Summary 12 - Communist Opposition

Question 1

How successful was the Gestapo in targeting communist activity before the war?

Answer 1

The Gestapo were highly successful in targeting communist activity before the war.

Question 2

In 1941, how many underground cells did the KPD have operating in Berlin?

Answer 2

89

Question 3

How did the KPD underground cells try and gain support?

Answer 3

They tried to distribute leaflets in order to try and gain support.

Question 4

Give two examples of places, other than Berlin, where the KPD operated underground cells?

Answer 4

Mannheim
Hamburg

Question 5

What was the most significant factor which meant that the KPD could not gain support?

Answer 5

After 1941, Germany’s main enemy was Russia.

Question 6

What was the ‘Red Orchestra?’

Answer 6

The ‘Red Orchestra’ was not a unified front but rather a collection of different resistance movements united by the sole desire to remove Hitler as the Fuhrer of Germany.

Question 7

How many people were in the units which made up the ‘Red Orchestra’ movement?

Answer 7

It is probable that there were no more than 100 people in the units involved.

Question 8

What were the three different units of the ‘Red Orchestra?’

Answer 8

The Trepper Unit
The ‘Red Three’
The Schulze-Boysen/Harnack Group

Question 9

Where were each of the units of the ‘Red Orchestra’ based?

Answer 9

• The Trepper Unit was based in Germany, France and Belgium.
• The ‘Red Three’ was based in Switzerland
• The Schulze-Boysen/Harnack group was based in Berlin

Question 10

What was the role of the Trepper Unit?

Answer 10

The Trepper unit gathered intelligence about the Nazi’s military power in Western Europe.

Question 11

How successful were the Trepper Unit in gathering intelligence about the Nazis military power in Western Europe?

Answer 11

They were very successful at finding out about troop deployment and even new tank designs.

Question 12

Who was the Schulze-Boysen/Harnack group formed by?

Answer 12

The Schulze-Boysen/Harnack group was formed by a Luftwaffe officer, Harro Schulze-Boysen.
He had opposed Hitler for a long time but joined the Luftwaffe and the Nazi Party in 1937 to further increase his cover.

Question 13

Why were the Schulze-Boysen/Harnack group extremely useful to the Allies?

Answer 13

They gave intelligence findings to the US embassy in Berlin.

Question 14

Both the Trepper Unit and the Schulze-Boysen/Harnack Group had been wiped out by which year?

Answer 14

1942

Question 15

Why was the ‘Red Three’ outside of the jurisdiction of the German intelligence service?

Answer 15

They were based in Switzerland

Question 16

Who was the leader of the ‘Red Three?’

Answer 16

It was headed by a communist called Alexander Rado.

Question 17

How useful was the ‘Red Three’ to the Allies?

Answer 17

They provided the Allies with a large volume of useful intelligence.

Question 18

When did the entire communist resistance unite under the leadership of William Knochelbut?

Answer 18

In 1942

Question 19

When did the Gestapo wipe out many of the cells?

Answer 19

Many of the cells were infiltrated and wiped out by 1942-43.

Question 20

By the end of 1943, how many cells in Berlin had been wiped out by the Gestapo?

Answer 20

22