War Office: Weekly Intelligence, Aug 1939-Sep 1940

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, former Head of Modern Collections at The National Archives (UK). 

This volume contains weekly intelligence summaries compiled by the War Office and British Army during the Second World War. Signed off by the General Staff and intended for the eyes of divisional commanders and above, their purpose was to: (a) provide information on the situation in Axis and Axis occupied countries; (b) deliver a frank assessment of internal resources and morale; and (c) convey the position of allied and non-aligned actors.

The summaries include discussions about politics, economics, and diplomacy, as well as estimates of the distribution and movements of Axis forces at the divisional level. Every major theatre of war is touched upon, with the defence of British colonial territories and the use of colonial soldiers featuring heavily. Much of the commentary regarding the Far East focuses on the Sino-Japanese conflict. 

Series: WO 208 (War Office: Directorate of Military Operations and Intelligence, and Directorate of Military Intelligence; Ministry of Defence, Defence Intelligence Staff).

Weekly Intelligence Reports of the Army, Aug 1939-Sep 1940. These reports are digital copies of records held at the National Archives under the reference numbers: WO 208/2256 and WO 208/2257.