Vincent Kraft
Encyclopedia
Vincent Kraft was a German double agent
in South-East Asia during World War I
who was extensively involved in British counter-intelligence in the Hindu-German Conspiracy. Kraft was sent to South-East Asia during the war by the German high command as a part of the larger Indo-German Conspiracy and turned a British double-agent at Singapore in 1915. A German planter from Batavia, Kraft enlisted in the Imperial German Army at the beginning of World War I
and served in France. Various accounts indicate he was either wounded in battle or faced courtsmartial due to his activities in France for which he faced a possible death penalty, against which he was given the option of returning to Batavia and help organise for the secret shipments or arms to be transferred to the Indian revolutionary underground agreed between the Ghadar Party
, the Berlin Committee
, and the German Foreign Office. Kraft returned to Batavia to coordinate with Knipping, the German Consul to Peking, but at the same time establisheed contact with the British mission. The intelligence passed on by Kraft, along with that of another agent named Oren
were instrumental in uncovering parts of the Hindu-German Conspiracy, especially the plans to ship arms to India onboard the SS Maverick
and the Henry S in June 1915. Kraft's information was also key in uncovering the proposed sites on the coast of Bay of Bengal
where the arms were to be shipped, the operations of Jatindranath Mukherjee's agent Narendranath Bhattacharya with German ministers in South-East Asia, as well as details of Jatin Mukherjee's plans for insurrection in Bengal in August in August 1915.
Kraft leaked details of the plans by German consul at Shanghai, Knipping, to raid the penal colony of Andaman islands
on Christmas Day 1915 and raise an expeditionary force to raide towns on the Indian coast including Madras and Calcutta. His own bogus plans for the raid were in the meantime revealed to Beckett by "Oren
", but given the successive failures of the Indo-German plans, the plans for the operations were abandoned on the recommendations of both the Berlin Committee and Knipping. Vincent Kraft was also responsible for passing on to British intelligence detailed information of the Berlin Committee
and details of its activities in Washington D.C, in Siam, Dutch East Indies, and in Persia. Kraft later fled through Mexico to Japan where he was last known to be at the end of the war. Kraft, like Oren
was not identified in intelligence reports and was only known by the codename "Agent X". His true identity was only uncovered in 1950s when secret India government archives were declassified.
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...
in South-East Asia during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
who was extensively involved in British counter-intelligence in the Hindu-German Conspiracy. Kraft was sent to South-East Asia during the war by the German high command as a part of the larger Indo-German Conspiracy and turned a British double-agent at Singapore in 1915. A German planter from Batavia, Kraft enlisted in the Imperial German Army at the beginning of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and served in France. Various accounts indicate he was either wounded in battle or faced courtsmartial due to his activities in France for which he faced a possible death penalty, against which he was given the option of returning to Batavia and help organise for the secret shipments or arms to be transferred to the Indian revolutionary underground agreed between the Ghadar Party
Ghadar Party
The Ghadar Party was an organization founded by Punjabi Indians, in the United States and Canada with the aim to liberate India from British rule...
, the Berlin Committee
Berlin Committee
The Berlin Committee, later known as the Indian Independence Committee after 1915, was an organisation formed in Germany in 1914 during World War I by Indian students and political activists residing in the country. The purpose of the Committee was to promote the cause of Indian Independence...
, and the German Foreign Office. Kraft returned to Batavia to coordinate with Knipping, the German Consul to Peking, but at the same time establisheed contact with the British mission. The intelligence passed on by Kraft, along with that of another agent named Oren
Oren (spy)
Oren was the codename assigned to a Baltic-German double agent in South-East Asia by British Intelligence during World War I. Although his true identity is unknown, he is believed to be a man of Swedish descent...
were instrumental in uncovering parts of the Hindu-German Conspiracy, especially the plans to ship arms to India onboard the SS Maverick
SS Maverick
SS Maverick was an oil tanker built in 1890 for the Standard Oil of New York, later Mobil Oil. After the ship had changed hands sometime between 1910 and 1915, it was used during World War I as part of the Hindu–German Conspiracy to foment rebellion in India and overthrow the British Raj...
and the Henry S in June 1915. Kraft's information was also key in uncovering the proposed sites on the coast of Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
where the arms were to be shipped, the operations of Jatindranath Mukherjee's agent Narendranath Bhattacharya with German ministers in South-East Asia, as well as details of Jatin Mukherjee's plans for insurrection in Bengal in August in August 1915.
Kraft leaked details of the plans by German consul at Shanghai, Knipping, to raid the penal colony of Andaman islands
Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...
on Christmas Day 1915 and raise an expeditionary force to raide towns on the Indian coast including Madras and Calcutta. His own bogus plans for the raid were in the meantime revealed to Beckett by "Oren
Oren (spy)
Oren was the codename assigned to a Baltic-German double agent in South-East Asia by British Intelligence during World War I. Although his true identity is unknown, he is believed to be a man of Swedish descent...
", but given the successive failures of the Indo-German plans, the plans for the operations were abandoned on the recommendations of both the Berlin Committee and Knipping. Vincent Kraft was also responsible for passing on to British intelligence detailed information of the Berlin Committee
Berlin Committee
The Berlin Committee, later known as the Indian Independence Committee after 1915, was an organisation formed in Germany in 1914 during World War I by Indian students and political activists residing in the country. The purpose of the Committee was to promote the cause of Indian Independence...
and details of its activities in Washington D.C, in Siam, Dutch East Indies, and in Persia. Kraft later fled through Mexico to Japan where he was last known to be at the end of the war. Kraft, like Oren
Oren (spy)
Oren was the codename assigned to a Baltic-German double agent in South-East Asia by British Intelligence during World War I. Although his true identity is unknown, he is believed to be a man of Swedish descent...
was not identified in intelligence reports and was only known by the codename "Agent X". His true identity was only uncovered in 1950s when secret India government archives were declassified.