British interrogation methods

Discussions on archives and similar issues. Hosted by Jeff Leach.
Post Reply
Venturewolf
Member
Posts: 7
Joined: 17 Sep 2018, 12:22
Location: England

British interrogation methods

#1

Post by Venturewolf » 18 Nov 2019, 13:56

Dear Colleagues,
I am looking for british interrogation methods for captured War Criminals, especially the liberation of Belsen and the FSP/SIB military police.
Thanks in advance.
regards
Venturewolf

User avatar
Sheldrake
Member
Posts: 3726
Joined: 28 Apr 2013, 18:14
Location: London
Contact:

Re: British interrogation methods

#2

Post by Sheldrake » 18 Nov 2019, 16:13

What is your interest?


Venturewolf
Member
Posts: 7
Joined: 17 Sep 2018, 12:22
Location: England

Re: British interrogation methods

#3

Post by Venturewolf » 18 Nov 2019, 17:18

Hello Sheldrake,
Thanks for your reply.
I am looking at what interrogation methods were used on the SS Guards that were housed in the bunker at belsen- reference war correspondents accounts that they were possibly tortured with the same methods as the London Cage?.
regards
Venturewolf

User avatar
Sheldrake
Member
Posts: 3726
Joined: 28 Apr 2013, 18:14
Location: London
Contact:

Re: British interrogation methods

#4

Post by Sheldrake » 18 Nov 2019, 18:26

I know the family of one of the officers of 113 LAA who took over Bergan Belsen camp. They have some SS runes that were probably taken from Kramer's men. The film of the guards burying bodies shows them minus runes.

It is possible that some soldiers administered violent "summary justice" to some of the guards, but that is not the same as an interrogation. At the end of the war the aim was to collect evidence to support a trial. The family had the officer's notebook, which contained information from a French Belsen inmate about the treatment of a Frenchman. This formed part of the evidence available for the trial.

Are you looking for evidence to prove or disprove that evidence was extracted under torture?

What interrogation do you think the British might need to carry out? What secrets might these men and women have?

Venturewolf
Member
Posts: 7
Joined: 17 Sep 2018, 12:22
Location: England

Re: British interrogation methods

#5

Post by Venturewolf » 19 Nov 2019, 12:18

Hello Sheldrake
Alan Moorehead wrote in his memoirs the following;
Same thing in the next cell and the next where the men who were bleeding and were dirty were moaning something in German.
You had better see the doctor, the Captain said. 'He's a nice specimen. He invented some of the tortures here. He had one trick
of injecting creosote and petrol into the prisoner's veins. He used to go around the huts and say "Too many people in here. Far too
many." Then he used to loose off the barrel of his revolver round the hut. The doctor has just finished his interrogation.
The doctor had a cell to himself.
Come on. Get up, the sergeant shouted. The man was lying in his blood on the floor, a massive figure with a heavy head and
bedraggled beard. He placed his two arms on to the seat of a wooden chair, gave himself a heave and got half upright. One more heave
and he was on his feet. He flung wide his arms towards us. Why don't you kill me? he whispered. Why don't you kill
me? I cant stand any more.

So was this part of the Police interrogation procedure, or were they "making sport" with the prisoners?.
I have read the Ronald Giles ( the cartoonist ) was given Kramers P38 and Armband, he sold them to a dealer.Kramers sword was given to the british army.

I have collected most of the defence council documents pertaining to the Belsen War crime trials in the uk and abroad.
I would be interested to see the items that you mentioned, have they been photographed?.

best regards
Venturewolf

Mori
Member
Posts: 1632
Joined: 25 Oct 2014, 12:04
Location: Europe

Re: British interrogation methods

#6

Post by Mori » 19 Nov 2019, 14:42

@Venturewolf: what about answering Sheldrake question:
Are you looking for evidence to prove or disprove that evidence was extracted under torture?

Venturewolf
Member
Posts: 7
Joined: 17 Sep 2018, 12:22
Location: England

Re: British interrogation methods

#7

Post by Venturewolf » 19 Nov 2019, 15:07

Hello Mori
I was trying to establish whether British WW2 interrogation techniques involved or could be seem as "torture"?, as witnessed after interrogation by war correspondents at Belsen.
Therefore, I was asking if any members had come across Military police interviewing and interrogation methods from that period.
regards
Venturewolf

Mori
Member
Posts: 1632
Joined: 25 Oct 2014, 12:04
Location: Europe

Re: British interrogation methods

#8

Post by Mori » 19 Nov 2019, 21:05

the example you quote above isn't related to an interrogation. It's more basic (and fully deserved) retaliation.

User avatar
Sheldrake
Member
Posts: 3726
Joined: 28 Apr 2013, 18:14
Location: London
Contact:

Re: British interrogation methods

#9

Post by Sheldrake » 19 Nov 2019, 21:54

Venturewolf wrote:
19 Nov 2019, 12:18
Hello Sheldrake
Alan Moorehead wrote in his memoirs the following;
Same thing in the next cell and the next where the men who were bleeding and were dirty were moaning something in German.
You had better see the doctor, the Captain said. 'He's a nice specimen. He invented some of the tortures here. He had one trick
of injecting creosote and petrol into the prisoner's veins. He used to go around the huts and say "Too many people in here. Far too
many." Then he used to loose off the barrel of his revolver round the hut. The doctor has just finished his interrogation.
The doctor had a cell to himself.
Come on. Get up, the sergeant shouted. The man was lying in his blood on the floor, a massive figure with a heavy head and
bedraggled beard. He placed his two arms on to the seat of a wooden chair, gave himself a heave and got half upright. One more heave
and he was on his feet. He flung wide his arms towards us. Why don't you kill me? he whispered. Why don't you kill
me? I cant stand any more.

So was this part of the Police interrogation procedure, or were they "making sport" with the prisoners?.
I have read the Ronald Giles ( the cartoonist ) was given Kramers P38 and Armband, he sold them to a dealer.Kramers sword was given to the british army.

I have collected most of the defence council documents pertaining to the Belsen War crime trials in the uk and abroad.
I would be interested to see the items that you mentioned, have they been photographed?.

best regards
Venturewolf
I looked into the story of the unit's service and the notebooks. They include all sorts of information about e.g. the orders for taking over Bergen II (later Hohne Camp).

Here is a piece I wrote about the trip. http://www.theobservationpost.com/blog/?p=1508

Your central question misses the mark. Whatever violence was meted to the SS Guards after they had been captured had little to do with interrogation. There was no need to extract confessions or the names of associates. The evidence of ill treatment and murder literally lay all around. The big questions were how could a so called civilized people let this happen?

Venturewolf
Member
Posts: 7
Joined: 17 Sep 2018, 12:22
Location: England

Re: British interrogation methods

#10

Post by Venturewolf » 21 Nov 2019, 11:01

Hello Sheldrake,
Thanks for the reply to my question, and the link to the webpage, I wondered why some of the guards were not wearing collar insignia.
I am probably in agreement with you on my central question. Interestingly I am in the process of contacting a family member of the DLI who was a member of the prison guard, and met Albert Pierrepoint, I think in Hamlen. They have some photos of the prison etc.
regards
Venturewolf

Post Reply

Return to “Archives”