Alfred Redl, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Alfred Redl

Austro-Hungarian army officer

Date of Birth: 14-Mar-1864

Place of Birth: Lviv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine

Date of Death: 25-May-1913

Profession: military officer, spy

Nationality: Austria

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Alfred Redl (14 March 1864 – 25 May 1913) was an Austrian military officer who rose to head the Evidenzbureau, the counter-intelligence wing of the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Army.
One of the leading figures of pre-World War I espionage, Redl's term in office was marked by radical innovations and the use of advanced technology to ensnare foreign spies. Due to the innovations he introduced, Redl's successor, Major Maximilian Ronge ultimately learned in 1913 that Redl was himself a lavishly paid spy for the intelligence services of the Imperial Russian Army.
Soon after his exposure, Redl committed suicide. Although his motivations remain mysterious, some historians believe that Redl may have been blackmailed by Russian intelligence with evidence of his homosexuality.
Other possible reasons may have been greed, career frustrations, or even a narcissistic desire to outsmart his superiors and subordinates. Although the full extent of his disclosures to Russian intelligence also remain unknown, Col.
Redl is believed to have been largely responsible for Austria-Hungary's catastrophic military defeats and devastating combat losses during the First World War and even for the subsequent collapse of the Empire in 1918.
For this reason, many historians of the Habsburg Empire, as well as espionage historians such as the American Allen Dulles and Soviet General Mikhail Milstein, agree in calling Redl an arch-traitor.