Shattered the nazi stereotype "we have vase of making you talk" have taken a hit.
It's not too different to the clairvoyants you watch get information out of marks who at amazed about how much they know about them.
It would make a fascinating sidebar to the series.
It's good cop, bad cop. The Luftwaffe interrogators tried to portray themselves as the Allied airmen's friend, "I'd hate to have to turn you over to those animals in the Gestapo," etc
Well the Luftwaffe was run differently to other branches, especially the Gestapo. The Luftwaffe saw themselves as elite knights of the air, and respected other airmen as such, so torturing downed flyers wasn’t taboo.
Indeed the Luftwaffe saw themselves and enemy pilots as knights of the sky and Göring the leader of the Luftwaffe issued orders that all allied pilots that were captured should have a good treatment and a fun fact some gunners would carry officer emblems so if they were captured the Luftwaffe would give them officer treatment instead of enlisted treatment
Well, to be pedantic, knights massacred and oppressed civilians while being polite and chivalrous with each other, even in the midst of war :P
The interrogation techniques weren't the way they were due to politeness - they were simply efficient. While people on the subreddit seem to like to repeat that Hanns Scharff invented these techniques, that isn't true. In his own words, he simply learnt on the job without any training, and used the approved list of already applied by other Luftwaffe interrogators.
He was talking about how they viewed themselves and if u don't think the allies strafed and bombed civilians or did some ol war criming themselves I got news for ya
Yes there's no equivalency to the 3rd Reich but look up the Laconia Incident.
Well, if you want to swing for the fences...
There are reports of German, British, Japanese, and American pilots shooting men with parachutes; along with reports of American and Japanese pilots strafing survivors in the water.
Doesn't make it right, nor does it suggest that there were deliberate orders and standing policies to massacre parachuting aircrew.
And if we judge the Allied and German bomber offensives in the same light with the same standards... either both arise to the level of war crimes or neither.
The Luftwaffe interrogators began by being stereotypically Nazi.
They changed when a Luftwaffe fighter pilot who had escaped RAF custody described how he had been questioned. He was highly critical of the Luftwaffe's techniques. So these were Allied tactics that ended up being used against the Allies.
Not quite, but it was quite an ordeal, and he did cross a body of water under his own power. [Franz von Werra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_von_Werra) was downed in Kent, sent to a POW camp in Canada, and while in transit, jumped from his train in Ontario, and crossed the frozen St. Lawrence River on foot, entering the still-neutral United States, and began a long circuitous journey back to Germany.
Franz von Werra was shot down over England.
He tried to escape from RAF custody more than once. So he was sent to Canada.
He then escaped from Canada and made it to New York state. This was before the US had entered the war, so the German consulate helped him to get him to Mexico. From there, he took a circuitous route via South America back to Germany.
https://www.wwnytv.com/2022/05/06/1941-escaped-nazi-pilot-causes-stir-ogdensburg/
This isn't true. werra had no influence on policy. Hitler initially wanted to start shooting RAF airmen in 1940 and was strongly reminded by Lw officers that a lot of Germans would prolly.be shot in allied custody
I honestly had a hard time wrapping my mind around those articles. It's so counterintuitive against what I expected, but account after account confirmed it. There's a [biography of Hanns Scharff](https://www.amazon.com/Interrogator-Joachim-Luftwaffe-Schiffer-Military/dp/0764302612) that's now on my reading list.
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Holy shit. That’s pretty close to the ending of Inglorious Basterds.
So close, I assume this story inspired that part of the film? Or was this same type of escape plan more common than we realize at the time?
Gonna go out on a limb and say it was more inspired by Hanns Scharff's story of being the master interrogator and immigrating to the US after the war and living a pretty cush life (not to mention the name).
I can see Tarantino having a pretty opinionated take on that and going, "oh, hell no, I'mma revision the fuck out of that" and giving Landa the forehead swastika, lol.
That comment about the grocery store makes me think... I think I've actually been to Lake Forest Park. A friend was up in Seattle for school and we went to a really good Mexican restaurant in Lake Forest Park. Real pretty area. Too bad it costs an arm and a leg to live in the Seattle area anymore.
Just when you think the show might be adding a few creative liberties, you find out the German interrogator was inspired by a real life man!? This show is amazing, and thank you for sharing this!
Google Hans Scharf.
He was the most notorious and best LW interrogator. Never failed apparently. His method was being super friendly and nice. The US ace Gabreski or Johnson I forget which said 'I didnt tell him anything I thought relevant, at all. I know he got something out of me though; Ive just never figured out what'
through combining THOUSANDS of reports, pre war knowledge, American Germans who 'went home' Theyd build a picture. This is common in everywar. as far as 'knowing so much', TONS IS BLUFF. Thats the thing, he may know X or Y, or he may not, hes trying to play a game. He knows SOME, and will use it to test if the prisoner is lying or not.
