Georgians and the “Abwehr” - Representatives of Georgian Émigrés and the “Abwehr”

 

Tengiz Simashvili
Published: 2024 - Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University.
In the proceedings of the International Conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Akaki Chirakadze’s birth.

Representatives of Georgian Émigrés and the “Abwehr”
(Based on Documents Preserved in the Ministry of Internal Affairs Archives)

 

 

During the Second World War, part of the Georgian émigrés actively cooperated with various branches of the German army (Wehrmacht). It is well known that the German army’s military intelligence and counterintelligence service, the Abwehr, trained and dispatched various sabotage groups into the territory of Georgia. Among the most notable were the intelligence and sabotage units “Tamara I” and “Tamara II,” which were composed of Georgian émigrés, Germans, as well as so-called “volunteers”—former Soviet prisoners of war.

Comparatively less is known about the activities and fate of the intelligence and sabotage groups trained by the naval intelligence branch of the Abwehr—Nachrichtenbeobachter (abbreviated NBO)—in the intelligence–sabotage camp at Simferopol in 1942–1943, and later parachuted into Georgia. The Nachrichtenbeobachter was the naval intelligence division of the Abwehr, subordinated to the High Command of the Wehrmacht. It was established in late 1941–early 1942 in Berlin. This naval intelligence unit directly reported to the Abwehr’s “Foreign Department” and was attached to Admiral Schuster’s staff, who commanded the German naval forces stationed in the South-Eastern Basin. Initially, it was dispatched to Kerch, and until October 1943 it was located in Simferopol, at the address “Sevastopolskaya Street No. 6.”

The archival materials preserve interrogation protocols of captured members of the intelligence–sabotage groups sent into Georgia by the Nachrichtenbeobachter, together with the documents confiscated from them at the time of arrest and other materials. The analysis of these archival documents provides very valuable insight into the activities of the Georgian émigrés and allows for a deeper study and reassessment of this historical period.

The impetus for this research was a piece of oral tradition preserved among the population of Telavi: in the eastern part of the city, near the park known as “Nadikvari,” on a place called “Gigo’s Hill”—where in the 1920s the Soviet authorities executed those considered undesirable—one of the members of a German parachute group was executed in 1943. The history of this five-man German “parachute detachment” dropped in Kakheti has already been published by us and is also referenced in this article.

As established during our research, on 13 May 1943, on “Gigo’s Hill,” one of the German parachutists, Giorgi Samsonis dze Chirakadze, was executed. Chirakadze and the members of his five-man group had been dropped into Georgia by the aforementioned naval intelligence service of the German army, the so-called Nachrichtenbeobachter. Until the end of 1943 this unit was assigned the field post number 47585, as is confirmed by our research materials. The members of Giorgi Chirakadze’s group carried documents issued by the Nachrichtenbeobachter with this very field post number.

Alongside other intelligence activities, this unit also recruited volunteers from among Soviet prisoners of war, who underwent special training in Simferopol and in nearby schools and training grounds. After training, the agents were deployed in groups of three to four “to work” behind the lines of the Red Army. They were parachuted in, or sent by land or sea routes. Typically, each group included a radio operator equipped with a portable transmitter. Communication with the agents was maintained through the radio stations in Kerch, Simferopol, and Anapa.

Our research has revealed that this naval intelligence unit—the Nachrichtenbeobachter—had dispatched several dozen groups into the territory of Georgia. Information on these groups, sent by the NBO and other Abwehr divisions, is also found in the correspondence between the leadership of the Georgian SSR and the People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVD) of the Georgian SSR.

For example, on 8 August 1942 the NKVD of the Georgian SSR wrote to Charkviani, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Georgian SSR:
“We inform you that on 8 May 1942 we arrested an enemy parachutist–scout. Other individuals trained by the Germans are in Simferopol. One hundred and fifty men are prepared for airdrop, the majority of them Armenians. They intend to parachute them in groups of four from the Black Sea starting on the evening of 7 May, equipped with radios and weapons. Their task is to prepare landing sites for aircraft, train cadres for uprisings, and carry out acts of sabotage.”

In the same report, we read:
“On 10 September, in the Tsalenjikha district, a German parachutist–saboteur who had been dropped on 7 September was killed. The dead man resembled a Georgian, but had no documents. In the Tskaltubo district, another German parachutist was killed; he had a soldier’s ID card in the name of Grüneis Alfons, born in 1921, resident of Königsberg. Previously, a German named Eduard had also been killed.”

