Secrets of a German POW

The Capture and Interrogation of Hauptmann Herbert Cleff

Brian Brinkworth

• Publisher: Skyhorse
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781632208798
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World War II
• Index: History

This is the riveting and extraordinary story of Kapitan Herbert Cleff, presented here for the first time by Brian Brinkworth. Cleff, an Officer on the staff of General Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma, attached to the 21st Panzer division operating in the Western desert, was captured near El Dab'a in Libya on the 6th November, 1942. He was interrogated both in the Western Desert and in the United Kingdom, following assessments that led his British captors to believe that he might prove useful to the Allied war effort.During this interrogation period, Cleff kept releasing tantalizing snippets of information about various advanced projects being undertaken by the scientific and engineering community back in Germany, such as the development of AFV tank engines and armor plating and, most interesting perhaps to the Allies, the progress the Germans were making with jet-powered aircraft propulsion, faster-than-sound flight, and unmanned offensive missiles.Every time his captors thought they had teased all the information out of him that they could, Cleff offered another bit ensured he was kept focus of much attention—and away from a Prisoner of War camp. Cleff's explosive revelations intrigued and perplexed in equal measure, and his reputation quickly grew amongst the Allied interrogation fraternity.Despite countless investigative efforts, the truth of Cleff's enigmatic revelations were never able to be fully proven, meaning that the compelling question remains: were his revelations merely flights of fancy or were they genuine exploded secrets?Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Arcade, Good Books, Sports Publishing, and Yucca imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Our list includes biographies on well-known historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as villains from history, such as Heinrich Himmler, John Wayne Gacy, and O. J. Simpson. We have also published survivor stories of World War II, memoirs about overcoming adversity, first-hand tales of adventure, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Dedication
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Author’s Preface
• Chapter1 M 164
• Chapter2 Latimer House
• Chapter3 Reaction Propulsion
• Chapter4 The Enquiry Opens Out
• Chapter5 A Transformation
• Chapter6 On the Ground and in the Air
• Chapter7 Turmoil on all Fronts
• Chapter8 War and Peace
• Chapter9 The Reckoning 1: The New Fuel
• Chapter10 The Reckoning 2: Projectiles and Aircraft
• Chapter11 Post-war Life
• Chapter12 The Benefit of the Doubt
• Chapter13 The Enigma of Herbert Peter Cleff
• Acknowledgments
• Index
• Back