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Real estate developer Shalom Lamm launched Operation Benjamin after learning that the grave markers of Jewish-American soldiers did not reflect the Jewish faith. Shalom Lamm’s project illustrates the importance of honoring service members who sacrificed their lives.
More than 500,000 Jewish-American soldiers served in WWII, but little is known of The Ritchie Boys who trained at Camp Ritchie to become interrogators. During the 1930s, more than 15,200 Jewish soldiers, including J.D. Salinger, fled Germany and were recruited by the US military to become interrogators.
In 1942, the US military began training these soldiers in the art of the interrogation. They taught them to talk to captured German soldiers to get information using four major techniques, such as superior knowledge, bribery, common interests, and fear, but they were never to lay a hand on the captures to avoid violating the Geneva Convention mandates.
German soldiers could find themselves answering to soldiers who they once terrorized. Using the above tactics, interrogators might tell a high-ranking German officer about German military intelligence to illustrate his superior knowledge and thereby intimidate the officer. Alternatively, they might chat amicably with person-making the officer feel comfortable.
Other techniques include introducing valued knick-knacks, like chocolate or cigarettes to ply the POW. If all else failed, putting a .45 on the table could do wonders for gathering intelligence.
The US military chose to use Jewish soldiers who later became Jewish-American soldiers because they understood German cultural nuances and were fluent in the language. Turns out, they were right in their estimation because many believe that the Ritchie Boys were responsible for gathering close to 60 percent of the intelligence in Europe through interrogation.
