Wolfram Wars: Exposing The Secret Battle in Portugal

By Rod Ashley

Wolfram – also known as Tungsten – is about more than electric light bulbs. Its more deadly claim-to-fame rests in its armour-piercing qualities.

During WWII, Wolfram was in great demand with both the Allies and Axis powers who scoured the globe for the precious material; indeed, they deployed huge resources to secure supplies whilst simultaneously doing their best to sabotage and undermine one another.

The greatest beneficiary from these shadowy dealings was Portugal, a neutral country, under the control of the mercurial António de Oliveira Salazar. The sudden surge in demand created great wealth and bustling ‘gold rush towns’ deep in Portugal’s remote mountainous interior, but threatened to undermine Salazar’s grand vision for his country.

Wolfram Wars examines the role of Portugal in the Wolfram trade, alongside the exploits of its British, American and German customers. It takes in the glitz and glamour of wartime Lisbon, the mischievous dealings of intelligence services, and includes some of WWII’s most interesting spies – spies with code names such as Garbo, Tricycle, and Treasure. A certain young intelligence officer and creator of James Bond – Ian Fleming – also has a role to play.

Appealing to connoisseurs of WWII history, Wolfram Wars is a story that offers adventure, intrigue and espionage, and a fascinating insight into this little-known but hugely important aspect to the war.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bennion Kearny
• Release date: Jun 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781911121169

Book preview

Wolfram Wars: Exposing The Secret Battle in Portugal

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Rod Ashley

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[Smashwords Edition]

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An imprint of Bennion Kearny

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Published in 2016 by Dark River, an imprint of Bennion Kearny.

Copyright © Dark River 2016

ISBN: 978-1-911121-16-9

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that it which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Dark River has endeavoured to provide trademark information about all the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Dark River cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Published by Dark River, an imprint of Bennion Kearny Limited, 6 Woodside, Churnet View Road, Oakamoor, Staffordshire, ST10 3AE

www.BennionKearny.com

Photo and Illustration Credits

About the Author. Image of author. Photograph by Moira Ashley.

Introduction. Figure 1. Map of Portugal’s place in Europe. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Chapter 1. Figure 2. Early maritime discoverers (‘Descobrimentos’) depicted in the Belem monument on the River Tagus, Lisbon. Source: Wikimedia Commons. | Figure 3. Typical Portuguese tiles used for decoration both internally and externally. Source: Author | Figure 4. A nineteenth century Portuguese couple dressed in typical rural clothes from Minho Province. Source: Singer sewing machine advertisement card of 1892 on Wiki Commons. | Figure 5. Pombaline Lisbon – the modern, post-earthquake, grid-plan of Lisbon (a design adopted by many other cities in years to come). Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Chapter 2. Figure 6. Wolfram in its natural state. Source: Wikimedia Commons. | Figure 7. Global distribution of wolfram ore. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Figure 8. Tungsram. Source: Wikimedia Commons. | Figure 9. Tiger Tank abandoned in August 1944 in Vimoutiers, Normandy. It was restored in 1970 as one of only two such models still existing in France. Source: Wikimedia Commons. | Figure 10. Estimates created by author from a variety of sources. | Figure 11. Worldwide amounts of Tungsten produced by country in 2012. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Chapter 3. Figure 12. University of Coimbra Tower. Photograph by Moira Ashley. | Figure 13. Salazar, the young Minister of Finance, reading. Source: Wikimedia Commons. | Figure 14. ‘Portugal is not a small country’ by Henrique Galvão. This propaganda map of 1934 shows Portuguese territories like Angola and Mozambique overlaid over Europe. Source:  Cornell University – PJ Mode Collection of Persuasive Cartography.

Chapter 4. Figure 15. Palácio Hotel (Courtesy Emma’s House in Portugal website). | Figure 16. The Duke of Windsor inspecting German troops on his post-abdication visit to Germany; October, 1937. Source: Wikimedia Commons: German Federal Archive. | Figure 17. Boeing 314 Yankee Clipper on River Tagus. Source: Wikimedia Commons. | Figure 18. Aristedes de Sousa Mendes, Portuguese Consul in Bordeaux, pictured with Rabbi Kruger. Source: Wikimedia Commons. | Figure 19. Press cuttings in British Council library, Lisbon relating to Leslie Howard’s disappearance. Image by Moira Ashley.