On 5–6 September 1942, a German parachute landing occurred in Chiatura, where three parachutes and weapons were discovered. It was also noted that two individuals, Gogolashvili and Laitidze, reported themselves to the local NKVD branch; they belonged to a group parachuted in on 17 August 1942.

It is noteworthy that one member of a group parachuted into Western Georgia was found to be carrying a “White George” medallion and small numbered breast daggers, the purpose of which remained unclear to the NKVD.

They spoke openly and sincerely believed that the German army would help them liberate Georgia from the Bolsheviks.

Similar information is preserved in the testimonies of members of Chiraqadze’s group. For example, Ebanoidze, a member of Chiraqadze’s group, stated in his testimony: “Chiraqadze said that after the occupation of Georgia, a government of ‘Independent Georgia’ would be created from among the emigrants.”

In the same testimony, we read: “The emigrant Chiraqadze told me, ‘Will you come with me to Georgia to work for its liberation?’”

According to the testimony of another member of Chiraqadze’s group, Phitskhelauri, after their arrival in Georgia, Giorgi Chiraqadze spoke with residents of villages near their landing site, telling them: “Georgia will be independent.”

In this respect, Durglishvili’s testimony is also of interest. In his words: “While in the POW camp, Chiraqadze often went to prisoners and said—our goal is, and must be, to prevent the Georgian people from perishing in these battles. We must assist the Georgian people in rising up against the local Soviets.”

Durglishvili also testified: “The Georgian emigrants demanded our help so that, after the overthrow of the Soviets in Georgia, independence could be declared.”

According to Durglishvili, in the POW camp they were often visited by emigrants Gogi (Giorgi) Chiraqadze and Leo Balarjishvili. Chiraqadze told him: “Brother, will you come with me?” To this, Durglishvili immediately agreed, since “dysentery and other diseases were spreading in the camp.”

Documents preserved in the materials indicate that this group, which was to be dropped into Kakheti, was originally intended to be four men, but on August 20, 1942, Chiraqadze added a fifth member to the “parachute group” — Batsatsashvili.

In his testimony, the arrested Batsatsashvili stated at one point: “I personally have a Red Army soldier’s booklet in the name of some emigrant’s brother, Shaliko Tsatsalashvili.” According to the documents, on August 20, 1942, Chiraqadze took Batsatsashvili—presented as the brother of his friend, the emigrant Niko (Nikoloz) Tsatsalashvili—out of the Simferopol POW camp and brought him to Yevpatoria. As it turned out, Batsatsashvili had passed himself off to Chiraqadze as the brother of Niko (Nikoloz) Tsatsalashvili in order to be released from the camp. Remarkably, the German naval intelligence service was also deceived, since when Batsatsashvili was later arrested in Georgia, he was found in possession of a forged Red Army soldier’s booklet issued by German intelligence in the name of Tsatsalashvili.

It is noteworthy that in his testimony, Ebanoidze began his account of Batsatsashvili with the words: “As for Batsatsashvili, under the pseudonym ‘Tsatsalashvili,’ he was brought to us twenty days later by the emigrant Chiraqadze.”

Ebanoidze’s testimony also stated: “The emigrant Tsatsalashvili had earlier parachuted with his group near Batumi. He had told Chiraqadze that his brother was in captivity. Batsatsashvili learned this and memorized Tsatsalashvili’s name and surname, passing himself off as Tsatsalashvili.”

In fact, Niko (Nikoloz) Tsatsalashvili’s group was not parachuted into Batumi; they were dropped in another location in western Georgia, where after several months they were arrested and executed. We were able to locate archival materials concerning the emigrant Niko (Nikoloz) Tsatsalashvili. In 1929, Tsatsalashvili had fled Georgia via the Turkish border and arrived in France. He was a poet, and his verses were published in the émigré press.

It is notable that in one archival case preserved in the Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, there is the testimony of former Red Army POW Gelovani, who stated that after his transfer from the POW camp to an intelligence school, the emigrant Niko Tsatsalashvili began visiting the trainees systematically. Gelovani also testified that Tsatsalashvili declared Germany would certainly win, and that he fought with great enthusiasm against the Soviet Union to take revenge on the Communists. Moreover, Tsatsalashvili read to the intelligence school trainees “counterrevolutionary poems about Cholokashvili and others. He said he had written these poems himself, that the Soviet system was a slavish regime, and that life under it was impossible.”

