Number 184”—around the turn of the century, especially given the
Austrians’ superior network of more than 100 agents in Russia. Yet
those assets were severely diminished afterward, partly as a result
of budget cuts but also because of the long-term betrayal of Alfred
Redl. As a result, the Evidenzbüro remained ignorant of the full
scope of Russia’s rearmament program and incorrectly assessed the
mobilization of enemy troops on the eastern front in 1914.
In the area of signals intelligence, however, exceptional innova-
tion and proficiency were shown. Building on their prewar training,
the cryptanalysts led by Hermann Pokorny managed to break the
Russian and Italian codes early on, and by April 1917 this group
had expanded into a multisectional unit unofficially known as the
Dechiffrierdienst. During the war, most intelligence operations were
transferred to the Army High Command at Baden bei Wien, while a
skeletal staff remained in Vienna working under the original name.
Nearly all of the records of the Evidenzbüro were hurriedly destroyed
following its dissolution in 1918. See also FIGL, ANDREAS;
RONGE, MAXIMILIAN.– F –
FALLSCHIRMAGENT. An intelligence operative transported by
plane and dropped by parachute into a targeted area, a Fallschirm-
agent was a relatively common phenomenon during World War II.
Whereas missions involving Great Britain had to be abandoned after
June 1941, aerial insertion on the eastern front continued throughout
the war. Both the Abwehr and the Sicherheitsdienst (Security Ser-
vice) relied on special Luftwaffe squadrons such as those under the
command of Karl-Edmund Gartenfeld. Wearing a parachute dyed
dark brown, a Fallschirmagent made the jump at night, although the
vagaries of weather often caused disconcerting postponements. In
the latter stages of the war, reduced-size radios were developed and
eliminated the need for a separate parachute drop. See also KAMPF-
GESCHWADER 200.
FALSCHE FLAGGE. The German equivalent of the espionage expres-
sion “false flag,” a falsche (or fremde) Flagge refers to a deliberate
FALSCHE FLAGGE • 101