Konstantin Jeffremov

After completing seven years of schooling including attending the Labor Faculty in Tula, he attended the Moscow Chemical Technical College. In 1937, he finished the academy with the title of military technician with the rank of First lieutenant (Russian:Starshy leytenant) and started to work for the GRU, dealing primarily with military technical reconnaissance. Jeffremov, a relative newcomer to a professional career in espionage, had been subject to accelerated training.{{cite book|author=Вячеслав Михайлович Лурье|title=ГРУ: дела и люди|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ntdwNtWguWEC&pg=PA91|accessdate=7 January 2021|year=2002|publisher=ОЛМА Медиа Групп |language=ru|isbn=978-5-7654-1499-6|pages=90–91}}

In September, 1939 Jeffremov using the alias Eric Jernstroem, arrived in Brussels from Zürich via Budapest and Odessa, travelling as a Finnish student. Upon arrival, Jeffremov enrolled in the École Polytechnique to study chemistry, assuming the veneer of an ordinary student. During the late interwar period, he was likely employed in the collection of technical information relating to chemical and chemistry, heavy industry.{{cite book |editor-last=Kesaris |editor-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|page=22}}

File:The Jeffremov Group September 1939-May 1942.png With the outbreak of World War II, Jeffremov was retasked with organising variously disparate groups in the Low Countries, into an effective espionage network that could collect political, economic and military intelligence.{{cite book|author=Nigel West|title=Historical Dictionary of World War II Intelligence |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ceIlAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA207|accessdate=7 January 2021|date=12 November 2007|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-6421-4|page=68}} Jeffremov immediately made contact with Johann Wenzel, a German communist and radio specialist based in the Netherlands, who would act in the role of technical advisor to Jeffremov.{{cite book |editor-last=Kesaris |editor-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=0-89093-203-4 |page=384 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleci00unit}} Wenzel had recruited the Communist Party member Anton Winterink at the beginning of 1939 and later, also recruited Dan Goulooze, the director of the Dutch Communist party.{{cite book |editor-last=Kesaris |editor-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=0-89093-203-4 |page=281 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleci00unit/page/281 }}{{cite web |last1=Harmsen |first1=Ger |title=GOULOOZE, Daniël |url=https://socialhistory.org/bwsa/biografie/goulooze |website=BWSA |publisher=Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis |accessdate=9 January 2021 |language=nl}} Both would become part of Jeffremov's network in Brussels. In 1938, Winterink had established a network that was part of the Rote Hilfe, that would be used by Jeffremov, in the capacity as his supervisor.{{cite book |editor-last=Kesaris |editor-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|page=389}} Winterink was trained as a radio operator by Wenzel.

In 1939, he recruited the married couple, Belgian Germaine Schneider{{cite book |editor-last=Kesaris |editor-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|page=352}} and Swiss Franz Schneider.{{cite book |editor-last=Kesaris |editor-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|page=350}} The couple were Comintern agents who has been working for Soviet intelligence since late 1936. Prior to that, they had been running safe-houses for persecuted Comintern officials.{{cite book |editor-last=Kesaris |editor-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|page=14}} Germaine Schneider was the most important of the two, working as a courier that involved extensive travel across Europe and was Henry Robinson's contact to Soviet agents in Great Britain. While she worked from Jeffremov, she couriered between Brussels and Paris. Franz Schneider was also a courier, but only to Switzerland.