According to the materials, the commander of the German parachute unit that landed in the Ashroshani forest, in the area of the Gombori Pass in the Telavi district, was Giorgi Samson’s son Chirakadze (Chirakadze), born in Tbilisi in 1909. He adhered to the ideology of the Social-Democratic Party (Mensheviks). For several years, he worked as a collector (cash courier) on the Shorapani railway.

In his testimony, Chirakadze stated that in September 1930 he met his neighbors—Tariel Zhghenti and Valerian Glonti. During their conversation, it became clear that they intended to emigrate abroad through the territory of Adjara. He accompanied them, and after waiting for several days at the border, all three crossed into Turkey.

In Turkey, he met other people who had also illegally crossed from Georgia, among them those who had been dispatched to Georgia by the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Georgia in exile, and who had later returned. Among those he named were the brothers Shalva and Tite Berishvili. Chirakadze testified: “In 1930, in Istanbul, I met Georgian émigrés—Shalva Berishvili and Davit Erkomashvili. Shalva Berishvili told me that they had crossed the border into Guria district and operated in different parts of Georgia. On the orders of Noe Ramishvili, they established contact with the underground Menshevik organization in Georgia. … In conversation, Berishvili often mentioned the party nicknames ‘Moustache’ and ‘Beard,’ but I do not know who was meant under these pseudonyms.”

Regarding Tite Berishvili, the testimony further states: “Tite Berishvili went from Istanbul to France, and from there to Poland, where with the help of Noe Zhordania he received a stipend.”

Chirakadze and his companions, with the assistance of representatives of the government of the independent Republic of Georgia in exile, moved from Turkey to France. There he worked at the Renault automobile factory along with other Georgians: Severian Chirakadze, Gigo Zhordania, Shota Berezhiani, Mikheil Bakhtadze, Kolia Takaishvili, Sergo Matikashvili, and others.

On March 10, 1941, Mikheil Kedia visited him, having recruited workers for dispatch to Germany. Along with Chirakadze, Sandro Demetrashvili and Severian Urushadze joined. They were sent to Germany, where Chirakadze began working in an auto-repair workshop in Berlin.

In his testimony, Chirakadze noted that while in Germany he met Soso Guaramadze, who compiled a list of 15–20 Georgian émigrés. This list was submitted to the Naval Intelligence Department of the German Army General Staff, and in July 1941 Chirakadze was summoned to the Abwehr’s Naval Intelligence Section in Stettin.

He arrived in Stettin and, together with other Georgians, entered the Abwehr’s intelligence school of the Naval Intelligence Division, studying radio transmission. He was unable to complete the course because of poor hearing. His testimony is corroborated by that of his friend Niko (Nikoloz) Tsatsalashvili, who was also at the Stettin school. From the testimonies we have located, particularly those of Tsatsalashvili, it appears that émigrés such as Soso Guaramadze, Levan Balardjishvili, Mikheil Grigolashvili, Chochia, and others studied radio operations at the Abwehr’s school in Stettin.

In June 1942, Chirakadze was again summoned to the Naval Intelligence Department in Stettin, where he received the necessary documents and was sent to Simferopol, under the command of Captain Bode, head of the Abwehr’s Black Sea Basin Intelligence Department.

While in Simferopol, Chirakadze stated that he attempted to contact the leadership of the Social-Democratic Party (Mensheviks) in France. He even sent a letter to Valiko Intskirveli, a member of the party’s foreign bureau, informing him that he was being prepared for transfer to Georgia and asking for instructions on how to act in case of “deployment.” Valiko Intskirveli came to Simferopol and met with Chirakadze, but according to the latter, Intskirveli was unable to provide any practical assistance.

In his testimony, Chirakadze reported that on August 15, 1942, Intskirveli arrived in Simferopol and stayed with Sergo Khubulava. During the meeting, Intskirveli told him that the only person the Menshevik foreign bureau trusted in Georgia, and to whom Chirakadze could turn if deployed, was Chito (Christina Sharashidze). Only through her could he establish contact with the underground Central Committee of the Mensheviks in Georgia, which reportedly consisted of seven individuals—five members and two candidate members. To gain Sharashidze’s trust, Chirakadze was to mention the nicknames of committee members: “Beard,” “Moustache,” “White,” and others.

