Wilhelm Canaris: The Nazi Spy Chief who Brought Down Hitler

[@vampiro4236]

I had read that Canaris had been working with the British, but I never knew it was quite that extensive. Incredible.

[@ProffyChaos]

For the record, as Brit, I hope you don't think people view German history as just full of evil people. German history and culture is as interesting and diverse as any other but that particular point in history is obviously closer, and more well documented, than things committed by other countries further back in time. I mean if you go back in time and look at how the Romans treated Carthage or the Mongol Empire killing nearly 11% of the global population you can see that humanity can be very inhumane. P.s. This post is not trying to excuse genocide but if anything making it clear that it has happened before and could happen again. That is why we must always be vigilant.

[@vampiro4236]

@@ProffyChaos I have never thought that way. Every society has some part of their history where they've done evil, it usually doesn't reflect their entire story or who they are as a people.

[@tomwulff527]

But as a German it hits so close to home. I talked to a close friend of our family, asking what it was like back then. His father was a stout socialist, his twin brother a convinced Nazi. At a breakfast when his socialist father was ranting about Nazi politics, his twin stud up and told his father to shut up or he would get him imprisoned into a KZ( halt`s maul oder du wirst abgeholt ). In my family where as much Nazi followers as oposers, from my 2023 point of view. And quite a few people that just wanted to keep their head down.

[@ProffyChaos]

@@tomwulff527 I can only imagine how it feels in your family but I want you to know that myself and many others wouldn't want to add that feeling. We don't believe the sins of the ancestors should define their descendants.

[@purrsuasively]

⁠@@ProffyChaos good thing nobody here was saying the sins of ancestors define their descendants. no need to immediately play defense just cause a bunch of dead people did something bad.

[@nickrobinson9629]

The people who made Oppenhiemer could probably set their sights on this guy next. A day in his life sounds unimaginable.

[@seanscon]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaris_(film)

[@Notsogoodguitarguy]

Oh, no, please no. Oppenheimer is a very poor movie. If a film about Canaris should be made nowadays, it should be someone other than Nolan.

[@nobiazcustomsinc5030]

Oppenhiemer was an absolutely dreadful movie. I didnt care about the mans infidelity and political views and the climax....the boom was WAY too artsy. PLease let someone else do Canaris' movie

[@jcb989]

​@@seanscontime for the remake. Little bit of Imitation Game, little bit of Valkyrie, bam another classic ww2 story.

[@kramttonnis6405]

@@NotsogoodguitarguyOppenheimer is a great movie, and tells exactly the story it meant to tell. If you think it’s bad you clearly don’t have the attention span to sit through anything that isn’t marvel

[@darkstraylily1477]

This gave me chills. We have and still do devour pretty much any and all documentary content that pops up in relation to the WW2 and yet, never heard of this man before. Definitely worth looking into.

[@thebagelsproductions]

Look into his deputy in the Abwehr - Oster, he worked tirelessly against the Nazis also

[@DeaconBlu]

Wow… I honestly had no clue. Unreal… I’ve studied the Second World War my whole life. I’ve never heard this information. Thanks folks! It’s stuff like this that makes me a subscriber and a fan of the channel! Well. Done! Well done indeed. 😎👍

[@mrsir2254]

Are you sure?😅 How long have you been alive? 😂.

[@MaxiTB]

Not a surprise; most people who actually haven't learned about their countries during Nazi Germany's reign don't know a lot about the heavy and deep routed resistance that existed on every level, even tho the slightest mistake or too critical word meant certain death, if you were lucky a quick one. Sadly most people only know that side of the war only from Hollywood movies with everyone in Germany/Austria being cartoonish Nazi villains.

