Roman Czerniawski
Encyclopedia
Roman Garby-Czerniawski was a Polish Air Force
Captain and Allied double agent
during World War II
, using the codename Brutus.
Air Force, he volunteered to create an allied espionage
network in France
in 1940. This network was code-named Interallie. Among the other members of the network was Mathilde Carré
.
On November 17, 1941, the Abwehr
group of Hugo Bleicher
arrested Carré because of the lack of proper operational security within the organisation. Many other members of the Interallie and Carré revealed most of the members of the network. Czerniawski and others were imprisoned.
After having been offered safety by the Germans
, he was sent as an agent to England
. However, he immediately made himself known to the British authorities. He was de-briefed by the British (MI6) and Polish authorities about the security lapses of his organization in France.
He was then employed as a double agent by MI5 using the covername Brutus under their Double Cross System
. as such he played a major part in the allied deception prior to the D-Day
landings in Normandy
in 1944 as one of the primary agents conducting false information as part of Fortitude South
, the deception plan that the Allies would invade Europe in the Pas de Calais area across the English Channel from South-East England.
After the war he stayed in the UK and wrote The Big Network published in 1961.
Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
Captain and Allied double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
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...
, using the codename Brutus.
Life
Czerniawski graduated in the late 1930s from the Wyższa Szkoła Wojenna (WSWoj), a military academy at Warsaw. As a former officer of the PolishPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Air Force, he volunteered to create an allied espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
network in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1940. This network was code-named Interallie. Among the other members of the network was Mathilde Carré
Mathilde Carré
Mathilde Carré , known as "La Chatte", was a French Resistance agent during World War II who turned double agent....
.
On November 17, 1941, the Abwehr
Abwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
group of Hugo Bleicher
Hugo Bleicher
Hugo Ernst Bleicher was a German senior non-commissioned officer of the Abwehr who worked against French Resistance in German-occupied France....
arrested Carré because of the lack of proper operational security within the organisation. Many other members of the Interallie and Carré revealed most of the members of the network. Czerniawski and others were imprisoned.
After having been offered safety by the Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, he was sent as an agent to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. However, he immediately made himself known to the British authorities. He was de-briefed by the British (MI6) and Polish authorities about the security lapses of his organization in France.
He was then employed as a double agent by MI5 using the covername Brutus under their Double Cross System
Double Cross System
The Double Cross System, or XX System, was a World War II anti-espionage and deception operation of the British military intelligence arm, MI5. Nazi agents in Britain - real and false - were captured, turned themselves in or simply announced themselves and were then used by the British to broadcast...
. as such he played a major part in the allied deception prior to the D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
landings in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
in 1944 as one of the primary agents conducting false information as part of Fortitude South
Operation Fortitude
Operation Fortitude was the codename for a World War II military deception employed by the Allied nations as part of an overall deception strategy during the build up to the 1944 Normandy Landings...
, the deception plan that the Allies would invade Europe in the Pas de Calais area across the English Channel from South-East England.
After the war he stayed in the UK and wrote The Big Network published in 1961.