Although Jeffremov initially used the Dutch Communist Party to transmit intelligence to Soviet intelligence, by December 1940, Wenzel had established a connection to Moscow.{{cite book |editor-last=Kesaris |editor-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|page=384}} Jeffremov ran his espionage network independently of other Soviet networks in the Netherlands in the period of 1940 and 1941.{{cite web |title=The case of the Rote Kapelle. These three volumes are the Final Report of a joint... |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C11439399 |website=National Archives |access-date=9 January 2021 |location=Kew |date=17 October 1949|volume=1|page=9|id=KV 3/349}}

File:The Jeffremov Group in Belgium May 1942 – August 1942.png

In May 1942, during an arranged clandestine meeting, Jeffremov met with Leopold Trepper{{cite book |last=Perrault |first=Gilles |title=The Red Orchestra |date=1969 |publisher=Schocken Books |location=New York |isbn=0805209522|url=https://archive.org/details/redorchestra00perr_0|page=101}} in the house of the Schneider's in Brussels.{{cite book |editor-last=Kesaris |editor-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|page=297}} Trepper was the technical director of a Soviet Red Army Intelligence in western Europe{{cite web |last1=Bauer |first1=Arthur O. |title=KV 2/2074 - SF 422/General/3|url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C11249267 |website=The National Archives, Kew |page=14 |accessdate=26 October 2019}} and had been instructed by Soviet intelligence to employ Jeffremov as the new leader of the Belgian network, in the absence of Anatoly Gurevich who had run the network in Belgium from July 1940 to December 1941. It had been severely damaged, when several members of the group had been arrested by the Abwehr on the 12 December 1941. The people were arrested during a raid on a house on Rue des Atrébates, that was being used a transmitting safe-house.{{cite book |last1=Perrault |first1=Gilles |title=The Red Orchestra |date=1969 |publisher=Schocken Books |location=New York |isbn=0805209522|url=https://archive.org/details/redorchestra00perr_0|page=83}} Gurevich himself had hid in the house of Nazarin Drailly, a member of the group, to evade the Abwehr, before leaving for Paris.{{cite book |editor-last=Kesaris |editor-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=0-89093-203-4 |page=27 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleci00unit/page/27 }} Trepper gave Jeffremov 100,000 Belgian francs for daily expenses and made several recommendations on how the network should be run, which Jeffremov accepted. Trepper had ordered all radio transmission to cease for at least six months and to rely on couriers only to deliver intelligence.{{cite book |last1=Perrault |first1=Gilles |title=The Red Orchestra |date=1969 |publisher=Schocken Books |location=New York |isbn=0805209522|url=https://archive.org/details/redorchestra00perr_0|page=102}} Probably the most important aspect of Jeffremov's work was the continued transmission of the intelligence provided by Harro Schulze-Boysen, that was couriered from Germany.{{cite book |editor-last=Kesaris |editor-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf |page=28}} According to Daniël Goulooze, Jeffremov was in communication with Soviet Intelligence via Wenzel since 1940 but on an infrequent basis.

Jeffremov was frequently admonished by Soviet intelligence for his lack of activity and slow production of quality intelligence.{{cite book |editor-last=Kesaris |editor-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|page=23}} However, Germaine Schneider was considered a proficient courier.

In June 1942, Trepper ordered Jeffremov to begin transmitting as six months had passed since the raid on Rue des Atrébates on 12 December 1941.{{cite book |last1=Perrault |first1=Gilles |title=The Red Orchestra |date=1969 |publisher=Schocken Books |location=New York |isbn=0805209522 |language=en |url=https://archive.org/details/redorchestra00perr_0|page=131}} This was a fatal mistake, however, as on 30 June 1942, the Funkabwehr identified a house at 12 Rue de Namur, Brussels as the location of a radio transmitter and arrested Wenzel.{{cite book |editor1-last=Kesaris |editor1-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|page=384}} Wenzel was subjected to enhanced interrogation and eventually confessed.{{cite book|author=Stephen Tyas|title=SS-Major Horst Kopkow: From the Gestapo to British Intelligence |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zXkpDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT91|accessdate=11 April 2019|date=25 June 2017|publisher=Fonthill Media|pages=91–92|id=GGKEY:JT39J4WQW30}} He agreed to collaborate and exposed several members of the Belgian network.{{cite book|author=Christer Jörgensen|title=Hitler's Espionage Machine: German Intelligence Agencies and Operations During World War II|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xQgiAQAAIAAJ |access-date=29 November 2020|year=2004|publisher=Spellmount |isbn=978-1-86227-244-6 |page=134}}

