Page 69 - The Secret War in the Italian front in WWI (1915-1918)

CHAPTER FOUR

The original name of the Office changed to Intelligence Office again,
when the encoding service was assigned to the General Affairs
Division on 30 June .
9
In August, the War Situation Office merged with the Armies Office
into the “War Situation and Operations Office”. Unlike the previous
organisation, this new important structure liaised with both the
Secretariat Office of the Chief of the Army Staff and the Headquarters
of the Armies concerning the Army operations .
10
In October 1915, Colonel Giuseppe Garruccio replaced Colonel
Rosolino Poggi at the head of the Intelligence Office.

4.2 Giovanni Garruccio
4.2 HUMAN INTELLIGENCE MAIN SOURCES Chief of the Intelligence
Office/Service from October
1915 to September 1917
A characteristic of Intelligence common to all the forces during WWI
was the increasing type and quantity of information sources, including
telephone eavesdropping and radiotelegraphic interceptions, which the second part of this book
deals with. Another new source of information about the enemy came from air reconnaissance and
photographic footage of the enemy’s front and rear lines. On the other hand, the traditional sources
based on classic espionage operating in enemy and neutral countries, the interrogation of prisoners
and deserters and the capture of enemy documents, included in what is currently known as ‘Human
Intelligence’, continued to play a relevant role. Consistent with its duties, the Intelligence Service
managed to develop and coordinate the collection of information on the enemy, both through the
aforesaid innovative means and Human Intelligence.

InTellIgence cenTres abroad
On 10 June, Colonel Garruccio left for Bern to coordinate the information networks that existed
there or were being formed. One of the objectives of the mission was to study “the possibility of
setting up a press agency in Switzerland [...] which would essentially be responsible for disproving
the false and biased publications of the press against us, and for publishing our war bulletins and
articles depicting our situation”.
The information network in Switzerland was also useful for the flow of information collected by
the networks of agents established in Austria and Germany. In addition,

through factual negotiations, Colonel Garruccio established a relationship with a person
linked to Austrian and German diplomats, who could provide politico-military information.
He established a new network for the collection and delivery of information using Italian
publicists who have long been residents of Switzerland, where they have extensive relations .
11

9 The Encoding Office was created in July 1915 under the Secretariat of the Operations Division.
10 Supreme Headquarters, Service Order, 28 August 1915, AUSSME, Series B-1, 104/D, 1c. The Office of Situation and War
Operations was organised on: 1 Section (National), 2 Section (Foreign) e 3 Section (Bulletin and Press) with 17 officers
rd
st
nd
in total. In April 1916, the name of the Office of Situation and War Operations changed into Office of Situation, War Bulletins
and Missions Abroad with its mission remaining unchanged.
11 The Intelligence Office Log dated 2 September 1915 also reported that “Information coming in is sent by Alpini Lieutenant
Dadda. He managed to move through the Rhenish countries undisturbed and provided the Intelligence Office with political
and military information about movements of troops and materials, the status of troops, and the sentiment of population

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