Chapter 5. Figure 20. Registration form for Dusko Popov at the Palácio Hotel. Courtesy of Cascais Municipal Historical Archive and Hotel Palácio. | Figure 21. The Condes Cinema, frequented by Agent Garbo, taken from the Suisso Atlántico Hotel. Image by Moira Ashley. | Figure 22. The British Council offices in Lisbon. Image by Moira Ashley.

Chapter 6. Figure 23. Registration form for Ian Fleming. Courtesy of Cascais Municipal Historical Archive and Hotel Palácio. |

Chapter 7. Figure 24. The Panasqueira mine set high in the Beira Mountains. Image courtesy of Helder Martins Lopes of Pinhal Rural Real Estate. | Figure 25. Estimates of Portuguese wolfram (in tons) obtained by Second World War belligerents. British Chamber of Commerce in Portugal, 1945. | Figure 26. Image of derelict Barroca Grande mining village serving Panasqueira mine. Image courtesy of Helder Martins Lopes of Pinhal Rural Real Estate.

Chapter 8. Figure 27. Gold stored in the Merkers salt mine, April 1945. Source: The US National Archives and Records Administration (www.archives.gov/research/holocaust/records-and-research/searching-records-relating-to-nazi-gold1.html) | Figure 28. Generals Eisenhower and Bradley examining suitcases of gold, gold rings and teeth, December 1945. Source: The US National Archives and Records Administration (www.archives.gov/research/holocaust/records-and-research/searching-records-relating-to-nazi-gold1.html).

Chapter 9. Figure 29. Image of deserted Rio de Frades mining village (photo courtesy of Emma Brunton). | Figure 30. Image of deserted Rio de Frades mining village (photo courtesy of Emma Brunton) | Figure 31. Image of deserted Rio de Frades mining village (photo courtesy of Emma Brunton).

Chapter 10. Figure 32. Lisbon’s 25 Abril Bridge and the statue of Christ the Redeemer. Source: Wikimedia Commons. | Figure 33. Modern apartments in Parque das Nações, Lisbon. Source: Wikipedia Commons.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Dedication

About the Author

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1 - The Old Portugal

The birth of a maritime explorer nation

Traditional industries in the old Portugal

Port wine

Cork

Fish and leather

18th Century Attempts at Modernisation

The First Republic, 1910-1926

Chapter 2 - The Magic of Wolfram

What is wolfram?

Properties of refined wolfram (tungsten)

Wolfram: a sought-after commodity

Wolfram and radio communication

Wolfram and armaments

Wolfram mining today

Modern uses of wolfram

Chapter 3 - Salazar the Dictator

The making of a future dictator

Father of the nation

Estado Novo

Financial saviour?

Dealing with dissenters

The Azores – a thorny problem for Salazar and the Allies

Salazar and General Franco of Spain

Salazar’s ultimate impact on the war

Chapter 4 - The Lure of Lisbon

Contrasts and contradictions

Secret agents

The British Royal connection

Escape from Lisbon

Celebrities

Escape into Portugal

The mystery of Leslie Howard’s disappearance

Chapter 5 - Spies, Secrets and Sex

The Abwehr

Estoril

The impact of double agents

Tricycle

Garbo

Key locations in Lisbon

Secret intelligence battles

Chapter 6 - Wolfram by Day and Fornication by Night

Ian Fleming

Treasure

Ecclesiastic

Fritz Cramer and Otto John

Lunch with strangers

Chapter 7- Wolfram Rush

The mines

Differences between mines

The atmosphere of the wolfram-rush

Transporting the ore

Mining conditions

Kurt Dithmer

Social impact

Political intervention

The mining area today

Chapter 8 - Gold Laundering

Sources of the gold

D-Day and the closing stages of the war

Post-war tracing of gold

Chapter 9 - Post-Wolfram Dark Days

Abandoned mines and villages

Portugal starts looking to a brighter future

Chapter 10 - Modern Portugal

African wars

Salazar’s more outward-looking stance 1960s

Dictatorship to democracy

Mass tourism

Football

The future

Endnotes

Glossary

Bibliography

Online references and resources

Other Books from Bennion Kearny

Dedication

To my two youngest grandchildren –

Milo Luc Chaillier-Zeiler and Lola Scout Iles.

About the Author

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Rod Ashley has a long-standing interest in the Second World War, in economic development and in Portugal, which he has visited on many occasions.

He studied English at the University of Wales and Education at Leicester University, after which he initially pursued a teaching career in both the secondary and further education sectors. In 1991, he was appointed to an academic post in Swansea University’s Department of Education and subsequently became an honorary member of the College of Medicine. Having established his own consultancy company, for the last twenty-five years Rod has worked with a diverse range of educational, corporate and European institution clients, as well as formerly being the Director of the Welsh Secondary Schools’ Association.

