Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Rudolf H. Michaels Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: IPW Team #28, 5th Armored Division
- Location of Service: Fort Monmouth, New Jersey; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Camp Elliott, California; Camp Crowder, Missouri; Camp Ritchie, Maryland; European Theater
- Highest Rank: Major
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/10008
Fleeing Nazi Germany, Rudolf Michaels came to the United States in 1938 at the age of 22. Drafted in 1940, he was assigned to the 5th Armored Division after the U.S. entered World War II. But in 1944, he was selected for training at Camp Ritchie, in the mountains of Maryland, where he and other German-speaking soldiers learned interrogation techniques to use on captured German soldiers in the European Theater in the last year of the war. (Michaels' interview is in two parts, conducted in sessions one week apart. Part 1 deals mainly with his intelligence work. Part 2 covers his experiences in the armored division, including the liberation of Paris.)
Interview / Recording
Transcript
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PlayThe military need for German speaking interrogators; the origins of Camp Ritchie, MD. 00:02:25.2 - 00:07:07.7
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PlaySix-man Interrogator of Prisoner of War (IPW) teams were sent to the European theater following training in the U.S. 00:07:50.9 - 00:09:03.8
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PlayThe importance of proper language training, even for a native speaker. 00:12:13.3 - 00:13:22.3
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PlayTraining included practice interrogations, even of women, and men wearing German uniforms. 00:13:28.7 - 00:15:13.3
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PlayWith so much time and expense in their training, Interrogators of Prisoners of War (IPWs) were told to stay out of harm's way; situation was much different once they were in Europe. 00:23:46.7 - 00:24:44.7
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PlayOnce in place, IPWs found themselves in situations far removed from their actual training. 00:25:14.2 - 00:29:20.1
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PlayIPWs were invaluable in helping to get devastated cities running again. 00:29:46.9 - 00:30:09.1
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PlayLearning in the field what he had missed at Camp Ritchie. 00:47:00.8 - 00:47:46.3
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PlaySeeing the results of the intelligence he gathered. 00:51:50.0 - 00:54:38.0
More Resources
Interview / Recording
Transcript
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PlayEscaping Nazi persecution in Germany; in 1938 signing a "Declaration of Intention" to become a U.S. citizen. 00:01:55.1 - 00:03:13.7
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PlayWho was at Camp Ritchie and what sort of training they received. 00:05:30.0 - 00:06:58.8
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PlayFew in the military aware of the existence of the IPW teams and what their role was. 00:08:36.9 - 00:09:48.0
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PlayWith the 5th Armored Division, was among the first Americans to enter Paris. 00:17:48.6 - 00:22:04.4
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PlayKind of interrogations depended largely on where they were and what the military situation was. 00:33:06.4 - 00:34:10.2
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PlayUsing the "show of knowledge" tactic to elicit information from German POWs. 00:35:19.6 - 00:36:58.9
About this Item
Title
- Rudolf H. Michaels Collection
Names
- Michaels, Rudolf H.
- Cohen, Jane Reed
- G. Hoberman / L. Rogaski
- Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Sacramento, CA
Home State
- California
Headings
- - Michaels, Rudolf H.
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Race
- White
Status
- veteran
Service History
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World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: IPW Team #28, 5th Armored Division
- Location of Service: Fort Monmouth, New Jersey; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Camp Elliott, California; Camp Crowder, Missouri; Camp Ritchie, Maryland; European Theater
- Highest Rank: Major
- Dates of Service: 1941-1945
- Entrance into Service: Drafted
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Video: Digital Betacam [2 items] -- Digitized Copy (collected 2003-05-22)
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected 2003-05-22)
- Video: MiniDV [2 items] -- Oral history interview (collected 2003-05-22)
- Video: VHS [2 items] -- Reference copy (collected 2003-05-22; 2006-03-03)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/10008
Cite as
- Rudolf H. Michaels Collection (AFC/2001/001/10008), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- image
- online text
- video
Additional Metadata Formats
Part of
Wars & Conflicts
Service Branch
Location of Service
- Camp Crowder, Missouri
- Camp Elliott, California
- Camp Ritchie, Maryland
- European Theater
- Fort Monmouth, New Jersey
- Fort Sam Houston, Texas