The Rooseboom operation: uncovering the embryonic German intelligence network in South Africa, 1940-1942

ABSTRACT

Germany desired to contact the wartime opposition in South Africa in order to obtain accurate political and military intelligence. The arrival of Hans Rooseboom in South Africa in 1940 provided the Ossewabrandwag (Oxwagon Sentinel), a quasi-cultural and anti-war movement, with the means through which to initiate two-way communication with Germany. The so-called Rooseboom secret service became the first German intelligence network to operate in South Africa during the early war years. This article investigates the nature and operation of the so-called Rooseboom secret service from 1941 to 1942 against the backdrop of the larger intelligence war waged in South Africa.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Katz, “A Case of Arrested Development,” 280–317.

2. Gaspard, “The Hidden Origins of Intelligence History,” 639–641.

3. Watt, “Intelligence and the historian,” 204.

4. See for instance Spaarwater, A Spook’s Progress; Shaik, The ANC Spy Bible; and Barnard, Secret Revolution.

5. O’Brien, The South African Intelligence Services; and Pheiffer, “The strategic and political influence.”

6. See note 3 above.

7. Fedorowich, “German Espionage and British Counter-Intelligence,” 209–230.

8. Harrison, “On Secret Service for the Duce,” 1318–1349; Harrison, “British Radio Security and Intelligence,” 53–93; and Harrison, “Something Beautiful for ‘C’,” 185–202.

9. Furlong, “Allies at War?” 16–29; and Furlong, Between Crown and Swastika.

10. Shear, “Colonel Coetzee’s War,” 222–248.

11. Citino, Germany and the Union.

12. Hagemann, “Very Special Relations,” 127–147.

13. Schellack, “The Afrikaners’ Nazi Links,” 173–185.

14. Lawrence, Harry Lawrence.

15. Hinsley, et. al., British Intelligence in the Second World War (Volume 4), 295–298.

16. Kleynhans, “Documenting Afrikaner Fascism.”

17. Visser, OB: Traitors or Patriots?

18. Malherbe, Never a Dull Moment.

19. Marx, Oxwagon Sentinel; and Marx, “Dear Listeners in South Africa,” 148–172.

20. Strydom, Vir Volk en Führer.

21. Blake, Wit Terroriste; Blake, Robey Leibbrandt; and Blake, Afrikaner Sondebok?

22. Van Rensburg, Their Paths Crossed Mine; and Van Rensburg, Der Weisse Sündenbock.

23. Van der Schyff, Die Ossewa-Brandwag; Van der Schyff, Geskiedenis van die Ossewa-Brandwag; and Van der Schyff (ed.), Vuurtjie in Droë Gras.

24. Gaspard, “The Hidden Origins of Intelligence History,” 647.

25. OBA: Transcriptions/Recordings, Hans Rooseboom, undated; NARSA: JUS, 1621, Part 2, Report in connection with allegations against Dr Van Rensburg and other Ossewabrandwag Personnel, 13 May 1946.

26. Marx, Oxwagon Sentinel, 517–518. For more information on Radio Zeesen and its transmissions to South Africa during the war, see Marx, “Dear Listeners in South Africa,” 148–172. The Department of Defence Archives in Pretoria, South Africa also preserve a near complete collection of the Radio Zeesen broadcasts to South Africa. These can be found in the Zeesen Broadcasts WW II archival group, which consists of 15 archival boxes worth of documents, covering the period 1941–1945.

27. OBA: Transcriptions/Recordings, Hans Rooseboom, undated. The exact relationship between Rooseboom and the Afrikaans newspapers in question remains unclear. We may assume that he acted as an undercover, foreign correspondent of sorts for the nationalist inclined newspapers such as Die Transvaler and Die Burger among others.

28. Ibid.

29. ACA: PV18, File: 11/12, Crown vs Van Rensburg and Others, 1947.

30. OBA: Transcriptions/Recordings, Hans Rooseboom, undated; Fedorowich, “German Espionage and British Counter-Intelligence,” 223.

