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Karel Richard Richter (born 1912), originally a Czech citizen from the Sudetenland, in 1938, suddenly found himself a defacto German when the Sudetenland was appropriated by Nazi Germany. A seaman by trade, Karel abandoned ship with the declaration of war in 1939 but was eventually nabbed by the German authorities and thrown into prison.
After kicking his heels in prison for a few months, Karel was "encouraged" to take on an espionage mission to England for the German Intelligence Service (Abwehr) but, as with many of the 1940/41 spies, he was a lackluster agent.
During his training in Hamburg and the Hague, Richter bumped into another spy, Josef Jakobs, who was sent to Britain on 31 January 1941. Unlike Jakobs, who was to report on the weather in Britain, Richter had a very specific mission, to check on Wulf Schmidt, a German spy working out of Britain. The Germans suspected that Schmidt (known as Agent LEONHARD) had been turned into a double-agent by the British, which in fact he had, being known to the British as agent TATE.
So, in the early morning hours of May 12, 1941, Richter landed by parachute near London Colney, north of London.
After burying most of his gear upon landing, including his food, Karel hid in the wood near his landing site for several nights. Finally, on the evening of May 14, Karel snuck out of hiding and made his unsteady way to a nearby roadway. Walking down the road, he met a lorry driver, who asked him the way, since all road signs had been removed. Richter, stunned, was unable to help him.
The lorry driver moved on down the road and met War Reserve Constable Alec Scott. Scott gave the lorry driver directions, and as the lorry driver was pulling away he dropped a remark about the unhelpful foreigner down the road.
Scott investigated, found Richter, and arrested him when he was not satisfied with his explanation that he was hitch-hiking. Richter was found to be carrying forged documents and other suspicious items so the police handed him over to the Security Service.
After many hours of questioning, Richter admitted that he was a German spy and gave the Security Service full details of his mission. A search was also made of the field where he landed and other items such as a radio transmitter, torch and automatic pistol were found.
Karel's career as a spy was over and the next day he was taken to MI5's Camp 020 for prolonged interrogation.
MI5 account of the capture of Karel Richter
Photograph howing search of field for equipment buried by Richter before his capture
Karel was eventually charged under the Treachery Act, tried by a civil court and found guilty. He was hanged at Wandsworth Prison on Dec 10, 1941.
After kicking his heels in prison for a few months, Karel was "encouraged" to take on an espionage mission to England for the German Intelligence Service (Abwehr) but, as with many of the 1940/41 spies, he was a lackluster agent.
During his training in Hamburg and the Hague, Richter bumped into another spy, Josef Jakobs, who was sent to Britain on 31 January 1941. Unlike Jakobs, who was to report on the weather in Britain, Richter had a very specific mission, to check on Wulf Schmidt, a German spy working out of Britain. The Germans suspected that Schmidt (known as Agent LEONHARD) had been turned into a double-agent by the British, which in fact he had, being known to the British as agent TATE.
So, in the early morning hours of May 12, 1941, Richter landed by parachute near London Colney, north of London.
After burying most of his gear upon landing, including his food, Karel hid in the wood near his landing site for several nights. Finally, on the evening of May 14, Karel snuck out of hiding and made his unsteady way to a nearby roadway. Walking down the road, he met a lorry driver, who asked him the way, since all road signs had been removed. Richter, stunned, was unable to help him.
The lorry driver moved on down the road and met War Reserve Constable Alec Scott. Scott gave the lorry driver directions, and as the lorry driver was pulling away he dropped a remark about the unhelpful foreigner down the road.
Scott investigated, found Richter, and arrested him when he was not satisfied with his explanation that he was hitch-hiking. Richter was found to be carrying forged documents and other suspicious items so the police handed him over to the Security Service.
After many hours of questioning, Richter admitted that he was a German spy and gave the Security Service full details of his mission. A search was also made of the field where he landed and other items such as a radio transmitter, torch and automatic pistol were found.
Karel's career as a spy was over and the next day he was taken to MI5's Camp 020 for prolonged interrogation.
MI5 account of the capture of Karel Richter
Photograph howing search of field for equipment buried by Richter before his capture
Karel was eventually charged under the Treachery Act, tried by a civil court and found guilty. He was hanged at Wandsworth Prison on Dec 10, 1941.