Letters found on Wenzel implicated Germaine Schneider as his mistress. Schneider was arrested, but managed to convince the Gestapo that she was romantically evolved with Wenzel and knew nothing about his work. This convinced the Gestapo and she was released.{{cite book |editor-last=Kesaris |editor-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|page=352}}

Schneider immediately went to meet Trepper in Paris to warn him. Trepper in turn warned Jeffremov and instructed him to create a new identity. Jeffremov turned to Abraham Rajchmann, the groups forger,{{cite book |last1=Perrault |first1=Gilles |title=The Red Orchestra |date=1969 |publisher=Schocken Books |location=New York |isbn=0805209522|url=https://archive.org/details/redorchestra00perr_0|pages=144–145}} who unknown to Jeffremov, was in close contact with an Chief Inspector of the Belgian State Police Charles Mathieu.{{cite book |editor-last=Kesaris |editor-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|page=314}} Mathieu was a penetration agent, known in Germany as a V-Mann, short for Vertrauens-mann.{{cite book|last=Hogg|first=Ian V. |title=German Secret Weapons of World War II: The Missiles, Rockets, Weapons, and New Technology of the Third Reich|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2JIgDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT48|accessdate=12 December 2020|date=12 April 2016|publisher=Skyhorse|isbn=978-1-5107-0368-1|page=48}} (German:V-Mann, plural V-Leute). They were generally prisoners who agreed to work as undercover agents on pain of death, should they have refused. Mathieu reported the request to Abwehr officer Harry Piepe.{{cite book |last1=Perrault |first1=Gilles |title=The Red Orchestra |date=1969 |publisher=Schocken Books |location=New York |isbn=0805209522|url=https://archive.org/details/redorchestra00perr_0|pages=143–144}} Rajchmann informed Mathieu of Jeffremov's request for new identity papers and the time and the place of the meeting.

Jeffremov was arrested on 22 July 1942 in Brussels, while attempting to obtain the forged identity papers for himself {{cite book |editor1-last=Kesaris |editor1-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington DC |isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|pages=297}} and taken to Fort Breendonk. Jeffremov was to be tortured but agreed to cooperate and gave up several important members of the espionage network in Belgium and the Netherlands.{{cite book |last1=Perrault |first1=Gilles |title=The Red Orchestra |date=1969 |publisher=Schocken Books |location=New York |isbn=0805209522|url=https://archive.org/details/redorchestra00perr_0|pages=145–146}} In the Netherlands, he exposed Anton Winterink, who was arrested on 26 July 1942 by Abwehr officer, Piepe.{{cite book |editor1-last=Kesaris |editor1-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington DC |isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|pages=68–69}} Winterink was taken to Brussels, where he confessed after two weeks of enhanced interrogation. Through Jeffremov, contact was made with Germaine Schneider.{{cite book |last1=Perrault |first1=Gilles |title=The Red Orchestra |date=1969 |publisher=Schocken Books |location=New York |isbn=0805209522|url=https://archive.org/details/redorchestra00perr_0|page=153}} When Schneider was arrested, she managed to convince the Sonderkommando Rote Kapelle that she not involved in intelligence work and was released.{{cite book |editor1-last=Kesaris |editor1-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington DC |isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|page=352}} When released, Schneider decided to contact Leopold Trepper, the technical director of a Soviet Red Army Intelligence in western Europe to inform him of the arrests.{{cite web |last1=Bauer |first1=Arthur O. |title=KV 2/2074 - SF 422/General/3|url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C11249267 |website=The National Archives, Kew |page=14 |accessdate=26 October 2019}} Trepper advised Schneider to sever all contact with Jeffremov and move to a hideout in Lyons. Giering instead focused on Germaine Schneider's husband Franz Schneider.

