William Morrow
July, 2017
In 1942,
the U.S. Army unleashed one of its greatest secret weapons in the
battle to defeat Adolf Hitler: training nearly 2,000 German-born Jews in
special interrogation techniques and making use
of their mastery of the German language, history, and customs. Known as
the Ritchie Boys, they were sent in small, elite teams to join every
major combat unit in Europe, where they interrogated German POWs and
gathered crucial intelligence that saved American
lives and helped win the war.
Though
they knew what the Nazis would do to them if they were captured, the
Ritchie Boys eagerly joined the fight to defeat Hitler. As they did,
many of them did not know the fates of their own
families left behind in occupied Europe. Taking part in every major
campaign in Europe, they collected key tactical intelligence on enemy
strength, troop and armored movements, and defensive positions. A
postwar Army report found that more than sixty percent
of the credible intelligence gathered in Europe came from the Ritchie
Boys.
