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Captioning funded by CBS
and FORD.
We go further, so you can.
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>> Wertheim: ON THIS SPECIAL
EDITION OF "60 MINUTES
PRESENTS:" THE RITCHIE BOYS.
THINK YOU KNOW ALL ABOUT WORLD
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WAR II'S GREATEST HEROES?
( EXPLOSION )
THINK AGAIN.
TONIGHT, YOU'LL MEET FOUR
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SURVIVING MEMBERS OF A SECRET
GROUP CALLED THE RITCHIE BOYS--
11,000 AMERICAN SOLDIERS, MANY
OF THEM JEWS, WHO HAD FLED NAZI
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00:00:26,826 --> 00:00:32,565
GERMANY AND WERE TRAINED IN
ESPIONAGE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
WARFARE.
HOW EFFECTIVE WERE THEY AT
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GATHERING INTELLIGENCE?
>> THEY WERE INCREDIBLY
EFFECTIVE.
60%-PLUS OF THE ACTIONABLE
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INTELLIGENCE GATHERED ON THE
BATTLEFIELD WAS GATHERED BY
RITCHIE BOYS.
THEY MADE A MASSIVE CONTRIBUTION
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TO ESSENTIALLY EVERY BATTLE THAT
THE AMERICANS FOUGHT-- THE
ENTIRE SETS OF BATTLES ON THE
WESTERN FRONT.
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>> Wertheirm: GOOD EVENING.
I'M JON WERTHEIM.
WELCOME TO "60 MINUTES
PRESENTS."
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00:01:05,932 --> 00:01:12,138
FOR AS CASUALLY AS WE OFTEN TOSS
AROUND THE WORD "HERO,"
SOMETIMES, NO LESSER TERM
APPLIES.
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TONIGHT, WE'LL INTRODUCE YOU TO
MEMBERS OF A SECRET AMERICAN
INTELLIGENCE UNIT WHO FOUGHT IN
WORLD WAR II.
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WHAT'S MOST EXTRAORDINARY ABOUT
THIS GROUP?
MANY OF THEM WERE GERMAN-BORN
JEWS WHO FLED THEIR HOMELAND,
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CAME TO AMERICA, AND THEN JOINED
THE U.S. ARMY.
THEIR MISSION: TO USE THEIR
KNOWLEDGE OF THE GERMAN LANGUAGE
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AND CULTURE TO RETURN TO EUROPE
AND FIGHT NAZISM.
THE RITCHIE BOYS, AS THEY WERE
KNOWN, TRAINED IN ESPIONAGE AND
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FRONTLINE INTERROGATION.
AND, INCREDIBLY, THEY WERE
RESPONSIBLE FOR MOST OF THE
COMBAT INTELLIGENCE GATHERED ON
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THE WESTERN FRONT.
FOR DECADES, THEY DIDN'T DISCUSS
THEIR WORK.
FORTUNATELY, SOME OF THE RITCHIE
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BOYS ARE STILL AROUND TO TELL
THEIR TALES, AND THAT INCLUDES
THE LIFE-FORCE THAT IS GUY
STERN, AGE 99.
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00:01:57,784 --> 00:02:07,460
YOU WORK SIX DAYS A WEEK, YOU
SWIM EVERY MORNING, YOU LECTURE.
ANY SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN?
>> Guy Stern: WELL, I THINK NOT.
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( LAUGHS )
BUT I DON'T RUN AS FAST, I DON'T
SWIM AS FAST.
BUT I FEEL HAPPY WITH MY TASKS.
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>> Wertheim: JUST TWO WEEKS SHY
OF TURNING 100, GUY STERN DRIPS
WITH VITALITY.
HE STILL WORKS SIX DAYS A WEEK--
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AND IF YOU GET UP EARLY ENOUGH,
YOU MIGHT CATCH HIM WORKING OUT
AT HIS LOCAL PARK IN THE DETROIT
SUBURBS.
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00:02:31,851 --> 00:02:37,924
BUT, ASK HIM ABOUT HIS MOST
FORMATIVE EXPERIENCE, AND HE
DOESN'T HESITATE.
IT WAS HIS SERVICE IN THE
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MILITARY DURING WORLD WAR II.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU,
LEAVING NAZI GERMANY, ESCAPING
AS A JEW, AND THE NEXT TIME YOU
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GO BACK TO EUROPE, IT'S TO FIGHT
THOSE GUYS?
WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?
>> Stern: I WAS A SOLDIER, DOING
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MY JOB, AND THAT PRECLUDED ANY
CONCERN THAT I WAS GOING BACK TO
A COUNTRY I ONCE WAS VERY
ATTACHED TO.
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00:03:02,048 --> 00:03:09,856
I HAD A WAR TO FIGHT, AND I DID
IT.
>> Wertheim: THIS IS GUY STERN
80 YEARS AGO.
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HE IS AMONG THE LAST SURVIVING
RITCHIE BOYS-- A GROUP OF YOUNG
MEN, MANY OF THEM GERMAN JEWS,
WHO PLAYED AN OUTSIZED ROLE IN
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HELPING THE ALLIES WIN WORLD WAR
II.
THEY TOOK THEIR NAME FROM THE
PLACE THEY TRAINED: CAMP
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RITCHIE, MARYLAND, A SECRET
AMERICAN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE
CENTER DURING THE WAR.
STARTING IN 1942, MORE THAN
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00:03:30,043 --> 00:03:37,984
11,000 SOLDIERS WENT THROUGH THE
RIGOROUS TRAINING AT WHAT WAS
THE ARMY'S FIRST CENTRALIZED
SCHOOL FOR INTELLIGENCE AND
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PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE.
>> David Frey: THE PURPOSE OF
THE FACILITY WAS TO TRAIN
INTERROGATORS.
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THAT WAS THE BIGGEST WEAKNESS
THAT THE ARMY RECOGNIZED THAT IT
HAD, WHICH WAS BATTLEFIELD
INTELLIGENCE, AND THE
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00:03:50,029 --> 00:03:58,104
INTERROGATION NEEDED TO TALK TO,
SOMETIMES CIVILIANS, MOST OF THE
TIME PRISONERS OF WAR, IN ORDER
TO GLEAN INFORMATION FROM THEM.
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>> Wertheim: DAVID FREY IS A
PROFESSOR OF HISTORY AND
DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR
HOLOCAUST STUDIES AT THE U.S.
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MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT.
HOW EFFECTIVE WERE THEY AT
GATHERING INTELLIGENCE?
>> Frey: THEY WERE INCREDIBLY
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EFFECTIVE.
60%-PLUS OF THE ACTIONABLE
INTELLIGENCE GATHERED ON THE
BATTLEFIELD WAS GATHERED BY
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RITCHIE BOYS.
>> Wertheim: 60% OF THE
ACTIONABLE INTELLIGENCE?
>> Frey: YES.
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THEY MADE A MASSIVE CONTRIBUTION
TO ESSENTIALLY EVERY BATTLE THAT
THE AMERICANS FOUGHT.
THE ENTIRE SETS OF BATTLES ON
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THE WESTERN FRONT.
>> Wertheim: RECRUITS WERE
CHOSEN BASED ON THEIR KNOWLEDGE
OF EUROPEAN LANGUAGE AND
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CULTURE, AS WELL AS THEIR HIGH
I.Q.s.
ESSENTIALLY, THEY WERE
INTELLECTUALS.
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THE LARGEST SET OF GRADUATES
WERE 2,000 GERMAN-BORN JEWS.
>> Frey: IF WE TAKE CAMP RITCHIE
IN MICROCOSM, IT WAS ALMOST THE
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IDEAL OF AN AMERICAN MELTING
POT.