31. Rooseboom, Die Oorlog Trap My Vas.

32. See Radley and Radley, Twee Poorte, 51–159; Kleynhans, Hitler’s Spies, 30–38; and Rooseboom, Die Oorlog Trap My Vas, 132–160.

33. For a more detailed description of Hans Rooseboom’s journey back to South Africa, see Rooseboom, Die Oorlog Trap My Vas, 132–160.

34. OBA: Transcriptions/Recordings, Hans Rooseboom, undated.

35. Ibid.

36. Ibid.

37. Ibid.

38. For more on Werz see TNA: KV 2/202, Elferink, Lambertus. 152a – Copy of Interim Report on Werz, Luitpold, 31 October 1945; Kleynhans, Hitler’s Spies, 54–56; and Fedorowich, “German Espionage and British Counter-Intelligence,” 223–225.

39. For more a more contemporary view on wartime internment in South Africa see for instance Monama, “Wartime Propaganda in the Union”; and La Grange, “Die Impak van die Unie.”

40. see note 34 above.

41. Ibid

42. For more on the unrest at Baviaanspoort see Moore, “Unwanted Guests in Troubled Times,” 63–90; La Grange, “Die Impak van die Unie,” 125; Blake, Wit Terroriste, 62–64.

43. NARSA: JUS, 1621, Part 2, Report in connection with allegations against Dr Van Rensburg and other Ossewabrandwag Personnel, 13 May 1946.

44. TNA: KV 2/941, Rooseboom, Hans. 46a – Extract from CSDIC/WEA Final Report on Ahlrichs re Rooseboom, 4 February 1946.

45. see note 34 above.

46. ACA: PV18, File: 11/12, Crown vs Van Rensburg and Others, 1947; OBA: Transcriptions/Recordings, Hans Rooseboom, undated.

47. Kleynhans, Hitler’s Spies, 30–38. For more on the so-called Denk affair see NARSA: JUS, Box 1621. File: Part 2. Excerpt from the report by Herr Hans Denk on his journey to South Africa, undated. DF Malan’s Purified National Party was the key precursor of the Reunited National Party which came to power in May 1948.

48. see note 34 above.

49. Ibid.

50. Ibid.

51. See note 29 above.

52. Fedorowich, “German Espionage and British Counter-Intelligence,” 224.

53. Van der Schyff, Die Ossewa-Brandwag, 104–105.

54. ACA: PV18, File: 11/12, Crown vs Van Rensburg and Others, 1947; OBA: Transcriptions/Recordings, Hans Rooseboom, undated.

55. Van der Schyff, Die Ossewa-Brandwag, 105.

56. See note 29 above.

57. See TNA: KV 2/941, Rooseboom, Hans.

58. Van der Schyff, Geskiedenis van die Ossewa-Brandwag, 236.

59. see note 34 above.

60. See note 29 above.

61. see note 34 above.

62. La Grange, “Die Impak van die Unie,” 104–105, 196–197; NARSA: JUS, 1621, Part 2, Report in connection with allegations against Dr Van Rensburg and other Ossewabrandwag Personnel, 13 May 1946.

63. OBA: Transcriptions/Recordings, Hans Rooseboom, undated. The plots to rob the Voortrekker Pers remain somewhat obscure, particularly since it published hard right works by several anti-war authors during this period – including speeches by Van Rensburg.

64. For more information on the homemade radio transmitter see OBA: Transcriptions/Recordings, J.H. Barnard, undated.

65. Kleynhans, “The Axis and Allied,” 148–152.

66. See note 29 above.

67. See for instance Austin and Harrison, “FELIX’s Transmitter,” 44–51.

68. OBA: Transcriptions/Recordings, Hans Rooseboom, undated. For more on the influence of atmospheric conditions on the transmissions from South Africa see Austin and Harrison, “FELIX’s Transmitter,” 44–51.

69. see note 34 above.

