Karl-Erich Kühlenthal facts for kids

Karl-Erich Kühlenthal was a German spy during World War II. He was one of the most important agents for the German intelligence service, known as the Abwehr, in Spain. Even though another person, Wilhelm Leissner, was officially in charge, Kühlenthal was highly favored by Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, who was the head of the Abwehr. Kühlenthal's reports were very popular in Berlin. However, some people, especially the British, thought he was easily tricked. They even believed he was "worse than useless" for passing on false information.

Kühlenthal was born in 1908 and passed away on October 25, 1975.

Karl-Erich Kühlenthal's Background

Karl-Erich Kühlenthal had a Jewish grandmother. This meant that, according to the rules of the time, he was considered a "Mischling" (a person of mixed heritage). However, in 1941, Admiral Canaris helped Kühlenthal get a special document. This document was called an Aryan certificate. It allowed him to continue his work despite his background.

Role in Operation Mincemeat

In 1943, a very important event happened involving Kühlenthal. The body of a man, who was supposedly a British officer named "Major William Martin", washed up on a beach in Spain. It looked like he might have been in a plane crash.

The Secret Documents

Kühlenthal believed he had found important secret documents on the body of "Major Martin". He thought these papers were real and contained valuable information. However, these documents were actually fake. The body itself was part of a clever trick.

A Clever Wartime Trick

This whole event was part of a secret plan called Operation Mincemeat. The goal of this operation was to trick the Germans. The Allies wanted the Germans to believe they planned to invade Greece and Sardinia. In reality, the Allies were planning to invade Sicily.

It is not fully clear if Kühlenthal was completely convinced by the fake documents. But he did pass them on to his bosses. His superiors believed the false information entirely. This shows how successful Operation Mincemeat was in fooling the German intelligence.