YOU HAD PEOPLE COMING FROM ALL
OVER, UNITING FOR A PARTICULAR
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CAUSE.
>> Wertheim: ALL IN SERVICE OF
WINNING THE WAR?
>> Frey: ALL IN SERVICE OF
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WINNING THE WAR.
AND THERE'S NOTHING THAT FORGES
UNITY BETTER THAN HAVING A
COMMON ENEMY.
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YOU HAD A WHOLE LOAD OF
IMMIGRANTS WHO REALLY WANTED TO
GET BACK INTO THE FIGHT.
>> Wertheim: IMMIGRANTS LIKE GUY
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STERN.
HE GREW UP IN A CLOSE-KNIT
FAMILY IN THE TOWN OF
HILDESHEIM, GERMANY.
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WHEN HITLER TOOK POWER IN 1933,
STERN SAYS THE CLIMATE GREW
INCREASINGLY HOSTILE.
>> Stern: MY FELLOW STUDENTS--
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IT WAS AN ALL-MALE SCHOOL--
WITHDREW FROM YOU.
>> Wertheim: BECAUSE YOU WERE
JEWISH, YOU WERE OSTRACIZED?
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00:05:33,066 --> 00:05:42,108
>> Stern: THAT IS CORRECT.
I WENT TO MY FATHER ONE DAY AND
I SAID, "CLASSES ARE BECOMING A
TORTURE CHAMBER."
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00:05:42,175 --> 00:05:50,116
>> Wertheim: BY 1937, VIOLENCE
AGAINST JEWS WAS ESCALATING.
SENSING DANGER, STERN'S FATHER
TRIED TO GET THE FAMILY OUT--
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00:05:50,183 --> 00:05:57,390
BUT THE STERNS COULD ONLY SEND
ONE OF THEIR OWN TO THE U.S.
THEY CHOSE THEIR ELDEST SON.
DO YOU REMEMBER SAYING GOODBYE
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00:05:57,457 --> 00:06:02,195
TO YOUR FAMILY?
>> Stern: YES.
>> Wertheim: WHAT DO YOU
REMEMBER FROM THAT?
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00:06:02,261 --> 00:06:10,369
>> Stern: HANDKERCHIEFS.
I COULDN'T KNOW AT THAT POINT
THAT I WOULD NEVER SEE MY
SIBLINGS OR MY PARENTS AGAIN,
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00:06:10,436 --> 00:06:18,177
NOR MY GRANDMOTHER, AND SO FORTH
AND SO ON.
>> Wertheim: GUY STERN ARRIVED
IN THE U.S. ALONE AT AGE 15,
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00:06:18,244 --> 00:06:27,987
SETTLING WITH AN UNCLE IN ST.
LOUIS.
WHEN THE JAPANESE BOMBED PEARL
HARBOR IN 1941, STERN, BY THEN A
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00:06:28,054 --> 00:06:37,764
COLLEGE STUDENT, RACED TO
ENLIST.
>> Stern: I HAD AN IMMEDIATE,
VISCERAL RESPONSE TO THAT, AND
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THAT WAS, THIS IS MY WAR FOR
MANY REASONS.
PERSONAL, OF COURSE, BUT ALSO
THIS COUNTRY-- I WAS REALLY
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00:06:46,139 --> 00:06:54,180
TREATED WELL.
>> Wertheim: IN NEW YORK, PAUL
FAIRBROOK HAD A SIMILAR IMPULSE.
NOW 98, FAIRBROOK IS THE FORMER
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00:06:54,247 --> 00:07:01,788
DEAN OF THE CULINARY INSTITUTE
OF AMERICA.
HIS JEWISH FAMILY LEFT GERMANY
IN 1933 WHEN HE WAS 10.
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00:07:01,854 --> 00:07:06,626
WHY DID YOU WANT TO ENLIST,
INITIALLY?
>> Paul Fairbrook: LOOK, I'M A
GERMAN JEW, AND THERE'S NOTHING
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THAT I WANTED MORE, IS TO GET
SOME REVENGE ON HITLER, WHO
KILLED MY UNCLES, AND MY AUNTS,
AND MY COUSINS.
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00:07:14,300 --> 00:07:20,606
AND THERE WAS NO QUESTION IN MY
MIND, AND NEITHER OF ALL THE MEN
IN CAMP RITCHIE.
SO MANY OF THEM WERE JEWISH.
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WE WERE ALL ON THE SAME
WAVELENGTH.
WE WERE DELIGHTED TO GET A
CHANCE TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE
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UNITED STATES.
>> Wertheim: AT THE TIME,
THOUGH, THE MILITARY WOULDN'T
TAKE VOLUNTEERS WHO WEREN'T BORN
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IN THE U.S.
BUT, WITHIN A FEW MONTHS, THE
GOVERNMENT REALIZED THESE SO-
CALLED ENEMY ALIENS COULD BE A
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00:07:38,324 --> 00:07:44,330
VALUABLE RESOURCE IN THE WAR.
WHY WERE THE RITCHIE BOYS SO
SUCCESSFUL?
>> Fairbrook: WELL, BECAUSE IT
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WAS AN UNUSUAL PART OF THE
UNITED STATES ARMY.
YOU CAN LEARN TO SHOOT A RIFLE
IN SIX MONTHS, BUT YOU CAN'T
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00:07:50,169 --> 00:07:54,240
LEARN FLUENT GERMAN IN SIX
MONTHS.
AND THAT'S WHAT THE KEY TO THE
SUCCESS WAS.
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00:07:54,307 --> 00:08:00,413
>> Wertheirm: WAS IT YOUR
KNOWLEDGE OF THE LANGUAGE OR
YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE PSYCHOLOGY
AND THE GERMAN CULTURE?
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00:08:00,479 --> 00:08:06,319
>> Fairbrook: OH, THAT IS A VERY
GOOD QUESTION.
THAT IS THE KEY TO BEING A GOOD
INTERROGATOR.
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00:08:06,385 --> 00:08:14,327
YOU REALLY KNOW AN AWFUL LOT OF
THE SUBTLETIES WHEN YOU'RE
HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH
ANOTHER GERMAN, AND WE WERE ABLE
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00:08:14,393 --> 00:08:22,201
TO FIND OUT THINGS IN THEIR
ANSWERS THAT ENABLED US TO ASK
MORE QUESTIONS.
YOU REALLY HAVE TO UNDERSTAND,
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IT HELPS TO HAVE BEEN BORN IN
GERMANY IN ORDER TO-- IN ORDER
TO DO A GOOD JOB.
>> Wertheim: BOTH REFUGEES LIKE
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FAIRBROOK AND STERN, AS WELL AS
A NUMBER OF AMERICAN-BORN
RECRUITS WITH REQUISITE LANGUAGE
SKILLS, WERE DRAFTED INTO THE
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00:08:37,884 --> 00:08:45,424
ARMY AND SENT TO CAMP RITCHIE.
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE
GOING TO GO TO CAMP RITCHIE?
>> Stern: I WAS CALLED TO THE
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00:08:45,491 --> 00:08:52,198
COMPANY OFFICE AND TOLD, "YOU'RE
SHIPPING OUT."
AND I SAID, "MAY I KNOW WHERE
I'M GOING?"
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00:08:52,265 --> 00:08:57,336
AND HE SAID "NO, MILITARY
SECRET."
>> Wertheim: THEY SWORE YOU TO
SECRECY?
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00:08:57,403 --> 00:09:02,808
>> Stern: YES
>> Wertheim: ORIGINALLY A
RESORT, CAMP RITCHIE WAS A
CURIOUSLY IDYLLIC SETTING TO
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00:09:02,875 --> 00:09:10,283
PREPARE FOR THE HARSHNESS AND
BRUTALITY OF WAR.
