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{{Short description|South African boxer and spy (1913–1966)}}
{{merge|Robby Liebrand}}
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{{Use South African English|date=July 2013}}
'''Sidney Robey Leibbrandt''' (25 January 1913 – 1 August 1966) was a South African ], who during ] acted as an ] agent for the ] against the ] in South Africa. In 1943, he was convicted of high treason by a South African court and imprisoned for 5 years.


==Early life and sports career==
'''Sydney Robert Leibbrandt''', known as "Robey", was a ] ] . He was also an Olympic boxer and was a would-be assassin for ] Germany.


{{MedalTableTop}}
A prize winning boxer at the 1934 Empire Games, Leibbrandt, went to the ] in 1936. While there the ] contacted him. At first he was not interested, but he quickly changed his mind when he met Hitler. He was presented with a signed copy of "]".
{{MedalSport | Men's ]}}
{{MedalCountry| {{flag|South Africa|1928}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|]}}
{{MedalBronze| ] | Light Heavyweight}}
{{MedalBottom}}


Leibbrandt was born on 25 January 1913 in ], in the ], the third of six children of Meyder (Meider) Johannes Leibbrandt. His father was of German descent, and his mother was Irish.<ref>'A South African Traitor & Operation Weissdorn', 16 June 2016, The Observation Post – South African Contemporary Military History website. https://samilhistory.com/2016/06/16/south-africas-nazi-insurgent-robey-leibbrandt/</ref> Leibbrandt's father had fought with the Afrikaner forces in the ], and was subsequently a Sergeant-Major in the ], but in 1914 on the outbreak of ], he had objected to an order to invade ] in a military campaign against the imperial German forces there, stating that it was his belief that "Germans should not war against Germans".{{Citation needed|date=January 2017}}
Leibbrandt, returned to Berlin in 1938 to study at the Reich Academy for Gymnastics, and stayed on when war broke out. He joined the German Army where he qualified as a glider pilot, and was awarded his paratrooper wings after completing the course (allegedly the first ever South African to do so.


In the late 1920s, Robey Leibbrandt established himself as an accomplished ]. Leibbrandt represented South Africa at the ] and won the light heavyweight bronze medal.<ref name="1934games">{{cite web|url=http://www.commonwealthgames.com|title=The Commonwealth Games|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723215731/http://www.commonwealthgames.com/|archivedate=23 July 2008|url-status=dead|accessdate=20 July 2006}}</ref> He also represented South Africa at the ] in 1936, competing in the ]. He was not able to fight the bronze medal bout with ] and finished fourth. He became South African heavyweight champion on 31 July 1937 in Johannesburg, beating ].
] ordered Admiral ] to implement Operation Weissdorn, a plan for the assassination of ]. Leibbrandt, was dropped on the Namakwaland coast in June 1941 by a ] vessel the Kyloe from were he proceeded to South-Africa. Once here he formed the Nasionaal Sosialistiese Rebelle who had contacts with another pro-German movement , the ].


==German military service==
Leibbrandt was arrested on the grounds of General Smuts' house outside Pretoria with a German sniper's rifle.


Following his stay in ] for the ], during which he had been deeply impressed with Adolf Hitler and ], Leibbrandt returned to Berlin in 1938 to study at the Reich Academy for Gymnastics, and remained when World War II began in 1939. He subsequently volunteered with the ], with which he became the first South African to be trained as a '']'', and a glider pilot. Leibbrand was subsequently seconded to the ] sabotage training course for ] agents at ''Abwehr II'' (''Abwehrschool'' "Quenzgut") near ], west of ].<ref>'The Observation Post – South African Contemporary Military History', website. 'A South African Traitor & Operation Weissdorn' 26 June 2016. https://samilhistory.com/2016/06/16/south-africas-nazi-insurgent-robey-leibbrandt</ref>
In 1943 he was sentenced to death for High Treason. Although Leibbrandt refused to give evidence at any stage in the trial, he claimed that he had acted for Volk and Fuhrer and gave the Nazi salute when he first entered the court, to which several spectators responded. After being sentenced to death Liebbrandt shouted loudly and clearly "I greet death". His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by General Smuts on ] 1943.


