German World War II veterans established 40000 men strong secret army

Newly released documents by the BND reveal former Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS officers established a secret army in Germany. According to information obtained by German magazine SPIEGEL the army consisted of around 40,000 troops.

Albert Schnez

According to information obtained by the SPIEGEL, about 2,000 former officers of the German Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS secretly established an army composed of around 40,000 men. The action took place behind the back of the federal government and the public. Main organizer was the later army staff of the Bundeswehr, Albert Schnez. Weapons should be obtained from the riot police in case of an emergency, to which a fellow of Schnez, working in the Ministry of the Interior, had access to.
The network of Schnez campaigned for donations in the industry, discussed with transport companies, which vehicles could be made available, and established its own intellgence service, the so-called defense apparatus. The secret network spied on left citizens and politicians, such as the later SPD parliamentary leader Fritz Erler.
In case of a Soviet invasion, the conspiratorial group around Schnez wanted to, according to SPIEGEL information, first leave the country and then free Germany from outside its borders. At the same time the army was getting ready for a mission against communists in Germany, in case of a civil war.
German chancellor Konrad Adenauer was informed in 1951
Then chancellor Konrad Adenauer learned not later than 1951 of Schnez' troop and instructed the Gehlen Organization - the forerunner of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) - with the "care and supervision" of the shadow army. It is unclear why Adenauer did not act resolutely. Was he afraid of a conflict with the veterans? Concerns of this kind exsisted within the West German intelligence service at the time.

Otto Skorzeny

Schnez had connections to former SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny, who was leading a similar network in Spain (Paladin Group). A department head of the Gehlen Organization raised the question of whether one "can afford" it to take up the fight against Skorzeny. The intelligence officer suggested, according to SPIEGEL information, to ask "the SS" first. "It (the SS) is a factor, and we should consider its views in all detail before taking a decision." Apparently networks of old and ex-Nazis were of significant influence in the early fifties.
The information presented is based on documents provided by the Bundesnachrichtendiesnst (German Federal Intelligence Service), that were reviewed by historian Agilolf Kesselring and the SPIEGEL. Kesselring is a staff member of the Unabhängige Historikerkommission (Independent Commission of Historians), which explores the early history of the BND.

SOURCE - 
"BND-Akten: Weltkriegsveteranen bauten geheime Armee auf." Spiegel Online, 11 May 2014 (de)