NESTLED IN THE BLUE RIDGE
MOUNTAINS OF MARYLAND, IT WAS
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00:09:10,349 --> 00:09:16,255
AWAY FROM PRYING EYES-- AND
PRYING SPIES- BUT CLOSE ENOUGH
TO DECISION MAKERS AT THE
PENTAGON.
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00:09:16,322 --> 00:09:22,261
GIVE US A SENSE OF THE KINDS OF
COURSES THEY TOOK.
>> Frey: WELL, THE MOST
IMPORTANT PART OF THE TRAINING
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WAS THAT THEY LEARNED TO DO
INTERROGATION, AND IN PARTICULAR
OF PRISONERS OF WAR.
TECHNIQUES WHERE YOU WANT TO GET
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00:09:28,334 --> 00:09:34,040
PEOPLE TO TALK TO YOU.
YOU WANT TO CONVINCE THEM THAT
YOU'RE TRUSTWORTHY.
YOU WANT TO GIVE THEM THAT
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FEELING THAT YOU KNOW WHO THEY
ARE, THEY KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
YOU KNOW A LOT ABOUT THEM
ALREADY.
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SO, WHATEVER INFORMATION THEY'RE
GIVING YOU IS INFORMATION THAT
YOU PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW.
BUT THEY ALSO DID TERRAIN
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00:09:46,719 --> 00:09:54,160
ANALYSIS, THEY ALSO DID PHOTO
ANALYSIS, AND AERIAL
RECONNAISSANCE ANALYSIS.
THEY DID COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
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00:09:54,226 --> 00:09:58,264
TRAINING.
>> Wertheim: THIS WAS REALLY A
BROAD RANGE OF INTELLIGENCE
ACTIVITIES.
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00:09:58,331 --> 00:10:04,270
>> Frey: IT WAS A VERY BROAD
RANGE AND THEY DID IT ALL
GENERALLY IN EIGHT WEEKS.
>> Wertheim: WHAT YOU DESCRIBE,
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00:10:04,337 --> 00:10:10,276
IT ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE THESE WERE
PRECURSORS TO C.I.A. AGENTS.
>> Frey: THEY WERE, IN FACT.
SOME OF THEM WERE TRAINED AS
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00:10:10,343 --> 00:10:16,282
SPIES AND SOME OF THEM WENT ON
TO CAREERS AS SPIES.
>> Victor Brombert: MY PARENTS
WERE PACIFISTS, SO THE IDEA OF
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00:10:16,349 --> 00:10:26,359
MY GOING TO WAR WAS FOR THEM
CALAMITOUS, HOWEVER THEY
REALIZED THAT IT WAS A NECESSARY
WAR, ESPECIALLY FOR US.
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00:10:26,425 --> 00:10:33,132
>> Wertheim: VICTOR BROMBERT,
NOW 98-YEARS-OLD, IS A FORMER
PROFESSOR OF ROMANCE LANGUAGES
AND LITERATURE AT YALE, AND THEN
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00:10:33,199 --> 00:10:38,471
PRINCETON.
HE WAS BORN IN BERLIN TO A
RUSSIAN JEWISH FAMILY.
WHEN HITLER CAME TO POWER, THE
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00:10:38,537 --> 00:10:46,278
BROMBERTS FLED TO FRANCE, AND
THEN TO THE U.S.
EAGER TO FIGHT THE NAZIS, HE,
TOO, JOINED THE ARMY.
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00:10:46,345 --> 00:10:52,818
AFTER RECRUITERS FOUND OUT HE
SPOKE FOUR LANGUAGES, THEY
DISPATCHED HIM TO CAMP RITCHIE,
WHERE STRENUOUS CLASSROOM
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00:10:52,885 --> 00:11:02,762
INSTRUCTION WAS COUPLED WITH
STRENUOUS FIELD EXERCISES.
>> Brombert: THERE WERE LONG AND
DEMANDING EXERCISES AND CLOSE
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00:11:02,828 --> 00:11:10,336
COMBAT TRAINING.
"HOW TO KILL A SENTRY FROM
BEHIND."
I THOUGHT, "I'M NEVER GOING TO
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00:11:10,403 --> 00:11:14,874
DO THAT," BUT I WAS SHOWN HOW TO
DO IT.
>> Wertheim: SO PHYSICAL COMBAT
TRAINING AS WELL AS
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00:11:14,940 --> 00:11:18,811
INTELLIGENCE?
>> Brombert: YES, WELL, WITH A
STICK.
YOU SORT OF SWING IT AROUND THE
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00:11:18,878 --> 00:11:26,218
NECK FROM BEHIND AND THEN PULL.
>> Wertheim: AMONG THE UNUSUAL
SIGHTS AT RITCHIE: A TEAM OF
U.S. SOLDIERS DRESSED IN GERMAN
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00:11:26,285 --> 00:11:32,525
UNIFORMS.
THE RITCHIE BOYS TRAINED FOR WAR
AGAINST THESE FAKE GERMANS WITH
FAKE GERMAN TANKS MADE OUT OF
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00:11:32,591 --> 00:11:40,199
WOOD.
ANOTHER UNUSUAL SIGHT: TOWERING
OVER RECRUITS, FRANK LEAVITT, A
WORLD WAR I VETERAN AND PRO
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00:11:40,266 --> 00:11:46,338
WRESTLING STAR AT THE TIME, WAS
AMONG THE INSTRUCTORS.
TRAINING WAS DESIGNED TO BE AS
REALISTIC AS POSSIBLE.
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00:11:46,405 --> 00:11:52,912
THE RITCHIE BOYS PRACTICED
STREET FIGHTING IN LIFE-SIZE
REPLICAS OF GERMAN VILLAGES, AND
QUESTIONED MOCK CIVILIANS IN
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00:11:52,978 --> 00:12:01,020
FULL SCALE GERMAN HOMES.
SOME OF THE PRISONERS WERE
ACTUAL GERMAN P.O.W.s BROUGHT TO
CAMP RITCHIE SO THE RITCHIE BOYS
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00:12:01,087 --> 00:12:06,459
COULD PRACTICE THEIR
INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES.
I UNDERSTAND YOU, YOU HAD
SPARRING PARTNERS.
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00:12:06,525 --> 00:12:13,966
YOU PLAYACTED--
>> Brombert: ONE HAD TO PLAYACT
WITH SOME OF THE PEOPLE WERE
ACTING AS PRISONERS AND SOME OF
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00:12:14,033 --> 00:12:20,873
THEM WERE REAL PRISONERS.
>> Wertheim: BY THE SPRING OF
1944, THE RITCHIE BOYS WERE
READY TO RETURN TO WESTERN
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00:12:20,940 --> 00:12:28,414
EUROPE, THIS TIME AS NATURALIZED
AMERICANS IN AMERICAN UNIFORMS.
STILL, IF THEY WERE CAPTURED,
THEY KNEW WHAT THE NAZIS WOULD
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00:12:28,481 --> 00:12:37,089
DO TO THEM.
SOME OF THEM REQUESTED NEW DOG
TAGS, WITH VERY GOOD REASON.
THIS DOG TAG SAYS HEBREW.
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00:12:37,156 --> 00:12:42,528
DID YOUR DOG TAG IDENTIFY YOU AS
JEWISH?
>> Stern: I PREFERRED NOT HAVING
IT.
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00:12:42,595 --> 00:12:46,632
I ASKED THEM TO LEAVE IT OFF
>> Wertheim: YOU DIDN'T WANT TO
BE IDENTIFIED AS JEWISH GOING
BACK TO WESTERN EUROPE.