[@DeaconBlu]

umm…yeah… Almost 60 y/0… However… As much as I have studied and STILL study the conflict, doesn’t mean that I know it all. Ya know? Yep…I’m still learning new stuff and taking it all in. But, ya know? I’m not joking on anyone that doesn’t know what I know…or have heard…or read…or seen. Ya get it? 😎👍

[@MaxiTB]

@@DeaconBlu I'm Austrian, and yes, he was mentioned in history class when I was in high school. I read up about him afterwards, because in Austria we are one of two countries that actually confronted their dark history, so ironically speaking about people resisting the Nazi regime is often viewed here as an excuse over the national guilt. I was always interested in the full picture, so I knew the details for 30 years now. Always have a hard time remembering the name tho, because it's not what you would call a typical German name. And I said before, people are often surprised that the Nazi's were a super small group and it basically is a way more important statement how a tiny grouping can reach a point in a police state to completely legally turn a democracy into a dictatorship that not only started another world war but nearly killed as many of their own population as did Stalin. So yeah, there was a lot of resistance inside of the so called 3rd Reich but because it was such a brutal and inhumane but highly efficient regime. To give you an example: The small village where my grandma's mum had to vote for the Anschluss, a nice Gestapo man with a machine pistol showed her where to put the cross and the next day two known socialist party members where gone never to be seen again. That's what was going on long before war started, it was a systematic use of fear and indirectly implied brutality everyone was aware living there, so at this point people gladly signed up for the front believing all this nonsense of brotherhood in the Wehrmacht. And I'm not saying this as a defense, I would have been properly ended up in a labor camp like all those other liberals, but it's a stark warning, that everyone has to vigilant about the beginnings of any police state because there's a point and it comes very quickly, when resistance becomes super hard because everyone around you is out to survive the regime as well.

[@DeaconBlu]

@@MaxiTB Thanks for the info. Any and all new info, or different perspective is welcome in my mind. Thank You Sir! 😎👍

[@ProffyChaos]

Very interesting man. He was a cruel, and conniving man but at least he was able to see his mistakes and remember that his loyalty was to the nation, not any party in power. It reminds us that there aren't just good and evil people BUT many shades of grey.

[@stephanybrown3226]

Reading this it helped me with how I was feeling about this man. Very interesting and almost incomprehensible to civilians like myself.

[@fortpark-wd9sx]

Many shades of grey which according to WW2 revisionists, overturning Versailles and ever bigger expansion was not really that of a big issue. In the wider context, the conservative mainstream, including the generals were quite happy with much of Nazism. Of course they did not want a continental war among the Western European nations, but would they be contented with limited gains in Rhineland, Austria, Sudetenland and Danzig? As historian Andrew Roberts later wrote to the meaning, they did not want to fight Britain but they would be quite happy to fight Poland. Perhaps they would be less cruel to the Poles compared to mainstream Nazis but the desire to overturn Versallies would mean deleting Poland from existence, a return to the pre-1914 situation The idea of getting rid of Hitler was mainly about removing a political asset once it became a liability. Another point was that the revisionists felt the Western Allies missed the chance to allow Germany to destroy Russia. With such a mindset, the generals would always be viewed positively by these revisionists.

[@syyneater]

An oath to protect his country, which he seemed to take seriously, to the detriment of everyone within his sphere of influence.

[@fortpark-wd9sx]

@@syyneater According to known history, from 1934 to 1945, it was an oath of personal loyalty to Hitler. If this sounded outlandish, readers might wish to know than in 2022, after the passing of QE2, existing important UK Cabinet Ministers took an oath of allegiance to King Charles. Seemed that the military never really liked the Weimar Republic. The Fuhrerreich might not be the best substitute for the Kaiserreich but the Fuhrerreich system was considered better than what some conservatives saw as liberal left wing atheist decadent weak-minded judeo bolshevik anarcho stab-in-the-back communists. 😐😐

[@samshepperrd]

I don't think anyone ever became a German officer be being a shrinking Violet. And that includes being strict -; cruel even - to the soldiers under his command. But there's a line between attitude between military and civil. And Canaris recognized that Hitler had stepped away over it from the beginning as well as that Hitler was mad and would destroy his country even if Germany won the war.

[@claywest9528]

He was kept alive until the end, but like Elser he had to know he was doomed and would not be allowed to survive the end of the war.

[@BrianHayter-zl2uc]

He was a dead man walking, but didn,t know it

[@johndododoe1411]

​@@BrianHayter-zl2ucHe probably knew it, but was enough of a military man to accept his own death as a cost of war .