Chirakadze also spoke in his testimony about Sergo Khubulava, a former Social-Democrat who had been tried by the Soviet authorities. We located an archival file dated September 1945, preserved in the counterintelligence department of SMERSH (Soviet Military Counterintelligence) of the Soviet Army’s Occupation Group in Germany, concerning Sergo Khubulava.

The file states: “Sergo Khubulava lived in the occupied territory in Simferopol. He betrayed the Soviet homeland, being recruited by German intelligence ‘Nachrichtenbeobachter.’ He engaged in recruiting agents for this intelligence organ, to be deployed behind Red Army lines for reconnaissance assignments.”

Equally interesting are Khubulava’s testimonies, in which he names various individuals, including émigrés. Specifically, he acknowledged knowing that the “Georgian Legion” and “Bergmann” units were stationed in Crimea, and named Shalva Dadiani, Givi Gabliani, Gogi Maghalashvili, Mikheil Kedia, Mikheil Anjaparidze, and others.

In the same file is the testimony of Khojava, a former prisoner of war recruited by German naval intelligence, who indicated that his recruitment in the Simferopol POW camp was carried out by Apolon Oragvelidze and Sergo Khubulava.

Thus, as we see, the archival materials we have gathered contain highly interesting information about the collaboration of certain representatives of the Georgian émigré community with the structures of the German Army’s naval intelligence and counterintelligence organ—the Abwehr. We believe it is essential to continue research in this direction and to uncover additional materials that will shed light on previously unknown pages of the history of Georgian emigration.

1.     “German Paratroopers in Kakheti (Georgians in the Second World War)”, Works of the Faculty of Humanities and the Institute of Georgian History, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tengiz Simashvili, Vol. XVII, Tbilisi, 2021, pp. 247–285.

2.     Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 14, Inventory 16, Case 181, p. 3.

3.     Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 14, Inventory 16, Case 181, p. 5.

4.     Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 14, Inventory 16, Case 192, p. 10.

5.     Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 14, Inventory 16, Case 192, p. 11.

6.     Shchit – nadezhnyi, mech – ostryi: Chekisty Gruzii na strazhe zavoievanii Velikogo Oktiabria [The Shield is Reliable, the Sword is Sharp: The Chekists of Georgia Guarding the Achievements of the Great October], Tbilisi, Sabchota Sakartvelo, p. 109.

7.     Abkhazia in the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945). Dedicated to the 70th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, V. M. Pachulia, Sukhumi, 2015, pp. 109–111.

8.     Abkhazia in the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945). Dedicated to the 70th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, V. M. Pachulia, Sukhumi, 2015, pp. 109–111.

9.     Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 8.

10.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 236.

11.  “German Paratroopers in Kakheti (Georgians in the Second World War)”, Works of the Faculty of Humanities and the Institute of Georgian History, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tengiz Simashvili, Vol. XVII, Tbilisi, 2021, pp. 247–285.

12.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 197.

13.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 69.

14.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 75.

15.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 87.

16.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 268.

17.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 268.

18.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 268.

19.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 384.

20.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 385.

21.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 77.

22.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 79.

23.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/11301, Vol. 1, p. 6.

24.  Graves of individuals bearing these names are located in Leuville at the so-called “Georgian Cemetery.”

25.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 450.

26.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 459.

27.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 461.

28.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 455.

29.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 456.

30.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 456.

31.  Stettin (the modern Polish city Szczecin), until 1945 was a German port on the Baltic Sea. In December 1940, the Naval Intelligence Division of the military intelligence and counterintelligence organ (the Abwehr) established an intelligence school here. Reconnaissance saboteurs and radio operators were trained. Upon enrollment, agents were given pseudonyms and forged passports. The course lasted six months.

32.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/11301, Vol. 1, p. 41.

33.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 457.

34.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 458.

35.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 459.

36.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 42/1265, Vol. 1, p. 461.

37.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 45437.

38.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 45437, p. 3.

39.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 45437, p. 48.

40.  Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Fund 6, Case 45437, p. 49.