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00:12:46,699 --> 00:12:58,410
>> Stern: NO BECAUSE I KNEW THAT
THE CONTACT WITH GERMANS MIGHT
NOT BE VERY NICE.
>> Wertheim: ON JUNE 6, 1944, D-
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00:12:58,477 --> 00:13:06,585
DAY, THE ALLIES LAUNCHED ONE OF
THE MOST SWEEPING MILITARY
OPERATIONS IN HISTORY.
A MIGHTY ONSLAUGHT OF MORE THAN
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00:13:06,652 --> 00:13:18,564
160,000 MEN, 13,000 AIRCRAFT,
AND 5,000 VESSELS.
>> Stern: WE WERE ON A P.T. BOAT
TAKING OFF FROM SOUTHAMPTON.
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00:13:18,631 --> 00:13:26,572
AND WE ALL WERE SCARED.
WE WERE BRIEFED THAT THE GERMANS
WERE NOT GOING TO WELCOME US
GREATLY.
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00:13:26,639 --> 00:13:34,480
AS A JEW, I KNEW I MIGHT NOT BE
TREATED EXACTLY BY THE GENEVA
RULES.
>> Wertheim: DIVIDED INTO SIX-
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00:13:34,547 --> 00:13:40,486
MAN TEAMS, THE RITCHIE BOYS WERE
ATTACHED TO DIFFERENT ARMY
UNITS.
THEIR JOB: TO PROVIDE
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00:13:40,553 --> 00:13:46,692
BATTLEFIELD INTELLIGENCE.
WHEN THEY LANDED ON THE BEACHES
OF NORMANDY, WEHRMACHT TROOPS
WERE WAITING FOR THEM, WELL-
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00:13:46,759 --> 00:13:54,567
ARMED AND WELL PREPARED.
VICTOR BROMBERT WAS WITH THE
FIRST AMERICAN ARMORED DIVISION
TO LAND ON OMAHA BEACH.
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00:13:54,633 --> 00:14:02,007
HE IS STILL HAUNTED BY WHAT HE
EXPERIENCED THAT DAY.
>> Brombert: I SAW IMMENSE
DEBRIS.
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00:14:02,074 --> 00:14:10,382
WOUNDED PEOPLE.
DEAD PEOPLE.
I REMEMBER BEING UP ON A CLIFF
THE FIRST NIGHT OVER OMAHA
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00:14:10,449 --> 00:14:18,657
BEACH.
AND WE WERE STRAFED AND I SAID
TO MYSELF, UH, "NOW, IT'S THE
END," BECAUSE I COULD- YOU COULD
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00:14:18,724 --> 00:14:25,998
FEEL THE MACHINE GUN BULLETS.
>> Wertheim: IS THAT WHEN YOU
FIRST REALIZE- I'M- I'M IN A WAR
HERE?
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00:14:26,065 --> 00:14:33,973
>> Brombert: YES, I REALIZED
THAT I WAS AFRAID.
I NEVER CALCULATED THAT THERE IS
SUCH A THING AS TERROR, FEAR.
126
00:14:34,039 --> 00:14:40,179
SO, I EXPERIENCED VISCERALLY,
FEAR.
>> Wertheim: ON THE FRONT LINES
FROM NORMANDY ONWARDS, THE
127
00:14:40,246 --> 00:14:46,185
RITCHIE BOYS FOUGHT IN EVERY
MAJOR BATTLE IN EUROPE,
COLLECTING TACTICAL
INTELLIGENCE, INTERROGATING
128
00:14:46,252 --> 00:14:52,524
PRISONERS AND CIVILIANS, ALL IN
SERVICE OF WINNING THE WAR.
WHEN WE COME BACK, WE'LL HEAR
ABOUT SOME OF THE SURPRISING
129
00:14:52,591 --> 00:15:03,002
WAYS THEY FORGED CONNECTIONS
WITH THE ENEMY IN ORDER TO
EXTRACT STRATEGIC INFORMATION.
130
00:15:04,903 --> 00:15:12,311
>> Wertheim: IN 1944, THE
RITCHIE BOYS HEADED TO EUROPE TO
FIGHT IN A WAR THAT WAS FOR
THEM, INTENSELY PERSONAL.
131
00:15:12,378 --> 00:15:18,917
THEY WERE MEMBERS OF A SECRET
GROUP WHOSE MASTERY OF THE
GERMAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
HELPED THEM PROVIDE BATTLEFIELD
132
00:15:18,984 --> 00:15:26,191
INTELLIGENCE THAT PROVED PIVOTAL
TO THE ALLIES' VICTORY.
THE RITCHIE BOYS LANDED ON THE
BEACHES OF NORMANDY ON D-DAY,
133
00:15:26,258 --> 00:15:31,063
AND HELPED LIBERATE PARIS.
THEY CROSSED INTO GERMANY WITH
THE ALLIED ARMIES AND WITNESSED
THE HORRORS OF THE NAZI
134
00:15:31,130 --> 00:15:38,304
CONCENTRATION CAMPS.
ALL THE WHILE, THEY TRACKED DOWN
EVIDENCE AND INTERROGATED NAZI
CRIMINALS, LATER TRIED AT
135
00:15:38,370 --> 00:15:46,812
NUREMBERG.
IT WAS ALSO IN EUROPE THAT SOME
OF THEM, LIKE GUY STERN, LEARNED
WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THE
136
00:15:46,879 --> 00:15:51,083
FAMILIES THEY LEFT BEHIND.
>> THIS IS IT.
THEY'RE ON THE BEACH.
>> Wertheim: BY THE SUMMER OF
137
00:15:51,150 --> 00:15:58,424
1944, GERMAN TROOPS IN NORMANDY
WERE OUTNUMBERED AND
OVERPOWERED.
THE ALLIES LIBERATED PARIS IN
138
00:15:58,490 --> 00:16:04,463
AUGUST.
>> THE DATE WAS AUGUST 25.
>> Wertheim: AND DROVE NAZI
TROOPS OUT OF FRANCE.
139
00:16:04,530 --> 00:16:10,903
BUT HITLER WAS DETERMINED TO
CONTINUE THE WAR.
IN THE ARDENNES REGION OF
BELGIUM, THE GERMANS MOUNTED A
140
00:16:10,969 --> 00:16:16,909
MASSIVE COUNTEROFFENSIVE, WHICH
BECAME KNOWN AS "THE BATTLE OF
THE BULGE."
I SEE A TENT IN THE BACKGROUND
141
00:16:16,975 --> 00:16:21,847
OF THAT PHOTO RIGHT IN FRONT OF
YOU.
>> Stern: YES, THAT'S MY
INTERROGATION TENT.
142
00:16:21,914 --> 00:16:25,718
>> Wertheim: SO, THIS IS YOU ON
THE JOB.
YOU'RE IN BELGIUM?
>> Stern: YES, DOING MY JOB
143
00:16:25,784 --> 00:16:30,989
INTERROGATING.
RIGHT.
>> Wertheim: AMID THE CHAOS OF
WAR, GUY STERN AND THE OTHER
144
00:16:31,056 --> 00:16:38,964
RITCHIE BOYS HAD A JOB TO DO.
EMBEDDED IN EVERY ARMY UNIT,
THEY INTERROGATED TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF CAPTURED NAZI
145
00:16:39,031 --> 00:16:46,872
SOLDIERS AS WELL AS CIVILIANS,
EXTRACTING KEY STRATEGIC
INFORMATION ON ENEMY STRENGTH,
TROOP MOVEMENTS, AND DEFENSIVE
146
00:16:46,939 --> 00:16:52,878
POSITIONS.