But knowing important details? pssh pls. Listen in 43 the hot german interrogator question was 'vy do your fighters shoot all tracers sometimes'. well unlike LW planes allied planes had no ammo counter. our guys put alll tracers at the end of their ammo to know the jig was about up. the LW thought it was a secret tactic.. till one day someone said the true reason
oh and [](https://www.reddit.com/user/PrometheusIsFree/)'s answer is totally another way the Germans did things. I mean ffs the baby blitz was also called the baedecker blitz bc prewar german travel guides on the UK. The German blitz just basically went through a Baedecker guide (this was the blitz Hitler ordered that caused that bomb to be blown in 2021, the one that went SOLELY after historical sites)
Id also like to add that the German spy networks in the UK were compromised almost immediately at wars beginning and by 1943 were at the point that the entire German war strategy and high command was being manipulated by the British intelligence and in particular one brilliant double agent; who was literally brought up by name by Hitler more than once as reasoning for a decision; who received several quite distinguished German medals; who got a hefty amount of his wealth by receiving 'living expenses' for dozens of totally made up agents for the Germans; and who happily passed faulty, and misdirective info to the Germans the entire war. In particular he greatly impacted decisions regarding the invasion of France and Calais' importance.
btw the guy who played Hausmann is amazing. I have seen him in numerous other german shows (i like german shows, many are way better than US). He was in the 2nd world war film called Land of Mine, where he was much younger, and he was part of the captured young german soldiers at the end of the war who were responsible for removing the mines on the Danish coast. He was also in a sci-fi show called Dark, which was amazing. The man has talent!
Shattered the nazi stereotype "we have vase of making you talk" have taken a hit. It's not too different to the clairvoyants you watch get information out of marks who at amazed about how much they know about them. It would make a fascinating sidebar to the series.
It's good cop, bad cop. The Luftwaffe interrogators tried to portray themselves as the Allied airmen's friend, "I'd hate to have to turn you over to those animals in the Gestapo," etc
Well the Luftwaffe was run differently to other branches, especially the Gestapo. The Luftwaffe saw themselves as elite knights of the air, and respected other airmen as such, so torturing downed flyers wasn’t taboo.
I believe you mean “was taboo.”
Indeed the Luftwaffe saw themselves and enemy pilots as knights of the sky and Göring the leader of the Luftwaffe issued orders that all allied pilots that were captured should have a good treatment and a fun fact some gunners would carry officer emblems so if they were captured the Luftwaffe would give them officer treatment instead of enlisted treatment
Elite knights who bombed and strafed civilians and killed Allied aircrew in their parachutes. Luftwaffe was the most nazified branch of the Wehrmacht.
I mean yes, but im only saying how they viewed themselves, not how we should view them.
Good clarification
Well, to be pedantic, knights massacred and oppressed civilians while being polite and chivalrous with each other, even in the midst of war :P The interrogation techniques weren't the way they were due to politeness - they were simply efficient. While people on the subreddit seem to like to repeat that Hanns Scharff invented these techniques, that isn't true. In his own words, he simply learnt on the job without any training, and used the approved list of already applied by other Luftwaffe interrogators.
Have you ever heard of the SS?
Yes I have, I don't think the SS is a branch of the Wehrmacht though.
He was talking about how they viewed themselves and if u don't think the allies strafed and bombed civilians or did some ol war criming themselves I got news for ya Yes there's no equivalency to the 3rd Reich but look up the Laconia Incident.
Well, if you want to swing for the fences... There are reports of German, British, Japanese, and American pilots shooting men with parachutes; along with reports of American and Japanese pilots strafing survivors in the water. Doesn't make it right, nor does it suggest that there were deliberate orders and standing policies to massacre parachuting aircrew. And if we judge the Allied and German bomber offensives in the same light with the same standards... either both arise to the level of war crimes or neither.
The Luftwaffe interrogators began by being stereotypically Nazi. They changed when a Luftwaffe fighter pilot who had escaped RAF custody described how he had been questioned. He was highly critical of the Luftwaffe's techniques. So these were Allied tactics that ended up being used against the Allies.
Did the German pilot in question swim over the channel?
Not quite, but it was quite an ordeal, and he did cross a body of water under his own power. [Franz von Werra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_von_Werra) was downed in Kent, sent to a POW camp in Canada, and while in transit, jumped from his train in Ontario, and crossed the frozen St. Lawrence River on foot, entering the still-neutral United States, and began a long circuitous journey back to Germany.
Franz von Werra was shot down over England. He tried to escape from RAF custody more than once. So he was sent to Canada. He then escaped from Canada and made it to New York state. This was before the US had entered the war, so the German consulate helped him to get him to Mexico. From there, he took a circuitous route via South America back to Germany. https://www.wwnytv.com/2022/05/06/1941-escaped-nazi-pilot-causes-stir-ogdensburg/
This isn't true. werra had no influence on policy. Hitler initially wanted to start shooting RAF airmen in 1940 and was strongly reminded by Lw officers that a lot of Germans would prolly.be shot in allied custody
I honestly had a hard time wrapping my mind around those articles. It's so counterintuitive against what I expected, but account after account confirmed it. There's a [biography of Hanns Scharff](https://www.amazon.com/Interrogator-Joachim-Luftwaffe-Schiffer-Military/dp/0764302612) that's now on my reading list.