[@kevinmcqueenie7420]

Seems like a complex man doing what he thought was the right thing. Would make a fascinating movie or mini series in the right hands. I could see Nolan doing it some justice, maybe Fincher would be good, any other suggestions (I realise those were pretty obvious picks, so I'd love to hear some more interesting ones!) Good job Evan (and Simon's whole team!) I'd never heard of him before despite being very into 20th Century history, so thanks for shining a light on him!

[@LS-oq3qh]

Michael Mann

[@richardshiggins704]

I was always fascinated by Canaris . Had he survived his insights would have been fascinating as were Speer's .

[@prof_kaos9341]

Speer was a liar who whitewashed his involvement to avoid deserved punishment. Speer ran the economy, an economy that depended on slave labour yet was believed when Speer said he didn't know of the slave labour or the concentration camps that supplied slave labour to the important attached war factories, like the IG Farben factory at Auschwitz.

[@kleinweichkleinweich]

so you think he would have talked?

[@richardshiggins704]

@@kleinweichkleinweich I think he would have talked to avoid Spandau .

[@schwingedeshaehers]

​@@kleinweichkleinweichI think he would. Probably about everything he know, but didn't do himself.

[@mattkelley6267]

Another incredible piece of research journalism from Simon and his team

[@harrisonmiller6475]

Can you do an episode on Robspierre and the Terror during the French Revolution?

[@jameshannagan4256]

One of the best videos I have ever seen on this subject I did not know the extent of his work just amazing.

[@janveit2226]

It is very hard to paint a true picture of the man in this line of business. I really enjoyed this video......as usual.

[@timh.boston649]

Fantastic work Simon you and your crew should be proud of yours yourselves

[@TheAuron32]

I only have 4 words to describe this man: A literal necessary evil. What he did was no doubt evil but he helped stop someone far more evil, can any other person commit to that? I know i could not do what he did, most would likely break.

[@13minutestomidnight]

His position was an incredibly difficult one. On the one hand, his actions to deceive Hitler and publicly support him did help support the Nazi's military operations, and sure, he could have opposed Hitler in an open fashion and deserted the Nazi regime completely (well… from a different country, otherwise he'd just be killed).. But if he'd left, a Nazi crony would just have filled his position instead and supported Hitler far more faithfully. with terrible results for the Allies. The cruel reality is that nothing he could have done as an individual would have been as effective to stop the Nazi's as taking an entire German intelligence service and turning them into a weapon against Hitler. His and his intelligence agency's actions in espionage undermined the entire Nazi regime, and they were all incredibly brave for doing so.

[@Herman47]

Excellent teply.

[@David_Baxendale]

Amazing video, until now I didn't know this guy existed. In a time we are taught was about black and white, this guy was in the grey. Not because he was in the middle but because he moved from back to white and back again often. A man that had a goal and was willing to sacrifice people to achieve it. A man who I would say embodied "the end justifies the means". Imagine if things had gone differently, he could have been held aloft as a hero..

[@MichaelEilers]

This was wild, how have I never heard about him? Picking up Basset’s book for sure.

[@callumreid9206]

Never knew about Canaris until I saw this video. When schools teach about WW2 and the Nazis, they should do some lectures on Canaris, Rabe and Münch to show that even a few good men were among their ranks

[@DS-si5cp]

feel like this should be on biographics

[@jeast417]

Biographics never was his channel and now he isn't hosting there anymore. Along with Geographics and top tenz

[@joeycampbell940]

​@@jeast417yeah oddly enough they have Karl Smallwood hosting now even though he built and killed is own channel in just a couple years. Karl spent his biggest year telling people to end themselves over American politics and they really thought he'd be a good host.

[@erikburzinski8248]

@@joeycampbell940 didn't know Karl Smallwood did that but I left with Simmon as he was why I was there (I guess Karl lives up to his last name)

[@evertonperk661]

The first completely unfamiliar WWII video on youtube. Thank you

[@thehumanconsensus]

Really does remind me of Elim Garak. A true display of the shades of grey humanity displays. Love him or hate him... That is a stained professional with his own code... If a bit on the razor's edge.

[@Qba86]

DS9 writers deliberately left a lot of ambiguity as to Garak's past. Most of us *hope* he was a bit like Canaris i.e. that he had a change of heart relatively early on during his involvement in the occupation of Bajor, as this would make his character somewhat redeemable.