THEY THEN TYPED UP THEIR DAILY
REPORTS IN THE FIELD TO BE
PASSED UP THE CHAIN OF COMMAND.
147
00:16:52,945 --> 00:17:03,055
>> Brombert: OUR INTERROGATIONS,
IT HAD TO DO WITH TACTICAL
IMMEDIATE CONCERNS.
AND THAT'S WHY CIVILIANS COULD
148
00:17:03,122 --> 00:17:10,262
BE USEFUL AND SOLDIERS COULD BE
USEFUL.
"WHERE IS THE MINEFIELD?"
VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU SAVE
149
00:17:10,329 --> 00:17:16,935
LIFE IF YOU KNOW WHERE THE MINE.
"WHERE IS THE MACHINE GUN NEST?"
"HOW MANY MACHINE GUNS DO YOU
HAVE THERE?"
150
00:17:17,002 --> 00:17:23,208
"WHERE ARE YOUR RESERVE UNITS?"
AND IF YOU DON'T GET IT FROM ONE
PRISONER, YOU MIGHT GET IT FROM
THE OTHER.
151
00:17:23,275 --> 00:17:30,716
>> Wertheim: 98-YEAR-OLD VICTOR
BROMBERT SAYS THEY RELIED ON
THIR CAMP RITCHIE TRAINING TO
GET PEOPLE TO OPEN UP.
152
00:17:30,783 --> 00:17:38,490
>> Brombert: WE IMPROVISED
ACCORDING TO THE SITUATION,
ACCORDING TO THE KIND OF UNIT,
ACCORDING TO THE KIND OF PERSON
153
00:17:38,557 --> 00:17:46,965
WE WERE INTERROGATING.
BUT CERTAINLY WHAT DID NOT WORK
WAS VIOLENCE OR THREAT OF
VIOLENCE.
154
00:17:47,032 --> 00:17:53,839
NEVER.
WHAT DID WORK IS COMPLICITY.
>> Wertheim: WHAT-- WHAT DO YOU
MEAN?
155
00:17:53,906 --> 00:17:58,477
>> Brombert: BY COMPLICITY I
MEAN, "OH, WE ARE TOGETHER IN
THIS WAR.
YOU ON ONE SIDE AND WE ON THIS
156
00:17:58,544 --> 00:18:05,050
SIDE.
ISN'T IT A MISERABLE THING?
AREN'T WE ALL, SORT OF, TIRED OF
IT?"
157
00:18:05,117 --> 00:18:09,621
>> Wertheim: THE SHARED
EXPERIENCE?
>> Brombert: THE SHARED
EXPERIENCE, EXACTLY.
158
00:18:09,688 --> 00:18:17,029
GIVING OUT SOME CIGARETTES ALSO
HELPS A LOT.
A FRIENDLY APPROACH.
TRYING TO BE HUMAN.
159
00:18:17,095 --> 00:18:23,035
>> Wertheim: THE RITCHIE BOYS
CONNECTED WITH PRISONERS ON
SUBJECTS AS VARIED AS FOOD AND
SOCCER RIVALRIES, BUT THEY
160
00:18:23,101 --> 00:18:29,575
WEREN'T ABOVE USING DECEPTION ON
DIFFICULT TARGETS.
THE RITCHIE BOYS DISCOVERED THAT
THE NAZIS WERE TERRIFIED OF
161
00:18:29,641 --> 00:18:38,250
ENDING UP IN RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY,
AND THEY USED THAT TO GREAT
EFFECT.
IF A GERMAN P.O.W. WOULDN'T
162
00:18:38,317 --> 00:18:47,593
TALK, HE MIGHT FACE GUY STERN
DRESSED UP AS A RUSSIAN OFFICER.
>> Stern: I HAD MY WHOLE UNIFORM
WITH MEDALS, RUSSIAN MEDALS, AND
163
00:18:47,659 --> 00:18:55,100
I GAVE MYSELF THE NAME
"COMMISSAR KRUKOV."
>> Wertheim: THAT'S WHAT YOU
CALLED YOURSELF?
164
00:18:55,167 --> 00:19:00,706
>> Stern: THAT WAS MY PSEUDONYM.
>> Wertheim: HOW DID YOU DO
COMMISSAR?
>> Stern: THANK YOU FOR ASKING.
165
00:19:00,772 --> 00:19:11,116
( LAUGHS )
I GAVE MYSELF ALL THE
ACCOUTERMENTS OF LOOKING LIKE A
FIERCE RUSSIAN COMMISSAR.
166
00:19:11,183 --> 00:19:23,095
AND SOME WE DIDN'T BREAK, BUT
80% WERE SO DARNED SCARED OF THE
RUSSIANS AND WHAT THEY WOULD DO.
>> Wertheim: SO, THERE'S A REAL
167
00:19:23,161 --> 00:19:33,372
ELEMENT OF COSTUMES AND
DECEPTION AND ACCENTS.
>> Stern: YES, AND IT'S
THEATRICS IN A WAY, YES.
168
00:19:33,438 --> 00:19:39,177
>> Wertheim: THEIR SUBJECTS
RANGED FROM LOW LEVEL GERMAN
SOLDIERS TO HIGH RANKING NAZI
OFFICERS, INCLUDING HANS
169
00:19:39,244 --> 00:19:47,119
GOEBBELS, BROTHER OF HITLER'S
CHIEF PROPOGANDIST, JOSEPH
GOEBBELS.
ANOTHER BIT OF INDISPENSABLE
170
00:19:47,185 --> 00:19:55,193
RITCHIE BOY HANDIWORK: THE ORDER
OF BATTLE OF THE GERMAN ARMY.
PAUL FAIRBROOK HELPED WRITE THIS
COMPACT MANUAL, KNOWN AS "THE
171
00:19:55,260 --> 00:20:03,168
RED BOOK," WHICH OUTLINED IN
GREAT DETAIL THE MAKEUP OF
VIRTUALLY EVERY NAZI UNIT,
INFORMATION EVERY RITCHIE BOY
172
00:20:03,235 --> 00:20:07,506
COMMITTED TO MEMORY.
>> Fairbrook: WHEN THE SOLDIERS
SAID, "I'M NOT GOING TO TALK,"
THEY COULD SAY, "WAIT A MINUTE.
173
00:20:07,573 --> 00:20:13,712
I KNOW ALL ABOUT YOU.
LOOK, I GOT A BOOK HERE AND IT
TELLS ME THAT YOU WERE HERE AND
YOU WENT THERE AND YOUR BOSS WAS
174
00:20:13,779 --> 00:20:17,316
THIS."
AND THEY WERE IMPRESSED WITH
THAT
>> Wertheim: SO, IT SOUNDS LIKE
175
00:20:17,382 --> 00:20:25,157
THIS GAVE THE OFFICERS IN THE
FIELD A GUIDE TO THE GERMAN ARMY
SO THEY COULD THEN INTERROGATE
THE GERMAN P.O.W.s MORE
176
00:20:25,223 --> 00:20:29,094
EFFICIENTLY.
>> Fairbrook: THAT'S EXACTLY
RIGHT.
>> Wertheim: THE RITCHIE BOYS
177
00:20:29,161 --> 00:20:37,869
EARNED A REPUTATION FOR
DELIVERING IMPORTANT TACTICAL
INFORMATION FAST, MAKING A MAJOR
CONTRIBUTION TO EVERY BATTLE ON
178
00:20:37,936 --> 00:20:43,175
THE WESTERN FRONT.
