The German Ethnic Group in Romania and the Special Intelligence Service (1940-1944) Cover Image

Grupul Etnic German din România și Serviciul Special de Informaţii (1940-1944)
The German Ethnic Group in Romania and the Special Intelligence Service (1940-1944)

Author(s): Ottmar Trașcă
Subject(s): History, Diplomatic history, Ethnohistory, Political history, WW II and following years (1940 - 1949)
Published by: Editura Academiei Române
Keywords: German Ethnic Group; Romania; Third Reich; Național-Socialism; Romanian Secret Service;

Summary/Abstract: One can safely state that the «Andreas Schmidt era» (1940-1944) could be considered one of the most difficult periods of the history of the German minority in Romania. From the very beginning, the activity of Nazi controlled organization entitled the German Ethnic Group in Romania and its leader (Andreas Schmidt) was perceived by the Romanian authorities with suspicion and concern. This concern was legitimate since the aggressive policies of the leadership of the German Ethnic Group in Romania let to increasing tensions between the latter, on one side, and the Romanian authorities and the Romanian local population in mixed Romanian-German communities, on the other side. Consequently, the Special Intelligence Service (Serviciul Special de Informaţii, one of the Romanian secret services in the interwar period), the intelligence service of the Romanian army (entitled in Romanian: Secţia a II-a Informaţii a Marelui Stat Major), the General Inspectorate of the Gendarmerie, and the General Directorate of the Police kept under close surveillance the hostile activities of the German Ethnic Group towards the Romanian state. The reports of these aforementioned intelligence institutions emphasized the totalitarian character of the German Ethnic Group in Romania and illustrates how this Nazi controlled organization turned under the leadership of Andreas Schmidt into an effective tool of the Third Reich in South Eastern Europe.

  • Issue Year: LXII/2023
  • Issue No: 62
  • Page Range: 267-286
  • Page Count: 20
  • Language: English, Romanian