The following report on German military interrogation methods in WWII was originally printed in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 17, January 28, 1943. [DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

GERMAN INTERROGATION OF PRISONERS OF WAR The following report on interrogation of prisoners by the Germans is from a German document on that subject. It is believed that a knowledge of the type questions which might be asked of prisoners of war will be useful to unit commanders for instruction on safeguarding military information. a. Printed Form The printed form shown on the following page is required to be completed regarding each British prisoner of war. It is issued in pads. b. Further Questions Further questioning may include one or more of the following questions: (1) Have there been any alterations in the Order of Battle as printed in the [German] handbook? Are alterations in progress, particularly with regard to armored formations? (2) How far have infantry and other units been equipped with antitank and light antiaircraft units? (3) With which units are there signal units which do not belong organically to the division? (4) What is known about the Air Corps or the airborne divisions (parachute and airborne troops)? What is known about the strength, organization, training, equipment, and armament of Commandos and Special troops? (5) What is the effect of our [German] weapons and tanks, technically and with respect to morale? What about losses in personnel, weapons, and equipment? (6) What is known of the Amphibious Command, new weapons, new tanks, or new armament, and of armor on known types of tanks? (7) What is known about active and passive chemical warfare preparations? (8) What rumors are there about future operations? (9) What is the situation at home concerning the formation of new units, movements overseas, supply and food situations, opinions as to the prospects in the war, and general morale?

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