German spy - Karel Richard Richter

From : The Story of Hertfordshire Police

Neil Osborn

On 13th May 1941, Karel Richard Richter, alias Frederick Snyder, parachuted from an aeroplane into a field near London Colney. His mission was to investigate military installations for the German High Command.

He buried his parachute and radio equipment in London Colney Wood and went to reconnoitre the village.

Walking down the road, he met a lorry driver, who asked him the way, since all road signs had been removed. Richter, stunned, was unable to help him.

The lorry driver moved on down the road and met War Reserve Constable Alec Scott. Scott gave the lorry driver directions, and as the lorry driver was pulling away he dropped a remark about the unhelpful foreigner down the road.

Scott investigated, found Richter, and arrested him when he was not satisfied with his explanation that he was hitch-hiking.

At the Police Station it was discovered that Richter had in his possession £500 worth of various currencies, and all other previous spies from the air who had been found had possessed a similar sum. Richter wriggled hard, trying to pass off as a Czech, but when his radio equipment was found the game was up.

He was executed on 10th December 1941.

This page was added on 19/07/2016.

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