Carla Costa, Abwehr Spy

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Alpini Arditi
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Carla Costa, Abwehr Spy

#1

Post by Alpini Arditi » 10 Feb 2022, 19:34

Carla Costa was an intrepid agent working for the German Abwehr. Only 17, she was a member of a Fascist Youth Action Group who's motto was Onore e Combattimento (Honour and Combat). Her zeal came to the attention of the Gruppi Servizi Autonomi, the RSI counter-intelligence service, who's head, Lieutenant Colonel Tommaso David, recruited her into the special female unit known as the 'Breeding of Silver Foxes'. Seconded to German Military Intelligence in June 1944, she undertook three successful missions behind Allied lines in Rome and Florence between August and October 1944. She was only caught by the Americans after being betrayed by a fellow agent, personally arrested by Gordon Mason, of the US Army Counter-Intelligence Corps. She proved to be a formidable prisoner, and constantly refused to give up any information. Her interrogators knew she was a spy, however, as in her possession was a silk handkerchief given to all German agents, in which were the secret words Member of the Army, take to Air Force Headquarters, seen only if the material was placed over a flame for thirty minutes. She finally confessed, but the Americans regarded her as the toughest opponent they had encountered in the spying game in Italy. She was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, but later released by the Italian government. She remained an ardent Fascist to the end, with her meeting with Il Duce, in September 1944, as one of her most proud moments. Mussolini remarked that if all Italian women were like her 'We'd win this damnable war'.
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Carla Costa
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Handkerchief Secret Message
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BernardO
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Re: Carla Costa, Abwehr Spy

#2

Post by BernardO » 18 May 2023, 12:07

On 11 September 1947, a memorandum headed ‘Clemency – Espionage and Sabotage’ was sent to Lt. Col. G.F. Blunda, the Acting Commander of Security, G-2, MTOUSA (Mediterranean Theatre of Operations United States Army. The name of the person who sent it was redacted. It listed 35 (Category A) and 10 (Category B) enemy agents held in captivity and added that
a) Interest has been shown in the cases by the Italian Government and especially by the Vatican;
b) That in 26 of these cases the persons sentenced were under 21 years of age;
c) That in many cases no overt acts have been committed;
d) That in many cases the only concrete evidence was the accused own statement;
e) That in 36 of the 46 cases there was no evidence that the arrested had ever done anything inimical to the Allied interests. […]
It is our view that the findings of Allied military tribunals which sat in these cases are res ajudicata and the logic behind a subsequent appeal for clemency should be based upon the discretionary power of the Commanding General of this theatre of operations to grant such, rather than upon what is in effect an arbitrary re-judging of the facts of each case under circumstances which in no way parallel those of the court of law in which they were originally heard. Attention is directed specifically to the comments on each case set forth in paragraphs 3 – 6 of the memo itself were formulated. We are in no position to discuss cases from the above group which originated with British CI units; however, a review of our filed on cases originating with this unit indicates that the comments made on these cases in the appendix of the memo in many instances omit relevant facts which are of vital importance to a review of the case.
After giving examples, it was argued that the sentences should be ‘scaled down, but not wiped out.’

COSTA Carla: This person was an agent of FAK 190, with a secondary mission from Fascist Republican Intelligence. She was apprehended by CIC while returning to German occupied territory on her third mission into AOT [Allied Occupied Territory]. She was exceedingly difficult and uncooperative throughout her interrogation by CIC, and maintained a defiant Fascist attitude throughout her trial. Following her second mission, she was received personally by MUSSOLINI. Information gained from the interrogation of the GIS officer who had directed her work, indicated that from her two unsuccessful missions into AOT, she had brought back information on air fields as well as political, economic, and propaganda materials (see CSDIC interrogation of Hauptmann Kurt KROPP). The statement in the comments that she was “really more of a propagandist than spy” is unsupported by all the information available on this case. The allegation that she was tortured and that her confession was the result of ill treatment received, is completely without foundation. COSTA was reinterrogated in Rome on specific aspects of her GIS contacts by a person who is still on duty in this theatre, who can vouch for the fact that no forceful means of any kind were used in the handling of her interrogation by American intelligence agents either at CIC 5th Army, or in Rome. It should further be pointed out that COSTA never confessed in the sense of giving, spontaneously, detailed information on her activity. The fact that she had carried out previously two missions in AOT was known to American CI prior to her capture from the interrogations of other captured agents whom she had come through the lines on these occasions. When confronted with these facts during her interrogation, she found herself unable to avoid an explanation; it was only in this way that portions of her activity were reconstructed by her own admission. The fundamental point in this case, however, is the fact that he had carried out two missions successfully and was in the process of completing her third when apprehended. (https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/OS ... %20-%20CIG %20EARLY%20CIA%20DOCUMENTS%20%20%20VOL.%203_0032.pdf)


King
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Re: Carla Costa, Abwehr Spy

#3

Post by King » 16 Dec 2023, 18:08

Found a great article about her on Dec11 1948 issue of The Saturday Evening Post, many unknown details told by a CIC agent Stephen Spingard. She indeed CONFESED when she was captured, according to Spingard, revealing german intelligence of high level that helped to capture more enemy agents.

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Helly Angel
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Re: Carla Costa, Abwehr Spy

#4

Post by Helly Angel » 30 Dec 2023, 08:17

Pretty interesting! Thank for share!

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