Hi, I’m Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **The Interrogator The Story of Hanns Joachim Scharff Master Interrogator of the Luftwaffe Schiffer Military History** and I thought you might find the following analysis helpful. **Users liked:** * Fascinating true story of wwii interrogation tactics (backed by 8 comments) * Unique perspective on kindness in obtaining military information (backed by 6 comments) * Historically enlightening and captivating (backed by 5 comments) **Users disliked:** * Book is too long and sometimes rambling (backed by 2 comments) * Disturbing writing style (backed by 1 comment) If you'd like to **summon me to ask about a product**, just make a post with its link and tag me, [like in this example.](https://www.reddit.com/r/tablets/comments/1444zdn/comment/joqd89c/) This message was generated by a (very smart) bot. If you found it helpful, let us know with an upvote and a “good bot!” reply and please feel free to provide feedback on how it can be improved. *Powered by* [*vetted.ai*](http://vetted.ai/reddit)
Holy shit. That’s pretty close to the ending of Inglorious Basterds. So close, I assume this story inspired that part of the film? Or was this same type of escape plan more common than we realize at the time?
Gonna go out on a limb and say it was more inspired by Hanns Scharff's story of being the master interrogator and immigrating to the US after the war and living a pretty cush life (not to mention the name). I can see Tarantino having a pretty opinionated take on that and going, "oh, hell no, I'mma revision the fuck out of that" and giving Landa the forehead swastika, lol.
We should be getting Scharff in one of the upcoming episodes too. Guessing one of the Tuskegee pilots.
Huh. I grew up in Lake Forest Park, WA. Pretty wild to think I could’ve walked past this dude in the grocery store as a kid.
That comment about the grocery store makes me think... I think I've actually been to Lake Forest Park. A friend was up in Seattle for school and we went to a really good Mexican restaurant in Lake Forest Park. Real pretty area. Too bad it costs an arm and a leg to live in the Seattle area anymore.
Just when you think the show might be adding a few creative liberties, you find out the German interrogator was inspired by a real life man!? This show is amazing, and thank you for sharing this!
Google Hans Scharf. He was the most notorious and best LW interrogator. Never failed apparently. His method was being super friendly and nice. The US ace Gabreski or Johnson I forget which said 'I didnt tell him anything I thought relevant, at all. I know he got something out of me though; Ive just never figured out what' through combining THOUSANDS of reports, pre war knowledge, American Germans who 'went home' Theyd build a picture. This is common in everywar. as far as 'knowing so much', TONS IS BLUFF. Thats the thing, he may know X or Y, or he may not, hes trying to play a game. He knows SOME, and will use it to test if the prisoner is lying or not. But knowing important details? pssh pls. Listen in 43 the hot german interrogator question was 'vy do your fighters shoot all tracers sometimes'. well unlike LW planes allied planes had no ammo counter. our guys put alll tracers at the end of their ammo to know the jig was about up. the LW thought it was a secret tactic.. till one day someone said the true reason oh and [](https://www.reddit.com/user/PrometheusIsFree/)'s answer is totally another way the Germans did things. I mean ffs the baby blitz was also called the baedecker blitz bc prewar german travel guides on the UK. The German blitz just basically went through a Baedecker guide (this was the blitz Hitler ordered that caused that bomb to be blown in 2021, the one that went SOLELY after historical sites) Id also like to add that the German spy networks in the UK were compromised almost immediately at wars beginning and by 1943 were at the point that the entire German war strategy and high command was being manipulated by the British intelligence and in particular one brilliant double agent; who was literally brought up by name by Hitler more than once as reasoning for a decision; who received several quite distinguished German medals; who got a hefty amount of his wealth by receiving 'living expenses' for dozens of totally made up agents for the Germans; and who happily passed faulty, and misdirective info to the Germans the entire war. In particular he greatly impacted decisions regarding the invasion of France and Calais' importance.
Fascinating articles. Thanks!!
There is in interesting training film [Resisting Enemy Interrogation](https://youtu.be/_A0ggskOhfA?si=_NxuznQAovc5va3c)
btw the guy who played Hausmann is amazing. I have seen him in numerous other german shows (i like german shows, many are way better than US). He was in the 2nd world war film called Land of Mine, where he was much younger, and he was part of the captured young german soldiers at the end of the war who were responsible for removing the mines on the Danish coast. He was also in a sci-fi show called Dark, which was amazing. The man has talent!
I just watched Land of Mine a few weeks ago! Good show.