Hanns-Joachim Gottlob Scharff was a German Luftwaffe interrogator during the Second World War. He has been called the "Master Interrogator" of the Luftwaffe and possibly all of Nazi Germany; he has also been praised for his contribution in shaping U.S. interrogation techniques after the war. A mere Obergefreiter, he was charged with interrogating German-captured American fighter pilots during the war after he became an interrogation officer in 1943. He has been highly praised for the success of his techniques, in particular because he never used physical means to obtain the required information. Scharff?s interrogation techniques were so effective that he was occasionally called upon to assist other German interrogators in their questioning of bomber pilots and aircrews, including those crews and fighter pilots from countries other than the United States. Additionally, Scharff was charged with questioning many V.I.P.s that were funneled through the interrogation center, namely senior officers and world-famous fighter aces. In 1948, Scharff was invited by the United States Air Force to give lectures on his interrogation techniques and first-hand experiences. [More at Wikipedia]

December 16th, 1907 in K?trzyn  /  Died:   Sep 10th, 1992