Abwehr

American  

[ahp-vair, ahb-, ahp-veyr] / ˈɑp vɛər, ˈɑb-, ˈɑp veɪr /

noun

1. the German high-command service for espionage, counterintelligence, and sabotage during World War II.

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Etymology

Origin of Abwehr

< German: literally, defense (noun derivative of abwehren to defend, ward off ), perhaps originally in a compound such as Spionageabwehr counterintelligence

Example Sentences

The German military intelligence, the Abwehr, fell for it hook, line and sinker, and a copy of Martin's letters for the plans of a Greek invasion landed on Adolf Hitler's desk.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2022

Soon afterwards Owens was recruited by the Abwehr, which paid much better.

From The Guardian • Jan. 4, 2013

How much do we know for certain about what the Abwehr did and didn't suspect?

From New York Times • Aug. 1, 2012

"Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret Wars," by American historian Hal Vaughan, contends Chanel was an agent of Germany's Abwehr military intelligence organization that undertook wartime missions to Berlin and Madrid.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 17, 2011

Bletchley Park, the U.K.’s secret code-breaking center, was staffed with hundreds of mathematicians, linguists, and professors, and it had dedicated units that could solve Abwehr Enigma with pencil and paper alone.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield