Military Intelligence Files: Land, Sea & Air, 1938-1974

Part of British Online Archives's wide-ranging World Wars series, the resources contained within this collection shed light on the activities and attitudes of British military intelligence agencies during the Second World War and Cold War.

The majority of the documents are weekly, monthly, and quarterly intelligence summaries produced by the Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force. In addition, two volumes include records from the British Commanders’-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany (BRIXMIS), providing a fascinating insight into the internal politics and strategic calculations of Warsaw Pact countries.

The images were scanned from paper at the National Archives (UK), with Admiralty (ADM 223), Air Ministry (AIR 22 / AIR 40), Foreign Office (FO 371) and War Office (WO 208) files all featuring heavily. The collection is also accompanied by a contextual essay written by Dr. Stephen Twigge, the Head of Modern Collections at the National Archives (UK).

The collection provides a definitive and unrivalled source covering international relations, military history and the role played by service intelligence from the Second World War to the early Cold War.

Stephen Twigge, Head of Collections (Modern), The National Archives

Key Documents

Document

Quarterly Army Intelligence Summaries, 1955-1962

Document

Weekly Naval Intelligence Summaries, 1940-1945

Document

Secret Intelligence Reports of the Royal Air Force, Jan 1946-Dec 1946

Document

BRIXMIS personnel files, 1947-1970

British Military Intelligence in Context, 1938-1974

Editorial Board

Dr. Stephen Twigge Head of Modern Collections https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/our-research-and-academic-collaboration/our-research-and-people/staff-profiles/dr-stephen-twigge/ Dr Stephen Twigge is the Head of Modern Collections at The National Archives (UK). Dr Twigge is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a member of the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Peer Review College, and sits on the Editorial Board of Archives, the journal of the British Records Association. He has published a number of books and articles on the Cold War and has made regular media appearances to discuss record releases at The National Archives.

Professor Simon Ball Chair of International History & Politics https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/history/staff/571/simon-ball Professor Simon Ball is the Chair of International History and Politics at the University of Leeds. Professor Ball's research is concentrated on five interrelated themes: the Cold War; the Second World War; the legacy of the First World War; assassination in international politics; and security & intelligence in the twentieth century. He is also the editor of 'War in History' and sits on the editorial boards of 'Intelligence & National Security' and 'Diplomacy & Statecraft'.

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Insights

The respective intelligence branches of the three armed services were largely autonomous until 1964, when they were combined to form a unified Defence Intelligence Staff within the Ministry of Defence.

During the period covered by this collection, intelligence gathering evolved, with new technologies allowing for more detailed—and perhaps more accurate—reports and estimations.

The types of reports varied, too, with the military and international political context determining the volume of content produced. During the Second World War, for instance, every branch of the armed forces compiled weekly secret intelligence summaries. Afterwards, this only applied to the Royal Air Force.

This shift was also reflected in the nature of the content. For obvious reasons, armed forces intelligence reports during the period 1939-1945 were focused on theatre level strategy and tactics. Cold War reports, meanwhile, paid more attention to the internal politics of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact nations.

The records of the British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany, also known as BRIXMIS, are particularly concerned with such matters.

BRIXMIS dispatches to the Foreign Office served to contextualise armed forces summaries, which surveyed Russian military might and intentions, including troop movements and counter-intelligence efforts.