[@williamcostigan91]

"Never tell the truth, when a lie will do."

[@andreasmuller4666]

It´s nice to learn about ones own history from time to time without being always painted with the brush of pure evil.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

The 1954 film Canaris starring O.E. Hasse is based on his biography. Wilhelm Canaris is portrayed by Anthony Quayle in the 1976 film The Eagle Has Landed.

[@ahleena]

This was like watching the imitation game and Valkyrie at the same time.

[@EmilyJelassi]

A very interesting video! I knew some😮 of his story but had no idea that he did so much to undermine Hitler and the Nazis. Excellent video!

[@simonsobo4644]

The three men who are most responsible for Hitler’s defeat are: Admiral Wilhelmina Canaris, Admiral Erich Raeder, and Hitler. Canaris' contribution was keeping Spain out of the war and convincing Hitler to Not invade Spain and seize Gibraltar; Raeder's contribution was convincing Hitler to invest so heavily in worthless battleships instead of uboats that would’ve severed England's lifeline in the Atlantic; and of course Hitler himself whose insistence on micromanaging the war with the Soviet Union so aided the Allies.

[@MrGrass97]

Don’t forget Hiroshi Oshima.

[@videogamevalley7523]

……..never heard of this dude before this….he needs a movie

[@stu8642]

I'm glad he wasn't sentenced to forced labour. He would have been the Canaris in the coal mine.

[@duncancurtis5108]

Zenyatta Mondatta The Police😅😅

[@jannisares]

Groan

[@skibidi.G]

😂

[@zdw0986]

GO HOME DAD

[@mrgraham5521]

I want to punch myself for laughing out loud at that. Perfect dad joke.

[@T-bone1223]

i found a book in high school called The Secret of D-Day." by French writer and journalist Gilles Perrault. He wrote of Admirl Canaris; "He and Oster were both both hanged by the SS in the cold dawn of Apriil 9. Canaris was stripped as naked as he was born, and to prolong his agony, the "Blacks" used a piece of very thin piano wire." The "Blacks" referring to the SS, of course, as the color of their uniform.

[@kevineakins5276]

Those who in live in the darkest times may be forgiven for taking so long to see the light. What’s important is this man’s single minded determination, unwavering resolve, and incredible courage in undermining the evil state to which he had become so integral a part.

[@bx-ld]

The book by Eric Metaxas about Dietrich Bonhoeffer (another conspirator who was executed at about the same time as Canaris) adds more to the picture of the times as well.

[@deividweiss]

Now this is the biographics we all love and not that joke that the actual biographics channel has become.

[@LisaBowers]

Is it really that bad? I haven't watched it since Simon left.

[@Cavemanjason]

@@LisaBowers It isn't that bad. Simon is undeniably a talented presenter. However, Smallwood's interim takeover as presenter of Biographics also has merit. His style tends to be significantly more lighthearted with impromptu interruptions to share his favorite facts and anecdotes throughout the videos. If you enjoy learning about history with a few rabbit trails, then I can see Smallwood's hosting style being quite enjoyable. If you prefer emersion without interruption or simply the comfort of Simon's voice, then it may be best to refrain from viewing Smallwood's videos. Personally, I enjoy both styles, though I find the adreads in Biographics and Toptenz to be particularly infuriating as they are acted by a separate team which has more of humous skit feel whilst being entirely cringe and unfunny. Smallwood has nothing to do with these adreads, so I don't hold it against him. Hope that helped. :)

[@LisaBowers]

@@Cavemanjason Yes that does help. I shall give Karl a shot. If I like it, then *yay,* more content. If it's irritating, then I'll just stick with Simon. Thanks for an honest review.

[@Synthetic-Rabbit]

One can always watch both. @@LisaBowers

[@Pahoe77]

Not a fan of the usurper, now at biographics.

[@garycandace1871]

Armand Hammer admitted on television that he had long been having sometimes weekly meetings with Canaris, during which he would tell the former what Hitler's plans were. That is on of the biggest secrets of the war. Hammer said that at the tiime, only 3 other people were aware. That would be incredible, if you didn't know who Hammer was, and that he as being truthful.

[@EGSBiographies-om1wb]

This vid was well worth my time. I subbed.

