Author Topic: Revealed: secrets Scots traitor gave Stalin that turned the tide of war (Read 432 times)

KG45 · « **on:** April 17, 2005, 05:52:37 PM »

Revealed: secrets Scots traitor gave Stalin that turned the tide of war

MURDO MACLEOD

IT IS one of the greatest spy mysteries of all time.

What did a Scottish member of the notorious Cambridge Spy Ring tell the Soviet Union that enabled them to win the biggest tank battle of the Second World War and help change the course of history?

Although it has been known for years that John Cairncross passed on top-secret information during the war, only the Soviets knew the details of how he helped to spike Hitler’s guns.

But today Scotland on Sunday can reveal precisely what the Scottish graduate of Glasgow University and Trinity College, Cambridge, told the Soviets about new German weapons and how it had a vital impact on the outcome of the war.

Cairncross had access to top-secret Allied intelligence intercepts of German radio traffic which - in a treasonable breach of security - he passed direct to the Soviet High Command.

His information, taken from Enigma machine codebreakers at Bletchley Park, tipped off the Russians about new German tanks and formations for the forthcoming Battle of Kursk, the biggest tank battle in history. MORE>>> http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=406892005

i think the impact of the intelligence is overstated. at the time of the Kursk battle, the tide had turned against the wehrmacht, and they were no longer the superior force on the eastern front. the nazis faced a well prepared anti-tank defense in depth and no longer held local air superiority. the offensive was doomed to failure.

Angus · « **Reply #1 on:** April 18, 2005, 04:26:02 AM »

Aye, but never trust the McLeods

scott123 · « **Reply #2 on:** April 18, 2005, 08:33:28 AM »

O'club

Wotan · « **Reply #3 on:** April 19, 2005, 04:08:17 PM »

The German Military was riddled with 'spies'.

From those in the Abwehr like Admiral Canaris who directly aided the British to the Soviet Spy 'ring' 'Red Orchestra'.

Those 'codebreakers at Bletchley Park' were aided greatly by 'human' intelligence as were the Soviets.

The German build up just prior to Kursk would have hardly gone unnoticed by the Soviets and would have been an obvious target for a German counter-offensive. The type of attack itself would not have been a mystery either given the Soviet experience with the German's 'style' over the previous years.

I doubt that what ever information the 'Cambridge Spy Ring' and Mr. John Cairncross passed to the Soviets 'enabled them to win the biggest tank battle of the Second World War' on it's own or that it was significant in any way.

The Soviets, even through out the War, had one of the largest and most sophisticated 'intelligence services' ever known. Soviet agents had infiltrated not only the American and British government and militaries but had active agents through out the Third Reich.

I agree that the 'impact' of this single piece of intelligence is 'overstated' in the article above.

nirvana · « **Reply #4 on:** April 19, 2005, 04:59:17 PM »

Why Russia and not Great Britain?