Felix A. Sommerfeld facts for kids

Felix A. Sommerfeld was a German spy who worked in Mexico and the United States from 1908 to 1919. He was the head of Mexico's secret service under President Francisco I. Madero. Later, he helped buy weapons for leaders like Venustiano Carranza and Pancho Villa. He also played a role in Germany's war plans in North America during World War I.

Early Life and Adventures

Felix A. Sommerfeld was born on May 28, 1879, in a town called Schneidemühl, which was then part of Prussia in Germany. He grew up in a middle-class family.

After high school, Sommerfeld started studying to become a mining engineer in Berlin. But he stopped his studies and traveled to the United States in 1898 to visit his brother. When the Spanish–American War started, the 19-year-old joined the army. However, he left a few months later.

In 1900, Sommerfeld joined the German army and went to China. He helped put down the Boxer Rebellion there, working as a "Meldereiter," which means a horse messenger. He returned in 1901 and finished his mining engineering studies. In 1902, he came back to the United States.

After a short stay with his brother in Chicago, Sommerfeld went west to look for minerals. He worked in Arizona and parts of Mexico until 1905, when he returned to Chicago without any money. We don't know much about what he did between 1906 and 1908. It's possible he went back to Germany and got training as a spy.

Spy in Mexico

In 1908, Sommerfeld appeared in Chihuahua, Mexico. He said he was working as a mining engineer, but he was secretly gathering information for the German government. Chihuahua was a place where many people wanted change. Sommerfeld tried to learn all he could about the movement against President Porfirio Díaz, which was led by Francisco I. Madero.

In 1910, after unfair elections, the Mexican Revolution began. Sommerfeld seemed to work for AP News, but he regularly sent secret reports to the German government.

Working for President Madero

In May 1911, Madero's supporters won and overthrew President Díaz. Sommerfeld joined the new president's team. First, he was a personal assistant, and then he became the head of Mexico's secret service. He worked under Madero's brother, Gustavo A. Madero.

Sommerfeld helped stop the Orozco uprising in 1912. During this time, he led a very large spy group that operated in the U.S. This group included Mexican-Americans, Mexicans living outside Mexico, and other German agents. It also included famous soldiers of fortune like Sam Dreben and Emil Lewis Holmdahl.

After Madero's Death

In 1913, Madero was overthrown and killed by Victoriano Huerta. Sommerfeld left Mexico with help from the German ambassador, Paul von Hintze. He went to Washington, D.C., where he received money from a lawyer named Sherburne Hopkins. Sommerfeld then joined the rebel movement that wanted to overthrow Huerta.

Venustiano Carranza, the governor of Coahuila, started the Constitutionalist movement against Huerta. He sent Sommerfeld to El Paso and San Antonio to get weapons for the rebels. Getting weapons was very important for their success. Sommerfeld also helped Carranza talk with the U.S. government.

With Pancho Villa

In 1914, Sommerfeld started working closely with General Pancho Villa, a leader of the Constitutionalist Army. After Huerta was defeated in July 1914, Villa and Carranza had a disagreement, and a civil war started among the winners. Sommerfeld stayed with Villa and became his main weapon buyer in the U.S.

Sommerfeld also tried to convince the U.S. government to officially recognize Villa. This job brought Sommerfeld close to General Hugh L. Scott and U.S. Secretary of War, Lindley Miller Garrison. He often helped them when American citizens faced problems in Mexico.

When World War I began in August 1914, Sommerfeld moved to New York. He said he was representing Pancho Villa, but he was actually working for a German naval officer named Karl Boy-Ed. Sommerfeld knew a lot about Mexico. He helped the German government sell weapons and ammunition they had bought, so these supplies wouldn't fall into enemy hands. He also knew a lot about U.S. weapons factories. His reports greatly influenced Germany's war plans against the United States.

In 1915, Sommerfeld sent many weapons to Pancho Villa, worth about $340,000 (which would be about $7 million today). Even with many weapons, Villa was defeated by General Álvaro Obregón in battles in Mexico, especially the Battle of Celaya in 1915. Villa's large army, which often used cavalry charges, lost to Obregón's better plans, which included using trenches and machine guns. Villa's army was broken, and he became a guerrilla leader instead of a general.

In March 1916, Villa and a small group of men attacked the city of Columbus, New Mexico. This attack caused deaths and led the U.S. to send General John J. Pershing on a mission to capture Villa. This mission was not successful. Sommerfeld had suggested to the German government in May 1915 that he could create an event that would cause a war between the U.S. and Mexico. Because of this, he became a main suspect in Villa's attack on Columbus. However, no one has ever been able to prove that Sommerfeld was involved.

Later Life

In June 1918, Sommerfeld was held in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, because he was seen as an enemy foreigner during the war. He was released in 1919. Records show he made a few trips back and forth to Mexico in the 1920s and 1930s. The German agent then disappeared in the 1930s. However, he was seen in 1942 at age 63 in New York City. After that, his exact location is unknown.

See also

In Spanish: Felix A. Sommerfeld para niños