Colonel Alfred Redl was chief of intelligence for Austro-Hungary at the beginning of the 20th century. He also was a double-agent for Russia, France and Italy. There is a direct connection between his actions and the start of World War I. This article is his story.
Background
Alfred Redl was born on 14 March 1864 in what is now Lviv, Ukraine1 2. His family wasn’t well off, but he still learnt many languages and was well-travelled1 2. His aptitude and skills meant he gained a commission in the army, working for counter-intelligence from 19001.
In 1907 he became the chief of intelligence for the Austrian army1.
In 1912 he followed his mentor, General von Giesl, to a posting in Prague, as his chief of staff1 2.
Spy
Between 1902 and 19072, he became a double agent working for Russia in Austria-Hungary1. This was not because of some misplaced loyalty; the Russians blackmailed Redl with his homosexuality2 3. Redl knew that he would never advance in the army, especially since the Russians also had photos of him with his lovers3. Over the course of the next 8 years he provided tsarist Russia with1 2 3:
- Names of Austrian agents in Russia
- Plans of fortresses and fortifications
- Codes and ciphers
- Letters
- Maps
- Photos
- Army orders and mobilisation plans.
- Reports on transport infrastructure
- Information about war preparations against Italy
While doing this, he hid his tracks well. Redl developed a fierce reputation for counter-intelligence by “finding” many low-level Russian agents1.
World War I
In 1908, he leaked information about Austria-Hungary’s plans to annex Bosnia-Herzegovina. This motivated Russia to sign a defensive treaty with Serbia3.
If Russia hadn’t had that treaty in place, then it would not have come to Serbia’s defense when Austria-Hungary declared war over the assassination of the Arch-Duke Franz Ferdinand. Without Russia, European alliances would have still kicked in but at a much later stage, and certainly nowhere near the global conflict which we ended up having.
Franz Ferdinand lived close to Prague at Konopište castle.
In total, Redl was responsible for the death of 500 000 Austrian soldiers at the beginning of the war3.
Capture
In March 1913, two envelopes containing a huge amount of cash arrived in Vienna1 addressed to a non-existant person2 3. Riedl’s successor as chief of intelligence, Maximillien Ronge, investigated the money1. Postmarks showed it came from French and Russian operatives in other countries1.
Ronge made sure to trace the envelopes.
On Saturday 24 May Redl set off from Prague to Vienna in a luxurious Daimler car he had purchased a few years before3. This car cost CZK 18 000, which was about 2 years’ salary3. He arrived in Vienna and went straight to the Klomser hotel where he claimed the money3. Ronge arrested him on the spot1.
Redl confessed his treason, admitting to spying for Russia and France1. The military had been aware of leaks for years, but no one suspected their Chief of Intelligence3.
After questioning, the interrogators left him with his service revolver1 and a suggestion to use it3.
After his death
His servant found him on Sunday morning covered in blood, lying on a chaise longe3. Czech news sources speculated that he drove himself to suicide by working too hard3. The authorities started to make plans for an elaborate military funeral in Vienna, but then dropped the plans after a few days3.
Prague-based investigative journalist Egon Kisch started looking into the story2 3. He spoke to a locksmith acquaintance of his who admitted helping Austrian military espionage to open the door to Redl’s apartment3. Investigators found incriminating evidence in Redl’s luxury apartment on Malostranské náměstí (The Lesser town square). This included military documents marked as top secret.
Kisch’s reported the whole story, exposing Austrian military shortcomings.
It was not enough to make a difference.
- Redl; Encyclopedia Brittanica; 2022-05-21[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
- Redl, Alfred; German Biography; (Article retrieved 2023-01-04) (Article in German) [↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
- Ruský špion v Praze plukovník Redl se zastřelil; tyden.cz; 2013-05-27 (Article in Czech) [↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]