>> Frey: THE WORK THEY DO IN THE
FIELD, BEING ABLE TO GLEAN
INFORMATION SIMPLY BY, FROM THE
179
00:20:43,241 --> 00:20:51,450
UNIFORM THAT A CAPTURED P.O.W.
IS WEARING OR THE TYPE OF WEAPON
THAT THEY HAVE OR THE UNIT THAT
THEY'VE JUST CAPTURED.
180
00:20:51,516 --> 00:20:59,324
THAT INFORMATION IS OF CRITICAL
IMPORTANCE BECAUSE IT TELLS YOU
WHERE CERTAIN UNITS ARE, AND IF
YOU KNOW WHERE CERTAIN UNITS
181
00:20:59,391 --> 00:21:05,163
ARE, YOU KNOW WHERE THE WEAK
SPOTS ARE.
YOU KNOW WHERE THE STRONG POINTS
ARE, AND YOU KNOW YOU WHAT TO
182
00:21:05,230 --> 00:21:11,803
AVOID AND WHAT TO ATTACK.
>> Wertheim: DAVID FREY TEACHES
HISTORY TO CADETS AT THE U.S.
MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT.
183
00:21:11,870 --> 00:21:18,276
>> Frey: THIS IS WHERE THE
HAVING AN INTELLIGENCE OFFICER
FROM CAMP RITCHIE WAS OF
CRITICAL IMPORTANCE, BECAUSE
184
00:21:18,343 --> 00:21:23,181
THEY WOULD KNOW THIS
INFORMATION.
YOUR AVERAGE COMMANDER IN THE
FIELD MIGHT NOT.
185
00:21:23,248 --> 00:21:29,187
>> Wertheim: THEIR WORK SAVED
LIVES?
>> Frey: ABSOLUTELY.
THEY CERTAINLY SAVED LIVES.
186
00:21:29,254 --> 00:21:35,527
I THINK THAT'S QUANTIFIABLE.
PART OF WHAT THE RITCHIE BOYS
DID WAS TO CONVINCE GERMAN UNITS
TO SURRENDER WITHOUT FIGHTING.
187
00:21:35,594 --> 00:21:39,264
>> Wertheim: AND YOU'RE SAYING
THAT SOME OF THAT ORIGINATED AT
CAMP RITCHIE?
>> Frey: MUCH OF IT ORIGINATED
188
00:21:39,331 --> 00:21:45,103
AT CAMP RITCHIE BECAUSE IT HAD
NEVER- IT HADN'T BEEN DONE
BEFORE.
HOW DO YOU APPEAL TO PEOPLE IN
189
00:21:45,170 --> 00:21:51,109
THEIR OWN LANGUAGE?
KNOWING HOW TO SHAPE THAT APPEAL
WAS PRETTY CRITICAL TO THE
SUCCESS OF THE MOBILE BROADCAST
190
00:21:51,176 --> 00:21:57,382
UNITS.
>> Wertheim: IN TRUCKS EQUIPPED
WITH LOUDSPEAKERS, RITCHIE BOYS
WENT TO THE FRONT LINES UNDER
191
00:21:57,449 --> 00:22:04,990
HEAVY FIRE, AND TRIED, IN
GERMAN, TO PERSUADE THEIR NAZI
COUNTERPARTS TO SURRENDER.
THEY ALSO DRAFTED AND DROPPED
192
00:22:05,057 --> 00:22:10,262
LEAFLETS FROM AIRPLANES BEHIND
ENEMY LINES.
>> Wertheim: THIS WAS ONE OF THE
LEAFLETS THAT WAS DROPPED OUT.
193
00:22:10,328 --> 00:22:19,304
>> Stern: OUT OF A PLANE.
I HAVE SOME THAT WERE SHOT.
THIS ONE WAS OUR MOST EFFECTIVE
LEAFLET.
194
00:22:19,371 --> 00:22:29,247
AND WHY WAS THAT?
BECAUSE EISENHOWER HAD SIGNED IT
AND THE GERMANS HAD AN
INCREDIBLY NAIÏVE APPROACH TO
195
00:22:29,314 --> 00:22:36,621
EVERYTHING THAT WAS SIGNED AND
SEALED.
>> Wertheim: AND YOU THINK
BECAUSE IT HAD THAT SIGNATURE,
196
00:22:36,688 --> 00:22:43,295
SOMEHOW THAT CERTIFIED IT.
>> Stern: YES, THAT CARRIED
WEIGHT, AND THE BELIEF IN THE
PRINTED MATTER WAS VERY GREAT.
197
00:22:43,361 --> 00:22:47,399
>> Wertheim: THAT'S THE KIND OF
THING YOU WOULD KNOW.
>> Stern: YES.
>> Wertheim: AS A FORMER GERMAN
198
00:22:47,466 --> 00:22:52,838
WHO UNDERSTOOD THE PSYCHOLOGY
AND THE MENTALITY.
>> Stern: THAT'S CORRECT.
>> Wertheim: APART FROM THE
199
00:22:52,904 --> 00:22:58,310
FIGHTING, THERE WERE OTHER
THREATS CONFRONTING THE RITCHIE
BOYS.
GIVEN THEIR FOREIGN ACCENTS,
200
00:22:58,376 --> 00:23:03,615
THEY WERE IN PARTICULAR DANGER
OF BEING MISTAKEN FOR THE ENEMY
BY THEIR OWN TROOPS, WHO
INSTITUTED PASSWORDS AT
201
00:23:03,682 --> 00:23:10,122
CHECKPOINTS.
>> Brombert: WHAT HAPPENED TO
ONE OF THE RITCHIE BOYS-- AT
NIGHT ON THE WAY TO THE LATRINE,
202
00:23:10,188 --> 00:23:14,526
HE WAS ASKED FOR A PASSWORD AND
HE GAVE THE NAME, THE WORD FOR
THE PASSWORD, BUT WITH A GERMAN
ACCENT.
203
00:23:14,593 --> 00:23:18,697
HE WAS SHOT RIGHT AWAY AND
KILLED.
>> Wertheim: DID YOU EVER WORRY
YOUR ACCENT MIGHT GET YOU
204
00:23:18,764 --> 00:23:26,705
KILLED?
>> Brombert: YES, OF COURSE.
YOU KNOW, I DON'T TALK LIKE AN
ALABAMA PERSON OR A TEXAN.
205
00:23:26,772 --> 00:23:31,977
>> Wertheim: SOME RITCHIE BOYS
WERE RECRUITED TO GO ON SECRET
MISSIONS DURING THE WAR.
97-YEAR-OLD MAX LERNER, AN
206
00:23:32,043 --> 00:23:39,384
AUSTRIAN JEW FLUENT IN GERMAN
AND FRENCH, SERVED AS A SPECIAL
AGENT WITH THE
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE CORPS,
207
00:23:39,451 --> 00:23:46,091
PASSING INFORMATION TO FRENCH
UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE GROUPS.
YOU WERE TRAINED AS A SPY?
>> Max Lerner: YES.
208
00:23:46,158 --> 00:23:53,165
>> Wertheim: WHAT WERE YOU
TRAINED TO DO?
>> Lerner: WEAR CIVILIAN
CLOTHES, PASS MESSAGES, KILL.
209
00:23:53,231 --> 00:23:59,337
>> Wertheim: THIS IS GOING
BEHIND ENEMY LINES.
I MEAN, THIS IS YOU'RE TAKING
YOUR LIFE IN YOUR HANDS HERE.
210
00:23:59,404 --> 00:24:05,410
>> Lerner: WELL, IT WAS A WAR.
>> Wertheim: THAT'S HOW YOU
LOOKED AT IT.
>> Lerner: IT WAS MY WAR.