[@AndrewSmith-gn1nq]

Finally! I’ve been asking for a episode on here and a few other channels about Canaris

[@jeffc5474]

To quote a certain American actor in a certain science fiction show, fascinating!

[@adammitchell3462]

Excellent story whistle boi! I love stories like these!

[@sweetpotatocat]

looks like an amazing video, i can't wait to watch!

[@CallioNyx]

I find ww2-era germany fascinating, if chilling. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking it monolithic; while there was a big central pillar, certainly, there were many interests and beliefs competing or cooperating. The pure, unlimited, businesslike machine of agrievement that Hitler's core took - wether it was the perceived grievance of the jews, or of the german people who didn't fight hard enough, or countless others, they would all be targets. They were elected on grievance, and given some power, took all the rest; in the end causing 30 million dead. There is an important cautionary tale there. This is a great video and an important one. I was aware that Canaris was a bit of a possible double agent, but I haven't seen his story presented as clearly before. What a dangerous game he played; and in the end, it is hard to overstate how important his contribution to the outcome of WW2 was.

[@theawesomeman9821]

This Wilhelm Canaris guy sounds like a character in a Hollywood film.

[@DecimatedRanger]

Could we get a video about Juan Pujol Garcia? He was a double agent so good at what he did he earned the Iron Cross and the British Most Excellent award.

[@equarg]

Wow. When judged at the gate of heaven……..who knows what verdict they decided on. He was a complex men who’s actions saved and killed possibly millions. He is exactly what it means to be an anti-hero. He was a villain who lived long enough to die a hero. Reguardless……. May he RIP. A complex man, in a complex situation.

[@1297wombat]

always wondered what the story of Canaris was. This was very interesting.

[@Canaris101]

Wilhelm Canaris ist ein Held gewesen!

[@FatManWalking18]

the Time Ghost Army's WWII channel has several pieces on Wilhelm Canaris

[@mancroft]

Fascinating and outstanding. Thank you.

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

Outstanding video and wonderful explained about kannars as double Cruse agent....

[@MMSMLUNWINPP]

Super excited for this video. WWII research is some of my favorite stuff. You are the man Simon

[@grabnar4015]

I guess the best you can say is that sometimes it takes evil to stop evil

[@vic5015]

Talk about having someone on the inside. This was the equivalent of the head of MI-5 being a Soviet agent.

[@marqsee7948]

heh, awkward conversations with guests. 'Why do you have a picture of a Nazi on your wall?' 'He's one of the 'good' ones.' A couple of days later: 'Johnny, the principal would like to speak with you about your report on what you did over the holiday.'

[@1313fina]

This man had plans within his plans and backup plans for his backup plans! I don't think a director would need to dramatize much, his life practically writes a film or TV series by itself!

[@davidburton2732]

An incredible individual.

[@PrimetimeD]

Fascinating. I'd never heard so much as the name until now.

[@Admrial]

I have wanted a video on him since I started reading w.e.b. Griffin. His story is insane

[@charlesjsmith9716]

most interesting video of yours I have listened to thanks

[@Pavlos_Charalambous]

Allegedly he had a little Statuette of the Greek 19th century rebel later admiral and prime minister also named " Kanaris" True or not about the Statuette Wilhelm Canaris was interested to know and in 1938 traced back his heritage finding out that his family was originally from Italy and had no relation with the Greek clan Kanaris Although crazy Coincidence never the less

[@brettmg4995]

canaris was a good bad guy, if that makes sense

[@Neapoleone-Buonaparte]

BRILLIANT ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT VIDEO

[@evilchaosboy]

Great work! \m/

[@ice843]

This man needs a series about him

[@iamscoutstfu]

This dude needs a movie

[@maxsignori316]

I'm looking forward to an episode on operation Garbo, a.k.a. Juan Pujol Garcia, the double agent who tricked the germans for great part of WWII. EDIT: there's already one, I just found it :D

[@jaewok5G]

a remarkable story made more so that i'd never heard it before, even in the least detail. also, simon … you have become the voice of documentary, so it is with all due respect and admiration that i point out that "beatify" and "beautify" are different words. 22:50

[@adrianaslund8605]

Anti hero is completely correct. All things considered he was very respectable. A Game of Thrones level character. With a compelling character arc.