In November 1942, Franz Schneider was interrogated by Karl Giering of the Sonderkommando, but as he was not part of the network he wasn't arrested and managed to inform Trepper that Jeffremov had been arrested.{{cite book |editor1-last=Kesaris |editor1-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington DC |isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|pages=351}}

Jeffremov (sources vary) also exposed Simexco to the Abwehr. Simexco was a cover company that was used by the Trepper network in Belgium to provide funding for operations and to disguise its activities. At the same time, Jeffremov exposed the name and the existence of the Trepper espionage network in France.{{cite book |last=Perrault |first=Gilles |title=The Red Orchestra |date=1969 |publisher=Schocken Books |location=New York |isbn=0805209522|url=https://archive.org/details/redorchestra00perr_0|page=158}}

Eventually Jeffremov began to work for the Sonderkommando Rote Kapelle in a Funkspiel operation that had the name of Buche-Pascal.{{cite book |editor1-last=Kesaris |editor1-first=Paul. L |title=The Rote Kapelle: the CIA's history of Soviet intelligence and espionage networks in Western Europe, 1936-1945. |date=1979 |publisher=University Publications of America |location=Washington DC |isbn=978-0-89093-203-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/rotekapelleciOOunit |format=pdf|page=23}} The operation did not achieve success, due to the warning delivered by Germaine Schneider to Trepper.

When searching on Jeffremov, in the original Russian use, Ефремов, Константин Лукич

• {{cite journal |last1=Coppi Jr. |first1=Hans |editor1-last=Dietrich Bracher |editor1-first=Karl |editor2-last=Schwarz |editor2-first=Hans-Peter |editor3-last=Möller |editor3-first=Horst |title=Die Rote Kapelle |journal=Quarterly Books for Contemporary History |trans-title=The Red Orchestra in the field of conflict and intelligence activity, The Trepper Report June 1943 |date=July 1996 |volume=44 |issue=3 |url=http://www.ifz-muenchen.de/heftarchiv/1996_3.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518143900/http://www.ifz-muenchen.de/heftarchiv/1996_3.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2015-05-18 |accessdate=9 December 2018 |publisher=Institute of Contemporary History |location=Munich |language=de |issn=0042-5702}}
• {{cite book |last1=Poltorak |first1=S. N. |title=Razvedchik "Kent" |date=2003 |publisher=Neva |location=Saint Petersburg |isbn=9785765421888 |language=ru|oclc=644931461}}
• {{cite book |last1=Schafranek |first1=Hans |editor1-last=Tuchel |editor1-first=Johannes |title=Krieg im Äther : Widerstand und Spionage im Zweiten Weltkrieg |date=2004 |publisher=Picus |location=Vienna |isbn=3-854-52470-6 |edition=1st |language=de}}
• {{cite book |last1=Trepper |first1=Leopold |title=Bol'shai︠a︡ igra : gody uchenii︠a︡ "Krasnyĭ orkestr" vozvrashchenie, vospominanii︠a︡ sovetskogo razvedchika |date=1990 |publisher=Izd-vo politicheskoĭ lit-ry |location=Moskva |isbn=9785250008297 |page=260 |url=http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/trepper_lz01/index.html |access-date=12 January 2021 |language=ru|oclc=938541726}}

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.a-gurevich.narod.ru/reni.html Intelligence is not a game]
• [https://flot.com/publications/books/shelf/secretoperations/16.htm?print=Y Admiral Vladimir Arsenievich Stashevsky]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090422045947/http://www.agentura.ru/dossier/russia/gru/imperia/agentww2/belgium/ Intelligence of the GRU in Western Europe during the Second World War Belgium and the Netherlands]

{{People of the Soviet Rote Kapelle resistance group}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffremov, Konstantin}}

Category:1910 births

Category:Year of death unknown

Category:Red Orchestra (espionage)

Category:NBC Protection Military Academy alumni