70. Ibid.

71. Van der Schyff, Geskiedenis van die Ossewa-Brandwag, 236; TNA: KV 2/941, Rooseboom, Hans. 43a – Copy of Interim Report on Hans Herbert Masser, 26 October 1945; TNA: KV 2/941, Rooseboom, Hans. 44a – Copy of Interim Report on Walter Paul Kraizizek, 31 October 1945.

72. For the case file in question, see TNA: KV 2/939, Lothar Sittig/Nils Paasche.

73. Visser, OB: Traitors or Patriots? 90; Van der Schyff, Geskiedenis van die Ossewa-Brandwag, 236–237.

74. For more on Anderson’s opinion of Rooseboom see OBA: Transcriptions/Recordings, H.J.R. Anderson, undated.

75. see note 34 above.

76. See note 29 above.

77. see note 34 above.

78. Van der Schyff, Die Ossewa-Brandwag, 110–114; and Kleynhans, Hitler’s Spies, 136.

79. see note 34 above.

80. See note 43 above.

81. OBA: Transcriptions/Recordings, Hans Rooseboom, undated. It is of interest to note that historians such as Van der Schyff and Blake brush this state of affairs aside in mere sentences. See Van der Schyff, Geskiedenis van die Ossewa-Brandwag, 236; Blake, Wit Terroriste, 170–171.

82. See note 43 above.

83. see note 34 above.

84. Ibid; Also see Blake, Afrikaner Sondebok, 196–202.

85. See note 29 above.

86. OBA: Transcriptions/Recordings, H.J.R. Anderson, undated. For more on the Lothar Sittig and the operation of the Felix organisation see Kleynhans, Hitler’s Spies, 93–141.

87. For more on Van Rensburg’s distrust of Rooseboom and their dispute see OBA: Transcriptions/Recordings, J.H. McDonald, undated; OBA: Transcriptions/Recordings, L. Sittig, undated; OBA: Transcriptions/Recordings, H.J.R. Anderson, undated; ACA: PV18, File: 11/12, Crown vs Van Rensburg and Others, 1947.

88. Furlong, “Allies at War?,” 27; Visser, OB: Traitors or Patriots? 90. Excerpts of Rooseboom’s report is documented in NARSA: JUS, 1621, Part 2, Report in connection with allegations against Dr Van Rensburg and other Ossewabrandwag Personnel, 13 May 1946.

89. TNA: KV 2/941, Rooseboom, Hans. 44a – Copy of Interim Report on Walter Paul Kraizizek, 31 October 1945; ACA: PV18, File: 11/12, Crown vs Van Rensburg and Others, 1947.

90. TNA: KV 2/941, Rooseboom, Hans. 11a – Copy of cable received from Pretoria re ROOSEBOOM, SITTIG and MASSER, 27 July 1943; TNA: KV 2/941, Rooseboom, Hans. 13a – Extract from BIB report on German Espionage in the Union of South Africa re ROOSEBOOM, 25 September 1943; TNA: KV 2/941, Rooseboom, Hans. 37a – Copy of information from BJ 135893. For more on the changing of the codes see Kleynhans, Hitler’s Spies, 157–159.

91. For a detailed discussion on the nature, operation and success of the Barrett Mission, see Kleynhans, Hitler’s Spies, 172–195.

92. See Kleynhans, “Good Hunting,” 168–189; and Kleynhans, “The Axis and Allied,” 100–123.

93. see note 34 above.

94. See note 29 above.

95. see note 34 above.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Evert Kleynhans

Evert Kleynhans [MMil, PhD (Mil) (Stell)], is a senior lecturer in the Department of Military History at the Faculty of Military Science of Stellenbosch University. He is the editor of Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies, as well as an Assistant Director of the Southern Africa Chapter of the Second World War Research Group. His primary research interests include the South African participation in both world wars. This article is in part based on his recent book, Hitler’s Spies: Secret Agents and the Intelligence War in South Africa (Jonathan Ball, 2021).