[@jakelandry5645]

Bravo Sir, Bravo...

[@jamesbodnarchuk3322]

Spies & ties

[@duncancurtis5108]

You're fired😂

[@SamuelJamesNary]

Canaris ultimately did a lot to undermine the Nazis... but given their lack of understanding of how economics worked, it could be argued that Germany was doomed regardless of whether or not Canaris helped. Germany simply did not have the money, manpower, or resources to beat the British, Americans, and Soviets at the same time.

[@Pahoe77]

Ideologues seldom understand the realities of a great many things...even today

[@SamuelJamesNary]

@@Pahoe77 - And they also tend to drag everyone else down with them... Often because of how, when given absolute power, they use it to expand that power base... which is what the Nazis did in Germany.

[@thesaxophoneboy]

Interssting fact "Menzies" is more correctly pronounced as "Mingiss" - it comes from the extinct letter "yogh", which was transliterated as "z" when we moved to moveable press printing.

[@da_toluwan6009]

This was awfully like a biographics vid-that’s good of course.

[@duncancurtis5108]

Mark Felton.

[@cdybft9050]

Need a Netflix series. Can’t wait to see a black Canaris.

[@blackcat2628zd]

Seems I should read only the second part of the book.:-) Canaris lived incredibly dangerous life surrounded by unhinged monsters, trying do something good. He was probably the most inteligent person around Hitler and the whole Germany.

[@gerhardris]

One shouldn't judge people with hindsight on errors in judgement. An essential part of Canaris was him also being a devote catholic. In the planed coup on Hitler prior to I think it was Fall Gelb (attack in the West) he didn't want Hitler killed. He also via Major Oster in the course of this plan gave information on the attack hoping it would succeed and thus form the grounds to topple Hitler/ the Nazis. The reason that Canaris prevented the Germans from having any hope in winning the war is indeed the clever way he cept Franco out of the war. For if Spain in 1940 had joind then the Axis would have controlled both sides of the entrance to the Med. Gibraltar, Egypt and the Suez canal would no doubt have fallen. Even if Churchill then remaind in power grasping the Middle East towards the oil fields at Bakoe woulld have been in reach. And India in perril as well. Especially operation Barbarossa would have been far more difficult to hold off. 23:39

[@UnderThaSun]

Beautiful video

[@HustlenFett]

I would love to see you do William Stephenson, the man called Intrepid.

[@markhughes7927]

23:38 I got a sense in reading a biography of William Donovan - the head of the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) - that there was a mainline connection from Canaris to him also (Donovan) . I do not think that the depth of the combined intelligence operations of Britain, Germany, and - late on the scene - the US has really begun to be told. Especially the US which more and more seems to have been working to its own advantage with Bormann the ‘professional nazi’. Be good if you would follow this up with one on William Stephenson the Canadian/Icelandic tycoon and general spymaster of British Intelligence and head of British Security Coordination in NewYork.

[@benjaminbieber84]

Well that would make for a movie 😊

[@martijn1111]

Canaris worked with the spd defence minister in 1919 to end a civil war and he was never called a socialist, so why this talk about a later loyalty other than to Germany. His organisation was called Abwehr, because the western allies wanted it that way. Lahousen is also an interestinging person. He gave evidence enough to commit Goring to death.

[@robvasey4149]

People on this thread are mentioning how this would make a great movie. There is in fact a movie about him. The name of the film is: Canaris.

[@AGnorTheChannel]

I've never seen this video. And although I get the point, this entire video demonstrates, to those who like context, that history is not "just some dead guys."

[@coadypurchase923]

Great video team 👍🏻👍🏻

[@MichaelEilers]

A shame this was demonitized.

[@flygirlfly]

How do we know when a vid is demonitized?

[@Aemirys]

This was a thrilling story!!

[@RalfSteffens]

So this is what the other side of John le Carré's "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" looks like. “Shared Backyard”: I read that Canaris and Heydrich regularly played tennis there. - Tinker, tailor, ...

[@markunger1098]

I thought that the Abwehr was absorbed into the SD after the July 20th plot failed.

