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Günter Karl Heinz <I>Guillaume</I> Bröhl

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Günter Karl Heinz Guillaume Bröhl Famous memorial Veteran

Birth
Berlin, Germany
Death
10 Apr 1995 (aged 68)
Eggersdorf (Petershagen/Eggersdorf), Landkreis Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg, Germany
Burial
Marzahn, Marzahn-Hellersdorf, Berlin, Germany Add to Map
Memorial ID
View Source
Espionage figure. He served as an officer in the special operations division of the Ministry for State Security of the German Democratic Republic. He also operated as an undercover agent within the Federal Chancellery. His discovery in 1974 stands as one of the most significant espionage incidents in the history of the Federal Republic, precipitating Chancellor Willy Brandt's resignation. Guillaume had been Brandt's personal advisor from 1972 until his exposure.

Born in Berlin in 1927, Guillaume grew up in the working-class neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg. He was drafted into the Wehrmacht at 17 and witnessed the war's end in Denmark. After being captured by British forces, he returned to Prenzlauer Berg, now part of Berlin's Soviet sector. In the 1950s, the Ministry for State Security honed his skills as a spy, leveraging his background as a trained photographer. During this time, he met Christel Boom, whom he wed in May 1951. The couple relocated to Frankfurt am Main in 1956 under the guise of refugees. There, they embarked on a new life in Hesse, managing a coffee and tobacco shop. Guillaume joined the SPD in 1957 and rose through its ranks, becoming secretary of the SPD sub-district Frankfurt am Main by 1963 and a city councilor five years later. By 1970, he was working closely with Chancellor Willy Brandt, whom he greatly respected.

Following his exposure, Guillaume received a 13-year prison sentence in April 1974. However, he was released early during an agent exchange between the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany in 1981. That same year, Günter and Christel Guillaume divorced after Günter initiated an affair with nurse Elke Bröhl. He later married her in 1986 and adopted her surname, becoming Günter Bröhl.

Günter Bröhl passed away in April 1995 due to metastatic kidney cancer in Petershagen/Eggersdorf, near Berlin.
Espionage figure. He served as an officer in the special operations division of the Ministry for State Security of the German Democratic Republic. He also operated as an undercover agent within the Federal Chancellery. His discovery in 1974 stands as one of the most significant espionage incidents in the history of the Federal Republic, precipitating Chancellor Willy Brandt's resignation. Guillaume had been Brandt's personal advisor from 1972 until his exposure.

Born in Berlin in 1927, Guillaume grew up in the working-class neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg. He was drafted into the Wehrmacht at 17 and witnessed the war's end in Denmark. After being captured by British forces, he returned to Prenzlauer Berg, now part of Berlin's Soviet sector. In the 1950s, the Ministry for State Security honed his skills as a spy, leveraging his background as a trained photographer. During this time, he met Christel Boom, whom he wed in May 1951. The couple relocated to Frankfurt am Main in 1956 under the guise of refugees. There, they embarked on a new life in Hesse, managing a coffee and tobacco shop. Guillaume joined the SPD in 1957 and rose through its ranks, becoming secretary of the SPD sub-district Frankfurt am Main by 1963 and a city councilor five years later. By 1970, he was working closely with Chancellor Willy Brandt, whom he greatly respected.

Following his exposure, Guillaume received a 13-year prison sentence in April 1974. However, he was released early during an agent exchange between the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany in 1981. That same year, Günter and Christel Guillaume divorced after Günter initiated an affair with nurse Elke Bröhl. He later married her in 1986 and adopted her surname, becoming Günter Bröhl.

Günter Bröhl passed away in April 1995 due to metastatic kidney cancer in Petershagen/Eggersdorf, near Berlin.

Bio by: Alex [Bln] ღ



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