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Hanns Scharff Height

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 to shaping U.S. interrogation techniques after the war. As an Hauptgefreiter, he was responsible for interrogating captured American fighter pilots after he became an interrogation officer in 1943. He has been highly praised for the success of his techniques, particularly 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 Allied bomber pilots and aircrews, including those crews and fighter pilots from countries other than the United States. Additionally, he was charged with questioning many more important prisoners who were funnelled through the interrogation center, such as senior officers and famous flying aces.