Erika Wendt

Erika Wendt , née Schwarze, (* 1917 in Stralsund ; † April 9, 2003 in Stockholm ) was a German secretary and spy for Sweden against Germany during the Second World War .

Life

Erika Wendt grew up in Schlawe (now Sławno in Poland), where her father was the editor of the local newspaper until it was closed by the Nazis. She studied Swedish in Greifswald and was then recruited by the German Abwehr . From January 1942 Wendt worked in Sweden as a secretary for Hans Wagner, the head of the Abwehr in Stockholm. She was recruited by Helmuth Ternberg for the Swedish secret service (C office) and obtained information about Gestapo agents in Sweden. Furthermore, in 1943 she had spied on a new German encryption code and a cryptosystem for the Swedish secret service. After Wendt was ordered to return to Germany, the Swedish secret service intervened and gave her a new identity; this measure saved Wendt from execution .

In her memoir " Kodnamn Onkel " (published in Swedish) Wendt describes her work as a spy. After the war she worked as a translator. Wendt was awarded a medal in Sweden in 1992 for her service during World War II.

literature

Erika Schwarze: Kodnamn Uncle Bonnier. Stockholm 1993, ISBN 91-0-055644-0
Daniel B. Roth: Hitler's Bridgehead in Sweden: The German Legation in Stockholm 1933-1945 , Volume 8 of Nordic History. LIT Verlag Münster 2009, ISBN 3-643-10346-8 ( available from Google Books)

Individual evidence

↑ Lennart Frick & Lars Rosander: Bakom Hemligstämpeln . Historiska Media, Stockholm 2004, ISBN 91-85057-11-8 , p. 120.
^ Daniel B. Roth: Hitler's bridgehead in Sweden: The German legation in Stockholm 1933-1945 , Volume 8 of Nordic history. P. 299
^ Wilhelm Agrell : Stockholm som spioncentral . Historiska Media, Stockholm 2006, p. 54.
↑ Lennart Frick & Lars Rosander: OFCOM hemligstämpeln . Historiska Media, Stockholm 2004, ISBN 91-85057-11-8 , p. 126.
↑ Blekinge läns tidning - Tyska Erika Wendt var Sveriges bästa spion ( Memento from April 11, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) on blt.se, accessed on: January 19, 2010 (Swedish)

personal data
SURNAME	Wendt, Erika
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Schwarze, Erika (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German secretary and spy for Sweden against Germany during the Second World War
DATE OF BIRTH	1917
PLACE OF BIRTH	Stralsund
DATE OF DEATH	April 9, 2003
Place of death	Stockholm

[1] Lennart Frick & Lars Rosander: Bakom Hemligstämpeln . Historiska Media, Stockholm 2004, ISBN 91-85057-11-8 , p. 120.

[2] Daniel B. Roth: Hitler's bridgehead in Sweden: The German legation in Stockholm 1933-1945 , Volume 8 of Nordic history. P. 299

[3] Wilhelm Agrell : Stockholm som spioncentral . Historiska Media, Stockholm 2006, p. 54.

[4] Lennart Frick & Lars Rosander: OFCOM hemligstämpeln . Historiska Media, Stockholm 2004, ISBN 91-85057-11-8 , p. 126.

[BLT-5] Blekinge läns tidning - Tyska Erika Wendt var Sveriges bästa spion ( Memento from April 11, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) on blt.se, accessed on: January 19, 2010 (Swedish)