Willi Lehmann Gestapo officer, SS Hauptsturmführer and criminal inspector, secret agent of Soviet intelligence. Date of Birth: 15.03.1884 Country: Germany

1. Biography of Wilhelm Lehmann
2. Early Career
3. Work with Soviet Intelligence
4. Work in the Gestapo and Collaboration with the USSR
5. Loss of Contact and Execution

Biography of Wilhelm Lehmann

Wilhelm Lehmann was a German naval officer, Gestapo employee, and SS Hauptsturmführer. Born into a family of school teachers, he initially pursued a career in the navy and served for 12 years. During his service, he witnessed the Battle of Tsushima in 1905 between Russian and Japanese ships. After being discharged in 1913, Lehmann moved to Berlin and joined the secret political police force.

Early Career

In 1913, Lehmann was accepted as a patrol police officer, and a year later, he was transferred to the counterintelligence division of the Berlin Police. As a member of the secret political police, he was not called to active duty during World War I. In May 1918, when the Representation of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was established in Berlin, Lehmann's division began monitoring their activities. After the revolution on November 4, 1918, Wilhelm Lehmann became the chairman of the General Assembly of Berlin Police Officials.

Work with Soviet Intelligence

In 1920, when the Weimar Republic reestablished the secret political police, Lehmann and his friend Ernst Kure returned to the force. Lehmann's responsibilities included personnel development and combating Soviet economic espionage in the country. He provided valuable information to the Soviet intelligence about German counterintelligence activities and helped them avoid failures. In 1929, he established direct contact with the Soviet residency to ensure better communication.

Work in the Gestapo and Collaboration with the USSR

After Adolf Hitler came to power, Lehmann was recommended by Hermann Göring to work in the Gestapo. He became involved with prominent members of the Nazi Party and participated in the "Night of the Long Knives" operation in June 1934. Despite suspicions within the Gestapo about his connections, Lehmann's extensive knowledge and experience made him a valuable asset.

In December 1933, agent "Brightenbach" (Lehmann's codename) was transferred to contact Vasily Zarubin, a Soviet intelligence officer who arrived in Germany as a representative of an American film company. The information provided by Lehmann included details about German military preparations, weapons development, and the structure of German intelligence agencies. He also informed the Soviet side about infiltrations of the Gestapo into communist and Russian émigré circles.

Loss of Contact and Execution

Due to the Soviet purges in the 1930s, Zarubin's relationship with "Brightenbach" ended, and he was unable to reestablish contact. In June 1940, Lehmann, concerned about Germany's preparations for war with the Soviet Union, took the risk of dropping a letter in the Soviet embassy's mailbox, offering to restore immediate communication. However, contact was not reestablished until September 1940, when a new Soviet intelligence officer, Boris Zhuravlev, met with "Brightenbach". Zhuravlev became Lehmann's new handler, but communication was lost after the start of the war.

In December 1942, Lehmann was arrested by the Gestapo, likely due to information obtained from Robert Bart, a captured Soviet agent. The exact circumstances of his execution are unknown. The Gestapo covered up his betrayal and reported his death as having given his life for the Führer and the Reich. Lehmann's wife, Margaret, was unaware of the circumstances surrounding his death until after the war.

Wilhelm Lehmann's collaboration with Soviet intelligence provided valuable information about German military preparations and counterintelligence activities. His courage and sacrifice in aiding the Soviet Union's fight against Nazi Germany deserve recognition.