Rod is a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts and the Higher Education Academy. He holds the status of Expert Evaluator of researcher career development programmes for the European Commission. A keen motorist, he is the regional Chair of the advanced drivers’ organisation, IAM RoadSmart, and is a regular contributor on motoring articles to Good Motoring magazine. The author of many books on education, management and career development, Rod is a member of the Historical Association and has, in recent years, completed online American history programmes through the University of Virginia for his own enjoyment.

Married to Moira, Rod lives on the edge of the Gower Peninsula in Swansea, and they enjoy travelling globally in their free time. They have two grown-up daughters and three grandchildren.

Acknowledgements

Writing any book is a partnership effort.  Many people have contributed to making this book come to fruition, so the list of those who have assisted is incomplete. However, I would like to thank, in particular, the people mentioned below.

Sofia Leitão of the British Council in Lisbon for her kind welcome and her thorough and exhaustive presentation of archive materials from the war era, particularly those relating to Leslie Howard’s lecture tour; Patricia Domingues, PA to the General Manager of the Pálacio Hotel, Estoril, for making time to meet me and for providing the archive materials relating to the guest registration of famous guests; and Rita Prato of Lisbon Walks, for her knowledge of the city of spies. Each of them kindly answered questions before, during and after my research visit.

Professor Margarida Bastos of the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Porto for her kind dedication to tracking down some sources; Professor Otilia Lage of The Faculty of Letters at the University of Porto for permission to quote some of her materials and for answering in depth some follow-up questions.

Helder Lopes of the real estate company www.pinhalrural.com kindly granted permission for images on properties in the Barroca Grande mining village.

Each of these Portuguese nationals displayed the warmth, helpfulness and generosity of their people and made the research artefacts more readily available.

Emma Brunton kindly granted permission for use of photographs of some deserted mining villages. Emma’s excellent blog on living in Portugal can be found at: www.emmashouseinportugal.com

My old university friend, John Goldsbrough, formerly of the British Embassy in Lisbon, sparked my initial interest in the subject during our stays with his family in Cascais, and offered advice on arranging my last research visit; Caroline Rauter, Document Services Manager at Swansea University, offered copyright advice; my brother-in-law Kevin McKenna, Group Manager, Systems at GETECH plc provided information on the geological structure of wolfram; and my wife Moira acted as research assistant, providing patient and honest appraisals of draft chapters and valuable suggestions. Any errors and weaknesses remain mine.

My publisher, James Lumsden-Cook of Bennion Kearny provided a thorough review of the manuscript and progressed it efficiently to publication.

My late mother, Irene Ashley, had a love of history and words; my late father, Major Rufus Ashley, made many return visits, post-war, to Bletchley Park. Whilst they never spoke of their wartime experiences, I hope that this book upholds the work of those, like them, who strove for peace.

Rod Ashley, Swansea 2016

Introduction

How could something as small and flimsy as a light-bulb filament be so crucial to the outcome of the Second World War? Why did neutral Portugal play such a dramatic role in that war? Why was the Lisbon Riviera home to so many double-agents? The answers to these and other questions will soon become clear as we explore a fascinating and little-known sub-plot to a war which has otherwise been written about exhaustively – a shadowy tale of intrigue and double-dealing. It draws in celebrities, secret agents, refugees and royalty, all under the watchful eye of a wily dictator determined to save his own country from warfare.

Wolfram Wars: Exposing The Secret Battle in Portugal focuses on activities in what was largely understood to be an old-fashioned country, quietly getting on with its trade with Great Britain, Brazil and with its colonies in Africa and the Indian Ocean. From 1939 it was neutral, secretive and, as far as many people were concerned, had no important part to play in the global conflict. After all, Portugal was not one of the active, warring partners (known as ‘belligerents’), nor was it located in one of the principal theatres of war such as the Far East. Instead, it was a small nation of just over seven-and-a-half million people located on the western fringes of Europe, facing the Atlantic Ocean. Yet Portugal’s actions and selective involvement in the war had significant ramifications on both the war’s outcome and the relationships between key players. Both Churchill and Roosevelt were closely involved in Portuguese developments throughout the conflict.

In this book, we shall look at the historical factors which placed Portugal in its unique position by virtue of its long-standing relationship with Britain. We’ll examine the political, social and economic situation in Portugal in the run-up to the war and discover why