The interrogations of German prisoners by the French intelligence services (1914-1918)
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24
During the Great War, gathering and analysing military intelligence about the enemy was never an easy task. The Germans tried hard to hide the deployment of their frontline troops and the bringing up of reinforcements prior to an offensive. In the context of trench warfare, to avoid tactical or strategic surprises it was a matter of vital importance to capture prisoners. German prisoners were taken during large-scale offensives or in small operations that were organized with this specific aim. The prisoner would be dragged into the French lines where an intelligence officer would record the circumstances of the capture and then open the first interrogation. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the importance of HUMINT for French Intelligence officers during the First World War and the nature of the intelligence that they gained. Several of the techniques of interrogation are also explained, with an example given of a very profitable capture.
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