211
00:24:05,477 --> 00:24:13,185
AND I NEEDED TO GET MY OWN BACK.
I WANTED DESPERATELY TO DO
SOMETHING.
>> Wertheim: AT ONE POINT, MAX
212
00:24:13,251 --> 00:24:19,457
LERNER DISGUISED HIMSELF AS A
GERMAN OFFICER AND SNUCK BEHIND
ENEMY LINES, LEADING A TEAM OF
AMERICAN SOLDIERS INTO A GERMAN
213
00:24:19,524 --> 00:24:26,298
DEPOT AT NIGHT AND DESTROYING
THE EQUIPMENT.
DID YOU WORRY WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN
IF YOU WERE CAPTURED?
214
00:24:26,364 --> 00:24:29,768
>> Lerner: I WASN'T SMART
ENOUGH.
>> Wertheim: WHAT DO YOU SUSPECT
MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED?
215
00:24:29,835 --> 00:24:35,407
>> Lerner: OH, I WOULD HAVE BEEN
KILLED.
>> Wertheim: BY THE SPRING OF
1945, ALLIED FORCES NEARED
216
00:24:35,473 --> 00:24:42,714
BERLIN AND HITLER TOOK HIS LIFE
IN HIS UNDERGROUND BUNKER.
GERMANY SURRENDERED ON MAY 8 OF
THAT YEAR.
217
00:24:42,781 --> 00:24:50,589
WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER FEELING
THAT DAY?
>> Stern: ELATED.
IT WAS ABSOLUTELY, "WE WON,
218
00:24:50,655 --> 00:24:55,460
KID!"
(.LAUGHS )
>> Wertheim: AND THOSE ARE YOUR,
THOSE ARE YOUR COMRADES?
219
00:24:55,527 --> 00:24:59,364
>> Stern: YES.
>> Wertheim: THOSE ARE YOUR
GUYS.
>> Stern: YES.
220
00:24:59,431 --> 00:25:07,505
>> Wertheim: BUT JOY TURNED TO
HORROR AS ALLIED SOLDIERS AND
THE WORLD LEARNED THE FULL SCALE
OF THE NAZI MASS EXTERMINATION.
221
00:25:07,572 --> 00:25:15,480
GUY STERN RECALLS ARRIVING AT
BUCHENWALD CONCENTRATION CAMP
THREE DAYS AFTER ITS LIBERATION,
ALONGSIDE A FELLOW AMERICAN
222
00:25:15,547 --> 00:25:26,024
SERGEANT.
>> Stern: WE WERE WALKING ALONG
AND YOU SAW THESE EMACIATED,
HORRIBLY LOOKING, CLOSE TO DEATH
223
00:25:26,091 --> 00:25:37,569
PEOPLE.
AND SO, I FELL BACK BEHIND,
BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO BE SEEN
CRYING TO A HARDENED SOLDIER,
224
00:25:37,636 --> 00:25:51,516
AND THEN HE LOOKED AROUND TO
LOOK WHERE I WAS, HOW I WAS
DELAYED, AND HE, THIS GOOD
FELLOW FROM MIDDLE OF OHIO, WAS
225
00:25:51,583 --> 00:25:59,457
BAWLING JUST AS I WAS.
>> Wertheim: A FEW DAYS LATER,
STERN RETURNED TO THE PLACE OF
HIS BIRTH, HOPING TO REUNITE
226
00:25:59,524 --> 00:26:07,565
WITH HIS FAMILY.
BUT HILDESHEIM WAS NOW IN RUINS.
A CHILDHOOD FRIEND DESCRIBED TO
STERN HOW HIS PARENTS, YOUNGER
227
00:26:07,632 --> 00:26:15,340
BROTHER AND SISTER HAD BEEN
FORCED FROM THEIR HOME AND
DEPORTED.
>> Stern: THEY WERE KILLED
228
00:26:15,407 --> 00:26:23,415
EITHER IN WARSAW OR IN
AUSCHWITZ.
NONE OF MY FAMILY SURVIVED.
I WAS THE ONLY ONE TO GET OUT.
229
00:26:23,481 --> 00:26:29,521
>> Wertheim: DID YOU EVER ASK
YOURSELF, "WHY ME?"
WHY WERE YOU THE ONE THAT MADE
IT TO THE UNITED STATES?
230
00:26:29,587 --> 00:26:43,568
>> Stern: YES, EVEN LAST NIGHT.
AND I SAID "WELL, HUH, IN SLANG,
THERE AIN'T NOTHING SPECIAL
ABOUT YOU, BUT IF YOU WERE
231
00:26:43,635 --> 00:26:55,580
SAVED, YOU GOT TO SHOW THAT YOU
WERE WORTHY OF IT.
AND THAT HAS BEEN THE DRIVING
FORCE IN MY LIFE.
232
00:26:55,647 --> 00:27:03,555
>> Wertheim: AS A WAY TO HONOR
YOUR FAMILY THAT PERISHED.
>> Stern: YEAH.
>> Wertheim: AFTER THE GERMAN
233
00:27:03,621 --> 00:27:11,162
ARMY'S SURRENDER, GUY STERN AND
THE OTHER RITCHIE BOYS TOOK ON A
NEW ASSIGNMENT: HUNTING DOWN TOP
NAZI OFFICERS RESPONSIBLE FOR
234
00:27:11,229 --> 00:27:16,101
THE ATROCITIES THAT KILLED SO
MANY, INCLUDING MANY OF THEIR
LOVED ONES.
WHEN WE COME BACK, WE'LL HEAR
235
00:27:16,167 --> 00:27:23,608
ABOUT SOME OF THE SURPRISING
WAYS GUY STERN AND THE OTHER
RITCHIE BOYS WERE ABLE TO
IDENTIFY SUSPECTED NAZI WAR
236
00:27:23,675 --> 00:27:34,552
CRIMINALS, MANY OF WHOM LATER
STOOD TRIAL FOR CRIMES AGAINST
HUMANITY AT NUREMBERG.
( TICKING )
237
00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:44,162
( TICKING )
>> Wertheim: THE RITCHIE BOYS
WERE MEMBERS OF A SECRET
AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE GROUP
238
00:27:44,229 --> 00:27:50,935
WHOSE MASTERY OF THE GERMAN
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE PROVED
CRITICAL TO THE ALLIES' VICTORY
OVER HITLER.
239
00:27:51,002 --> 00:27:58,343
MANY OF THEM WERE JEWISH
REFUGEES FROM EUROPE, WHO FLED
THEIR HOMELAND, CAME TO AMERICA
AND JOINED THE U.S. ARMY.
240
00:27:58,410 --> 00:28:05,850
AFTER HITLER'S DEFEAT, MANY OF
THEM TOOK ON A CHALLENGING NEW
ASSIGNMENT: USING THEIR LANGUAGE
AND INTERROGATION SKILLS TO FIND
241
00:28:05,917 --> 00:28:11,756
AND ARREST TOP NAZI WAR
CRIMINALS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE
GREATEST CONTRIBUTION OF THE
242
00:28:11,823 --> 00:28:23,902
RITCHIE BOYS?
>> Stern: I THINK IT WAS THE
CONTINUOUS FLOW OF RELIABLE
INFORMATION THAT REALLY HELPED
243
00:28:23,968 --> 00:28:31,910
EXPEDITE THE END OF THE WAR.
>> Wertheim: THIS HAD A REAL
MATERIAL IMPACT ON WORLD WAR II.
