Riccus, Walter Die Institution der Marineattachés. Deutsche Marineattachés von Beginn bis 1945

This publication focuses on the biographies of 112 people who themselves acted as naval attachés, aides to the attaché, under the attaché's cover, as organisers of the attaché's work or as decision-makers. Among them are Norbert von Baumbach, who held this office in the Soviet Union, Karl Boy-Ed, who held it in the USA, Wilhelm Widenmann, who held it in England, and Wolfram von Knorr, who held it in Japan. But also the aides Wilhelm Canaris, who served in Spain, and Ernst von Weizsäcker, who served in the Netherlands, are named.

The list of naval attachés is almost completely biographically edited. Those who had to leave the host country as persona non grata are also named. Theodor Arps, as head of the naval intelligence service, August von Heeringen in his position as head of the intelligence office in the Reichsmarineamt, as well as Alfred von Kiderlen-Waechter, who played a major role in drawing up the guidelines, are among those who were active in decision-making areas. Alexander Cellarius, who worked disguised as an aide for the Foreign Office/Defence, and Rolf Rüggeberg as their agent in Spain are also presented. These individual accounts fill in numerous gaps in the work of the institution, but also reduce legends to absurdity. They also allow certain conclusions to be drawn today about political, operational and military-historical contexts. They are supplemented by a list of all countries of operation and the persons who were active there. A brief outline of the historical development of the institution at the beginning and preceding the biographies should help to shed light on the objectives, the interrelationships and the personal origins of the actors. The social circles from which the personnel were recruited and how these origins refracted in the various power-political constellations of the time are likely to be of new value here. Without exception, all naval attachés were proud naval personnel and only very few allowed themselves to be "captured" by nationalism and racial ideology. The exact designation of the naval attachés working at the foreign missions caused some trouble at first. They performed services for the imperial navy and were at the same time integrated into the diplomatic structures of the Foreign Office. The instructions for conduct came from the Foreign Office, initially influenced by Imperial Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. A fixed budget was established at the naval authority. The 99-day Emperor Frederick III decided in 1888 to designate them as Marineattachés. The actions of the institution of naval attachés and the people who worked here remain largely obscure to this day. It is true that the framework conditions have been researched to some extent. But we have only limited knowledge about the origins, motivation, interests and social ties of those involved. This is partly due to the destruction of documents through the effects of war. But it was also in the nature of things that records of this institution were deliberately withheld from the public or even allowed to disappear.