[@leeneufeld4140]

I had always wondered why the Brits wanted Heydrich dead so badly, and in such a hurry. Now I know. One less item in my brain room with the big question mark on the door :)

[@blackcat2628zd]

Simon, do you have episode about Heydrich´s assassination?

[@walterrwrush]

Did anyone make a movie of this guy

[@aq5426]

My first husband told me about Canaris. He told me that Canaris wasn't a good man by any means, and that his opposition to Hitler was only because he didn't want Germany to get bombed into shit. :/

[@AifDaimon]

I'm guessing he met Canaris in person at least once

[@calogerohuygens4430]

He saved Jews and opposed a cruel dictatorship, loving his country would be a sin? Maybe sir bomber Harris was a better man when he obliterated thousands of years of European history and 500.000 people in it?

[@lowman5893]

Not so sure it is that simple. At least based on the content in this video it seems like he was opposed to Nazism as a whole and what the people in power wanted for Germany's future. Removing Hitler would just mean an equally crazy (and potentially more competent) Nazi would take his place. But yes, Canaris was a German nationalist and fascist who would have likely supported the atrocities of the Nazis if they did them to build a state that he agreed with.

[@calogerohuygens4430]

@@lowman5893 your conjectural hypothesis is largely denied by Canaris reports protesting against atrocities committed by SS and German army.

[@lowman5893]

@@calogerohuygens4430 Forgive me for being skeptical of the words of a Nazi double agent who sold out the Jews.

[@Pigeon0fDoom]

1:19 😂😂😂 Westfalen, although literally "west-failure", it's name means "west-fields" there is also a North and East "-fields" Looks like west-falen was translated from Dutch, not Deutsch

[@vonries]

Why have I never heard of this guy before. Maybe because he doesn't fit into a nice clear box hero/villain.

[@noahlogue]

Pretty brave to fight evil like the Nazis from the inside.

[@saritacruz3020]

Why isn't this a movie?!

[@greenhillburma]

If I'm not mistaken, the SS officer who came to arrest Canaris was Walther Schellenberg, who at that time was working directly under Himmler. It must have been him who advised Himmler to drag Canaris's sentence out long enough to make use of the admiral's contacts on the allied side.

[@454FatJack]

SD- foreign land’s took over Abw. Schel Was it’s boss. Kaltenbrunner RSHA and geastapo muller rival, since SCh had Himmler’s ear..

[@madmartigan8119]

I dunno if um wrong but when i was in school Europe and their thousands years of discrimination, torture and murder if the people who follow the Jewish Religion was never presented before we learned about Hitler. I always struggled with how a hatred that strong could have appeared so quickly and that a whole population would champion it. Now that i know there has always been a Christian based and now culture based hatred towards the Jewish people that was in Europe all throughout the history of Eroupe. I now understand how Hitler was able to do what he did in such a short time and I also understand the German population that looked the other way if not directly involved themselves. Im curious how this is taught in Europe

[@matthewlightwood5412]

Oh neat I've *never* been this early. NIce, let's take down Hitler

[@duncancurtis5108]

The late great Anthony Quayle in The Eagle has Landed 1976. One big elaborate joke!

[@blackdog6969]

Never heard of this man before but being in a position of power and attempting to destroy what he thought was wrong, it must have been pretty hard to accept many decisions he had to make to keep covert. No idea if he was a good man but hey, many of us might not be here if not for his actions. Take that how you will, it feels pretty phyrric

[@samshepperrd]

Hitler told Canaris to convince Spain to to let the Germans occupy Gibraltar. Instead Canaris described all the problems that would befall him if he handed over Gibraltar. Resulting in Franco never to agree to Hitler's Gibraltar ambition.

[@beverleygibbonsverywellrea2973]

Yes, he did a lot, I feel to squash Operation Felix. As a naval man he would know that who controls Gib controls the gateway to the Med. He handled Franco and Hitler beautifully. I have read that he had a villa on the Costas and arranged for Franco to create a pension for his wife....

[@samshepperrd]

@@beverleygibbonsverywellrea2973 A Wiley intelligence officer and German patriot. But not a real Nazi fascist or racist to the point of genocide.

[@cwam1701e]

2 comments: 1) What an incredible story! 2) Did anyone else keep hearing Hydra instead of Heydrich, or was that just me...?😁😁