==Abwehr agent==
In 1948, Leibbrandt was released in an amnesty of war offenders by the newly victorious Nationalist Government. He died in 1966.


After Leibbrandt had completed his irregular warfare training he was assigned by the ] to take part in ']' (Operation Hawthorn), a plan for a '']'' against the Government of the ] led by Prime Minister ], which had taken South Africa into the war as a part of the British Empire, as South Africa was a ].
⚫ ]


Leibbrandt left Germany on 5 April 1941 under the agent code-name ''Walter Kempf''. In June 1941 after a sea voyage down the North and South Atlantic Oceans he was put ashore from an ] operated captured French sail-boat called ''Kyloe'', captained by ], on the ] coast north of ]. Once back in South Africa, Leibbrandt made contact with what he hoped would be pro-Nazi elements among the ] populace known as the ], but its leader ] was found to be unsympathetic to his mission.<ref name="bunting">{{cite book|last=Bunting|first=Brian|title=The Rise of the South African Reich|url=http://www.anc.org.za/books/reich6.html|year=1969|publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=0-14-041012-0|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012011654/http://www.anc.org.za/books/reich6.html|archivedate=12 October 2009}}</ref>
⚫ == References ==

==Insurgency campaign, capture, trial & imprisonment==

Leibbrandt assembled a paramilitary force of less than 60 men from the ''Ossewabrandwag'', recruited during a series of ] style speeches that he made in the ] and the ]. Leibbrandt's group launched a series of small-scale ] operations against infrastructure targets, dynamiting power lines and railway tracks, and cutting telephone and telegraph cables. During an engagement with South African Army troops in late 1942, Leibbrandt was recognised, and consequently became a fugitive.<ref name="milhist2">{{cite journal|first=Charles|last=Whiteing|url=http://samilitaryhistory.org/2/d02julne.html|title=Robey Leibbrandt and Operation Weissdorn|journal=The South African Military History Society KwaZulu-Natal Branch Newsletter|issue=326|date=July 2002}}</ref> He was captured in ] in late December 1942 after a tip-off given to the authorities.

During his trial on charges of high treason, Leibbrandt refused to participate except to state that he had acted for "Volk & Fuhrer", and to give a ] to the court. On 11 March 1943, the court sentenced him to death. After hearing the sentence pronounced he shouted "I welcome death!", to the receipt of some cheering from a handful of supporters in the court's public gallery. To avoid making Leibbrandt a martyr and risk increasing pro-Nazi sympathies among the Afrikaners, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by Prime Minister ].<ref>'A South African Traitor & Operation Weissdoen', 16 June 2016, 'The Observation Post – South African Contemporary Military History' website. https://samilhistory.com/2016/06/16/south-africas-nazi-insurgent-robey-leibbrandt</ref>

==Post-war==

In 1948, Leibbrandt had his sentence quashed in a general amnesty enacted by the new ] Government under the leadership of ], a party that had opposed South Africa's involvement into ] on the side of the British Empire, and had a policy of neutrality in the conflict. When Leibbrandt was released from prison he was met at its entrance by a small crowd of Afrikaners, who treated him as a "folk hero".<ref>'A South African Traitor & Operation Weissdorn', 16 June 2016.</ref>

In the late 1940s, he returned briefly to professional boxing, winning a handful of fights.

