[Eichenlaub]

You should read "The Battle of the Atlantic", by Andrew Williams, the book accompanying the BBC series on the U-boat war. There's a section in there detailing the debriefing methods used by the British to glean information out of captured U-boat personnel. One commander was even allowed to visit London!

Most of the info was gained when a sailor was interviewed about a certain subject and then sent back to his room. Once back within "safe" surroundings, the German sailors would discuss whatever the English officers had asked - not knowing there was a microphone installed in the lightbulb fitting!

"We're certainly not going to tell those Tommies that our new Naxos set can detect radar signals at blablabla..."

Other than this sly method of intelligence gathering, the U-boat personnel received better treatment than other prisoners, including better quarters and food plus special privileges like the commander above, who visited a restaurant and the First Sea Lord in London! Often, interrogation was conducted outside the premises, in the country. Generally speaking, the U-boat personnel were willing enough to cooperate over time.

German prisoners revealed important information, such as the crush depths of Type VII and IX submarines, the diving time, construction details, number of operational submarines and -get this- what these new strange Milchkühe were.

Makes you think, huh?

Kind regards,

Eichenlaub