HQ1 Polindep Unit

Discussion in 'Top Secret' started by Miggy, Nov 1, 2011.

  1. Miggy

    Miggy Junior Member

    Hello to everyone, I am new to this so please be kind!!!

    I am seeking any information on the above unit, within the Psychological Warfare Branch (PWB ) My grandfather A R John Oswald headed (we believe) a team in Algiers, Rome & Florence in and around 1943 -45. His team were foreign nationals of different origins . I am told that one of his team was a noble German lady whose husband was a German officer. His addresses were 1 BNAF & CMF. He was classed as an officer (he was allowed to censor his own mail) we believe he was a civilian.
    That's about all I know.
    Any information would be gratefully accepted.
     
  2. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Hello, send Lee (PsyWar.Org) a message - He's quite clued up on this stuff.
     
  3. Miggy

    Miggy Junior Member

    Thanks for that Drew. I have already discoverd pyswar & have posted there & had a reply, just hoped someone else may have some info. on this theme. We have had a lot of 'dead ends' and have almost given up! Just grasping for straws now.
    Thanks
    Caroline
     
  4. fardels

    fardels Junior Member

    Hi Miggy / All,
    I can't shed any real light on your grandfather's past, alas, but I thought I'd chime in because it sounds as though my own grandfather may well have been part of the same unit. He was at HQ1 BNAF Polindep in Algiers in1944, then later HQ8 and HQ12 CMF in Italy. He was also a civilian, assimilated rank of 1st Lieutenant, attached to G2 (which I understand is Intelligence). We have a series of letters from him in which he mentions sharing a room with a Lt. Edwards from Bristol, and he seems to have had close contact with Americans, but that's about as much as he gives away. He too could censor his own letters. If you want to compare notes / frustrations, or you manage to find out any further information then do please let me know!
     
  5. PsyWar.Org

    PsyWar.Org Archive monkey

    What's been confusing me here is that I have not come across the "Polindep" abbreviation before. This obviously stands for "Political Intelligence Department" which itself causes more confusion.

    PWB/AFHQ was created out of both British and American civilian propaganda organisations. U.S. staff came from the Office of War Information and Office of Strategic Services. British staff came from the Political Warfare Executive and Ministry of Information.

    The Political Warfare Executive (PWE) often used the cover name of "Political Intelligence Department". There really was a Foreign Office department known as the Political Intelligence Department which also supplied staff to PWE. However, this was always abbreviated as PID and was a purely civilian organisation.

    PWB/AFHQ was a military organisation and did contain a political intelligence section. And I suspect that in this case "polindep" is referring to this subsection of PWB/AFHQ.

    (A few files are available at the National Archives which contain political intelligence reports created by PWB/AFHQ but nothing that I can find about the organisation of this subsection.)

    This is what the final report on PWB/AFHQ has to say about its political intelligence section:

    "In brief, headquarters of PWB included an Administrative Section, a Planning Board, a Political Intelligence Section and an Operations Section. Each included Americans and British, military and civilian; and because of the shortage of personnel there were many who doubled in function.

    "...The Intelligence and Operations heads were civilians from OSS and OWI, respectively.

    "The need for a well-organized Intelligence Section became at once apparent. It was the source of much of the material upon which the propaganda output through the Operations Section was based. Its function was of critical importance during the tense Darlan-Giraud phase.

    "Monitoring was also an important factor in the intelligence function. With improvised commercial receivers provided from British sources, and with inexperienced personnel, the monitoring section turned out daily digests of enemy broadcasts, providing the service for AFHQ as well as for background for propaganda and counter-propaganda output. It was not until the Federal Communications Commission provided an expert to organize this function, in January, 1943, that it was properly manned and equipped. The Army was unable to provide personnel for this work in its initial phases.

    "The Operations Section was responsible for the implementation and control of the various propaganda media, which included Radio, Press, Leaflets, Cinema and Displays."

    There was also an independent "Political Intelligence Centre" in the Middle East (Its war diaries are available at the National Archives as well as some of its archives). I don't know how this fits into the equation or whether it had any connection with PWB/AFHQ or PWE or the real PID.

    Told you it was confusing! ;)

    Lee
     
  6. PsyWar.Org

    PsyWar.Org Archive monkey

    OK I've been digging around my research papers for the last couple of hours, and I'm reasonably sure that POLINDEP is the mailbox address for the Political Warfare Executive's Middle East missions.

    Therefore POLINDEP stands for Political Intelligence Department, i.e. referring to the cover name of PWE.

    Miggy and Fardels, your best bet is to contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office asking for any personal file or pension records they may have related to your relatives service with the Political Warfare Executive.

    Incidentally PWB/AFHQ correspondence is usually addressed to APO 512.
     
  7. fardels

    fardels Junior Member

    Just a quick Thank You for your efforts on this, Lee - I've sent you a couple of PMs but wanted to say thanks here too. Really interesting stuff. If I come across anything that can shed further light then I will of course post it here.
     

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