugh was an American who, following his 1943 discharge from the US Naval Reserve , defected to Nazi Germany in 1944. While a crewman on a United States Merchant Marine ship that stopped off in Lisbon, Colepaugh defected at the German consulate...
, an unstable drifter who would ultimately betray him. As unreliable as Colepaugh was, Gimpel felt he needed an American to help him succeed on his mission in the United States.
The pair were transported to the USA by the U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
U-1230
Unterseeboot 1230
German submarine U-1230 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.Laid down on 15 March 1943 at the Deutsche Werft in Hamburg, and commissioned on 26 January 1944 under the command of Kptlt...
, landing at Hancock Point
Hancock, Maine
Hancock is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,147 at the 2000 census. Located on the mainland at the head of Frenchman Bay, Hancock has commanding views of Mount Desert Island.-History:...
in the Gulf of Maine
Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...
on 29 November 1944. Their mission was to gather technical information on the Allied war effort, especially the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
, and transmit it back to Germany using an 80-watt radio Gimpel was expected to build.
Together they made their way to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and then by train to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Before long Colepaugh decided to abandon the mission, visiting an old schoolfriend and asking to turn himself in to the FBI, which was already searching for German agents following the sinking of a Canadian ship a few miles off the Maine coastline (indicating a U-boat had been nearby) and suspicious sightings reported by local residents. The FBI interrogated
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
Colepaugh, who revealed everything, enabling them to track down Gimpel.
Prisoner of war
After Gimpel's capture, the spies were handed over to US military authorities on the instructions of the Attorney General. In February 1945 they stood trial before a Military commissionMilitary tribunal
A military tribunal is a kind of military court designed to try members of enemy forces during wartime, operating outside the scope of conventional criminal and civil proceedings. The judges are military officers and fulfill the role of jurors...
, accused of conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
and violating the 82nd Article of War. They were found guilt
Guilt
Guilt is the state of being responsible for the commission of an offense. It is also a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes—accurately or not—that he or she has violated a moral standard, and bears significant responsibility for that...
y and sentenced to be hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
, but for Gimpel, this was delayed by the unexpected death of the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, Franklin D. Roosevelt due to a custom not to hold any executions during a period of State Mourning. Later, after the war ended, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
.
Gimpel was sent to Alcatraz, where he played chess with Machine Gun Kelly
Machine Gun Kelly
George Kelley Barnes , better known as "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster during the prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thompson submachine gun. His most famous crime was the kidnapping of oil tycoon & businessman Charles Urschel in July 1933 for which he,...
. After ten years, Gimpel was released in 1955 and returned home to West Germany. He later would make his home in South America.
Post prison life
Gimpel was the last person to be tried before a U.S. military tribunal. His autobiographical account of his undercover work, Spy For Germany, was first published in English in 1957, in Great Britain. Following the terrorist attacks on the United States in September 2001, several books about Nazi spies in America were published, and his book finally appeared in the U.S. under the title Agent 146 (2003).Gimpel was interviewed by Oliver North
Oliver North
Oliver Laurence North is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, political commentator, host of War Stories with Oliver North on Fox News Channel, a military historian, and a New York Times best-selling author....
for his Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
program War Stories with Oliver North
War Stories with Oliver North
War Stories is a military history program on the Fox News Channel. Hosted by Oliver North , the program covers a number of different stories relating to war and national defense, featuring individuals who were directly involved with the topic covered in...
in the episode "Agent 146: Spying for the Third Reich".
He died in Brazil in 2010.
Film
The story of Erich Gimple in the U.S. was documented in the 1956 film Spy for Germany (German title: Spion für Deutschland). The actor Martin Held played the leading role.External links
- Photo of Gimpel on Sharkhunters
- Gimpel and Colepaugh BAD LINK! => Works now fine
- Article on Colepaugh and Gimpel at fas.org
- Allied report on the interrogation of Colepaugh and Gimpel at ibiblio.org
- Contains a report on Colepaugh and Gimpel at navy.mil
- 1944: When spies came to Maine at mainetoday.com BAD LINK!
- On Gimpel and Colepaugh, an interview with former CIA agent Richard Gay, book author on foreign spies on US soil
- The movie "Spion für Deutschland (1956)" at IMDB