On 15 November 1949 at ], aged 36, Leibbrandt married then 18-year-old Margaretha Cornelia Botha. They had three sons and two daughters. One of his sons was named "Izan" (Nazi spelled backwards).<ref>Marriage register on FamilySearch: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKB-F983-6</ref><ref>Estate file on FamilySearch: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DRJS-XWR</ref>

Leibbrandt remained politically active in later life, founding the 'Anti-Communist Protection Front' in 1962, and producing a series of pamphlets entitled ''Wake up South Africa''.<ref name="uovs">{{cite web|title=List of Collections|work=University of the Free State Library|url=http://www.uovs.ac.za/faculties/content.php?FCode=12&DCode=ALL&uid=52|accessdate=20 July 2006}}</ref>

==Death==

Leibbrandt died on 1 August 1966 at ] from a heart attack in his 54th year. His body was buried in Ladybrand Cemetery.<ref>Entry for Robey Leibbrandt in Geni.com https://www.geni.com/people/Sidney-Leibbrandt/6000000056649025079</ref>

== In popular culture ==
Leibbrandt's recuitment and subsequent activities as an Abwehr agent in South Africa during the Second World War were portrayed in the 1990 South African feature film ] by Manie van Rensburg and starring Ryno Hattingh and ].

==Further reading==

*George Cloete Visser: ''OB: Traitors or patriots?'', Macmillan South Africa (1976), {{ISBN|978-0869540305}}
*Saint-Loup: Les Voiliers fantômes d'Hitler, Presses de la Cité, Paris (1973)

==See also==

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⚫ ==References==
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Latest revision as of 05:54, 23 December 2024

South African boxer and spy (1913–1966)
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Sidney Robey Leibbrandt (25 January 1913 – 1 August 1966) was a South African Olympian, who during World War II acted as an Abwehr agent for the Third Reich against the British Empire in South Africa. In 1943, he was convicted of high treason by a South African court and imprisoned for 5 years.

Early life and sports career

Robey Leibbrandt
Medal record
Men's Boxing
Representing  South Africa
British Empire Games
Bronze medal – third place 1934 London Light Heavyweight

Leibbrandt was born on 25 January 1913 in Potchefstroom, in the Transvaal, the third of six children of Meyder (Meider) Johannes Leibbrandt. His father was of German descent, and his mother was Irish. Leibbrandt's father had fought with the Afrikaner forces in the Second Boer War, and was subsequently a Sergeant-Major in the South African Army, but in 1914 on the outbreak of World War I, he had objected to an order to invade German South-West Africa in a military campaign against the imperial German forces there, stating that it was his belief that "Germans should not war against Germans".

In the late 1920s, Robey Leibbrandt established himself as an accomplished pugilist. Leibbrandt represented South Africa at the 1934 Empire Games and won the light heavyweight bronze medal. He also represented South Africa at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, competing in the light heavyweight class. He was not able to fight the bronze medal bout with Francisco Risiglione and finished fourth. He became South African heavyweight champion on 31 July 1937 in Johannesburg, beating Jim Pentz.

German military service

Following his stay in Nazi Germany for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, during which he had been deeply impressed with Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, Leibbrandt returned to Berlin in 1938 to study at the Reich Academy for Gymnastics, and remained when World War II began in 1939. He subsequently volunteered with the Wehrmacht, with which he became the first South African to be trained as a Fallschirmjäger, and a glider pilot. Leibbrand was subsequently seconded to the Brandenburgers sabotage training course for irregular warfare agents at Abwehr II (Abwehrschool "Quenzgut") near Brandenburg an der Havel, west of Berlin.

Abwehr agent

After Leibbrandt had completed his irregular warfare training he was assigned by the Abwehr to take part in 'Operation Weissdorn' (Operation Hawthorn), a plan for a coup d'état against the Government of the Union of South Africa led by Prime Minister Jan Smuts, which had taken South Africa into the war as a part of the British Empire, as South Africa was a Dominion.

Leibbrandt left Germany on 5 April 1941 under the agent code-name Walter Kempf. In June 1941 after a sea voyage down the North and South Atlantic Oceans he was put ashore from an Abwehr operated captured French sail-boat called Kyloe, captained by Christian Nissen, on the Namaqualand coast north of Cape Town. Once back in South Africa, Leibbrandt made contact with what he hoped would be pro-Nazi elements among the Afrikaner populace known as the Ossewabrandwag, but its leader Johannes Van Rensburg was found to be unsympathetic to his mission.

