Air Ministry: BRIXMIS organisation and activities, 1949-1956

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). 

The British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany (BRIXMIS) was a liaison initiative established in 1946. Although ostensibly a diplomatic endeavour, BRIXMIS presented an ideal opportunity for intelligence gathering behind the Iron Curtain, and was exploited as such. This volume includes dispatches and reports on the Soviet military. Many contain information on the movements of the Red Army and activity on and around air bases, with detailed analyses of aircraft and weaponry. Personnel files, some of which deal with defectors to and from Warsaw Pact nations, are also enclosed. 

Royal Air Force involvement in the British Military campaign in Soviet Germany, 1949-1956. These reports are digital copies of records held at the National Archives under the reference number: AIR 37/1454.