Is Shtennes a secret agent or a German patriot?
Events with the participation of secret agents are rarely discussed in society, so interest in their amazing life on the part of the inhabitants is always high. Information about such people is very significant for the sovereigns, and its publication attracts scandalous reaction, therefore even the state in which a foreign agent is identified and arrested does not always try to disclose all information about him. One of these personalities, the data about which is still not much, is Walter Stennes. A German figure was born in the mid-nineties of the nineteenth century in an intelligent family of a low-ranking official and, according to some sources, had family ties with Heinrich Brunning. Practically nothing is known about his early childhood and youth in Russia. However, it should be said that this man had a good education, an imperious and strong character, a sharp sharp mind and strong political convictions. It was precisely because of the refusal to take the side of Adolf Hitler that Shtennes had to leave his native country and stay abroad for a long time, cooperating with foreign special services.
In his youth, he graduated from the Prussian cadet corps and a junior officer went to the front. An enterprising and desperate youth quickly gained fame as “daredevils.” Despite the many merit and awards, Shtennes quickly received the label of "uncomfortable" subordinate. Often he turned out to be more far-sighted and smarter than his bosses, therefore, they only caused hostility and outright fear. However, after returning to Germany in 1919, Stennes was invited to the security police to create a special unit. A year later, an organized motorized special squad operated in Berlin, distinguished by consistency of actions and unquestioning obedience to their leader. The leadership qualities of Stennes were highly appreciated by von Pressdorf and von Vatter. The management entrusted him with the most difficult and responsible tasks. For all history Stennes had no service failures, he always accurately counted and verified his actions, as a result of which he was one of the most influential figures of that time.
Stennes was primarily a politician, moreover, opposition to the views of Hitler. His beliefs emerged in the war years, when he joined the ranks of the revolutionaries and became acquainted with the future powerful Goering. His first political activity is related to the Volunteer Corps. The firm views on fair power and the need for the country's revolutionary transformations have been preserved by this man for many years of his forced emigration. Strange as it may seem in relation to a man who was an agent of Soviet intelligence, Shtennes was a patriot of his country. Relations with Hitler did not work out right from the start. Shtennes was a man of vision and intelligence, the behavior and views of the leader of fascism immediately aroused his aversion. Even in the ranks of the NSDAP such an influential person joined late. He refused to participate in the 1923 putsch, however, he retained his authority in the country's political arena. By his own admission, relations with the party were forced and Stenness did not see any other way out. Hitler drew an enormous amount of German youth into the ranks, while the people of the old imperial school were wary of the ideas of the new leader.
Especially sharp were the differences in views on the role of the SA in the life of the state. Already in the period of service under Goebbels, there were serious contradictions, the presence of which the latter has repeatedly mentioned in his diaries and memos. However, despite all the freedom of thought and expression, Stennes remained one of the most valuable cadres of the NSDAP. Both Goebbels and Hitler understood this very well. The higher echelons of the SA power were necessary as “kulaks” obedient to the will of the party, while Shtennes insistently positioned the attack aircraft as a political elite.
In the fall of 1931, Stennes attempted to organize a coup. In September, the attack aircraft, headed by their commander, went to storm the headquarters of the Nazi Party in order to shift the current government. The main demands of the rebels were to increase the financial support of the SA, which was in a humiliatingly disastrous state during this period. The attackers were still so strong that Hitler himself came to Berlin immediately and personally discussed this matter with Stennes. As a result, most of the demands were met, but the Nazi leader realized that the head of the SA was not just an “inconvenient” subordinate, but a dangerous rival in the political arena.
Stennes had his own, different from Hitler, point of view on the prospects for the development of the country. Particular controversies provoked discussions about how to come to power. In consequence, he more than once spoke in opposition to the ruling elite, but still remained in key posts. Why did this happen? The fact is that Stennes was irreplaceable, since he was greatly respected by the CA. After the attempted coup, Hitler drew in his place Stennes Rehm. The appointment turned out to be unsuccessful, since the position of the leader of the stormtroopers as a gay man was perceived by the rank and file as a personal insult. Capable and responsible Rem was not authoritative enough for the SA, so behind the scenes they continued to support Stennes.
In the spring of 1931, an armed clash was again attempted, which failed for a variety of reasons, one of which was a lack of funding and the lack of its own print organ. In addition, numerous young people supported Hitler’s policies, but Stennes did not want to fight his own people. However, even after the coup was suppressed, Shtennes was not only free, but still had political weight. Nevertheless, the situation escalated until the 1932 year. Hitler was well aware that it was unwise to leave such an influential opponent, therefore, at the first opportunity he ordered his arrest. The arrest was preceded by a long provocative activity in the press on both sides. Information war Shtennes lost due to lack of funds.
He helped the future prisoner leader of the brown army, his influential friend Goering, by organizing a trip to China. Stennes was greeted very favorably and determined by the head of the personal security unit Chiang Kai-shek. In the period of Japanese aggression, he began to be charged with reconnaissance operations. The skills of Stennes turned out to be in demand in a distant eastern country, and he successfully carried out various assignments of national importance, including secret ones. Thanks to the developed agents, as well as the accumulated experience, the German rather quickly gained not only a favor in government Chinese circles, but was also able to establish certain ties with Soviet intelligence.
The published facts of assistance from a member of the highest echelon of the power of fascist Germany to the Soviet intelligence services were shocking news. However, in the press, the figure of Stennes is equated with a spy or secret agent, which he never really was. There was no re-recruitment, because during the whole period of cooperation, Shtennes pursued only one single goal: the overthrow of the fascist regime and the restoration of an independent Germany. Shtennes willingly and completely free of charge shared with the Soviet Union information about the peculiarities of the relations between Japan and Germany, and also made reasonable assumptions about the timing of the offensive of the German army and the likelihood of opening the eastern front. Nevertheless, Soviet intelligence came up against a firm refusal to cooperate against the interests of Germany after the end of the war and the overthrow of the Fuhrer.
The amazing life of this worthy man, who dared to openly confront the Third Reich, ended in the ninety-third year of his life in his Westphalian homeland. The political opponent of fascism outlasted both Hitler and Goebbels and many other powerful rivals. He never betrayed his fatherland and believed that the USSR and China would be the best political allies for the Germans. Many of the statements of this person are relevant today. We will not argue that the personality of Walter Stennes is very ambiguous, and it is possible to evaluate his activity from various points of view. In the context of this article is given only one of them, the most popular. Each of us will be useful to think about the role of this person, both for Germany and for China and the USSR. The author only proposes to do this.
Walter Stennes. "Friend" against Hitler
He is a former ally of Hitler, the national hero of Germany, the commander of the Ost assault detachments (shadow army in Versailles Germany), a personal friend of Goering and Goebbels. Because of his ambitions, Stennes quarreled with Hitler, escaped by the Gestapo miraculously, was forced to leave for the Far East, became an adviser to Chiang Kai-shek, then miraculously escaped arrest and death at the hands of the Japanese. Consciously, due to personal motives, I went to cooperate with Soviet foreign intelligence.
He is a former ally of Hitler, the national hero of Germany, the commander of the Ost assault detachments (shadow army in Versailles Germany), a personal friend of Goering and Goebbels. Because of his ambitions, Stennes quarreled with Hitler, escaped by the Gestapo miraculously, was forced to leave for the Far East, became an adviser to Chiang Kai-shek, then miraculously escaped arrest and death at the hands of the Japanese. Consciously, due to personal motives, I went to cooperate with Soviet foreign intelligence.
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