Insurgency campaign, capture, trial & imprisonment

Leibbrandt assembled a paramilitary force of less than 60 men from the Ossewabrandwag, recruited during a series of Hitlerite style speeches that he made in the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. Leibbrandt's group launched a series of small-scale guerrilla warfare operations against infrastructure targets, dynamiting power lines and railway tracks, and cutting telephone and telegraph cables. During an engagement with South African Army troops in late 1942, Leibbrandt was recognised, and consequently became a fugitive. He was captured in Pretoria in late December 1942 after a tip-off given to the authorities.

During his trial on charges of high treason, Leibbrandt refused to participate except to state that he had acted for "Volk & Fuhrer", and to give a Nazi salute to the court. On 11 March 1943, the court sentenced him to death. After hearing the sentence pronounced he shouted "I welcome death!", to the receipt of some cheering from a handful of supporters in the court's public gallery. To avoid making Leibbrandt a martyr and risk increasing pro-Nazi sympathies among the Afrikaners, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by Prime Minister Jan Smuts.

Post-war

In 1948, Leibbrandt had his sentence quashed in a general amnesty enacted by the new National Party Government under the leadership of Daniel François Malan, a party that had opposed South Africa's involvement into World War II on the side of the British Empire, and had a policy of neutrality in the conflict. When Leibbrandt was released from prison he was met at its entrance by a small crowd of Afrikaners, who treated him as a "folk hero".

In the late 1940s, he returned briefly to professional boxing, winning a handful of fights.

On 15 November 1949 at Windhoek, aged 36, Leibbrandt married then 18-year-old Margaretha Cornelia Botha. They had three sons and two daughters. One of his sons was named "Izan" (Nazi spelled backwards).

Leibbrandt remained politically active in later life, founding the 'Anti-Communist Protection Front' in 1962, and producing a series of pamphlets entitled Wake up South Africa.

Death

Leibbrandt died on 1 August 1966 at Ladybrand from a heart attack in his 54th year. His body was buried in Ladybrand Cemetery.

In popular culture

Leibbrandt's recuitment and subsequent activities as an Abwehr agent in South Africa during the Second World War were portrayed in the 1990 South African feature film The Fourth Reich by Manie van Rensburg and starring Ryno Hattingh and Marius Weyers.

Further reading

  • George Cloete Visser: OB: Traitors or patriots?, Macmillan South Africa (1976), ISBN 978-0869540305
  • Saint-Loup: Les Voiliers fantômes d'Hitler, Presses de la Cité, Paris (1973)

See also

References

  1. 'A South African Traitor & Operation Weissdorn', 16 June 2016, The Observation Post – South African Contemporary Military History website. https://samilhistory.com/2016/06/16/south-africas-nazi-insurgent-robey-leibbrandt/
  2. "The Commonwealth Games". Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 20 July 2006.
  3. 'The Observation Post – South African Contemporary Military History', website. 'A South African Traitor & Operation Weissdorn' 26 June 2016. https://samilhistory.com/2016/06/16/south-africas-nazi-insurgent-robey-leibbrandt
  4. Bunting, Brian (1969). The Rise of the South African Reich. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-041012-0. Archived from the original on 12 October 2009.
  5. Whiteing, Charles (July 2002). "Robey Leibbrandt and Operation Weissdorn". The South African Military History Society KwaZulu-Natal Branch Newsletter (326).
  6. 'A South African Traitor & Operation Weissdoen', 16 June 2016, 'The Observation Post – South African Contemporary Military History' website. https://samilhistory.com/2016/06/16/south-africas-nazi-insurgent-robey-leibbrandt
  7. 'A South African Traitor & Operation Weissdorn', 16 June 2016.
  8. Marriage register on FamilySearch: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKB-F983-6
  9. Estate file on FamilySearch: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DRJS-XWR
  10. "List of Collections". University of the Free State Library. Retrieved 20 July 2006.
  11. Entry for Robey Leibbrandt in Geni.com https://www.geni.com/people/Sidney-Leibbrandt/6000000056649025079
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