>> Stern: YES
244
00:28:31,976 --> 00:28:39,984
>> Wertheim: FOR 99-YEAR-OLD GUY
STERN, A GERMAN JEW WHOSE ENTIRE
FAMILY WAS KILLED BY THE NAZIS,
THE ALLIES' VICTORY OVER HITLER
245
00:28:40,051 --> 00:28:47,892
WAS THE CULMINATION OF A PUBLIC
CRUSADE AND A PRIVATE ONE AS
WELL.
>> Stern: DEFEATING THE
246
00:28:47,959 --> 00:29:03,441
WEHRMACHT AND THE WAFFEN S.S.
AND ALL THE FANCY TROOPS THEY
HAD WAS A SATISFACTION BOTH AS A
TEAM MEMBER AND AS A PERSONAL
247
00:29:03,508 --> 00:29:15,587
SATISFACTION.
THE VERY ASPECT OF THESE S.O.B.s
NOW BEING AT MY COMMAND--
( LAUGHS )
248
00:29:15,653 --> 00:29:21,926
GAVE ME ALSO SOME PERSONAL
SATISFACTION.
>> Wertheim: AFTER GERMANY'S
SURRENDER, THE RITCHIE BOYS TOOK
249
00:29:21,993 --> 00:29:27,999
ON THE DIFFICULT TASK OF
IDENTIFYING AND TRACKING DOWN
NAZI CRIMINALS.
LONGTIME YALE AND PRINCETON
250
00:29:28,066 --> 00:29:38,176
PROFESSOR VICTOR BROMBERT HELPED
ENACT THE OFFICIAL ALLIED POLICY
OF REMOVING NAZI INFLUENCE FROM
GERMAN PUBLIC LIFE, KNOWN AS DE-
251
00:29:38,243 --> 00:29:46,851
NAZIFICATION.
SO, IN MAY OF 1945, GERMANY
SURRENDERS, AND YOU'RE ASSIGNED
TO THE DE-NAZIFICATION PROCESS.
252
00:29:46,918 --> 00:29:55,994
WHAT- WHAT DID THAT ENTAIL?
>> Brombert: WE WERE SUPPOSED TO
ARREST IMPORTANT NAZI OFFICIALS,
NOT JUST ANY NAZI PARTY MEMBER.
253
00:29:56,060 --> 00:30:05,970
IT WAS VERY, VERY HARD, VERY
DIFFICULT AND VERY RARE TO HAVE
A GERMAN DENOUNCE ANOTHER GERMAN
AT THAT POINT.
254
00:30:06,037 --> 00:30:15,246
NOW IS IT BECAUSE THEY WERE
AFRAID THAT THE NAZIS MIGHT COME
BACK, THAT IT'S NOT OVER?
OR IS IT JUST A HABIT OR HABIT
255
00:30:15,313 --> 00:30:22,420
OF OBEDIENCE OR DIGNITY?
I DON'T KNOW.
AND AT GREAT EFFORT WE FOUND
PEOPLE, WE ARRESTED THEM, WE
256
00:30:22,487 --> 00:30:28,493
WERE PROUD OF DOING THAT.
>> Wertheim: AS PART OF DE-
NAZIFICATION, PHOTOS OF NAZI
ATROCITIES WERE POSTED IN GERMAN
257
00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:37,936
SHOP WINDOWS AND RITCHIE BOYS
LED THE COUNTRY'S CITIZENS ON
TOURS OF THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS
TO EDUCATE THE LOCAL POPULATION
258
00:30:38,002 --> 00:30:43,975
ABOUT THE EVIL HITLER HAD
PERPETRATED.
SOMETIMES ENTIRE GERMAN TOWNS
WERE FORCED TO PAY RESPECTS TO
259
00:30:44,042 --> 00:30:51,382
THE DEAD.
MAX LERNER WAS ASSIGNED TO
INTERVIEW GERMAN CIVILIANS TO
HELP GAUGE THE DEGREE TO WHICH
260
00:30:51,449 --> 00:30:58,022
THEY HAD SERVED THE NAZI CAUSE
AND DETERMINE WHICH ONES SHOULD
BE PUNISHED.
I IMAGINE ALL OF A SUDDEN NO ONE
261
00:30:58,089 --> 00:31:03,127
WANTS TO ADMIT TO BEING A NAZI
>> Lerner: THERE WERE NO NAZIS.
THEY WERE ALL FORCED TO DO IT
>> Wertheim: THAT'S WHAT YOU
262
00:31:03,194 --> 00:31:06,231
WERE TOLD.
"I'M DENOUNCING THIS AND I WAS
FORCED TO DO IT."
>> Lerner: YES.
263
00:31:06,297 --> 00:31:14,706
THEY WERE ALL JUSTIFYING
THEMSELVES.
"IT WAS A TERRIBLE SITUATION.
AND I HAD NO CHOICE."
264
00:31:14,772 --> 00:31:20,111
"I HAD NO CHOICE."
THAT WAS THE MANTRA.
"I WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED IF I
HADN'T GONE ALONG."
265
00:31:20,178 --> 00:31:26,084
>> Wertheim: DID YOU EVER
CONFRONT A NAZI WHO SAID "THIS
WAS MORALLY REPREHENSIBLE?
>> Lerner: NO.
266
00:31:26,150 --> 00:31:30,054
>> Wertheim: UNPRINCIPLED AND
DISHONORABLE AND I'M SORRY?
>> Lerner: NO.
>> Wertheim: NEVER?
267
00:31:30,121 --> 00:31:36,027
>> Lerner: NEVER.
>> Wertheim: ONE OF THE WAYS
THEY IDENTIFIED SUBJECTS WANTED
FOR INTERROGATION WAS BY
268
00:31:36,094 --> 00:31:42,033
CONSULTING THIS BOOK, "THE
CENTRAL REGISTRY OF WAR
CRIMINALS AND SECURITY
SUSPECTS," WHICH LISTED ENEMY
269
00:31:42,100 --> 00:31:50,975
NATIONALS SUSPECTED OF
COMMITTING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
WAR CRIMES IN EUROPE- EVERYONE
FROM LOW RANKING MEMBERS OF THE
270
00:31:51,042 --> 00:31:56,281
ARMED FORCES TO TOP NAZI
OFFICIALS.
TO ALLIED INVESTIGATORS IT
BECAME A SORT OF NAZI HUNTER'S
271
00:31:56,347 --> 00:32:02,320
BIBLE.
DID YOU ENJOY HUNTING NAZIS?
DID IT GIVE YOU ANY
SATISFACTION?
272
00:32:02,387 --> 00:32:08,326
>> Lerner: IT GAVE ME A GREAT
DEAL OF SATISFACTION.
"ENJOY" IS PERHAPS NOT THE RIGHT
WORD, BUT IT GAVE ME GREAT DEAL
273
00:32:08,393 --> 00:32:16,100
OF SATISFACTION.
>> Wertheim: WHY SPECIFICALLY?
>> Lerner: BECAUSE I REMEMBERED
MY PARENTS.
274
00:32:16,167 --> 00:32:24,108
MY FATHER WAS 49-YEARS-OLD AND,
AND MY MOTHER WAS 48, AND THEY
LEFT EVERYTHING THEY HAD BUILT
UP BEHIND, AND ARRIVED IN THE
275
00:32:24,175 --> 00:32:32,116
UNITED STATES PENNILESS.
>> Wertheim: AND YOU WERE ABLE
TO CONFRONT THE PEOPLE THAT HAD
CAUSED THIS, THIS TRAUMA.
276
00:32:32,183 --> 00:32:39,357
>> Lerner: YES.
>> Wertheim: ALL S.S. MEMBERS
WERE SUBJECT TO AUTOMATIC
ARREST.
277
00:32:39,424 --> 00:32:46,264
ESTABLISHED BY HITLER AND LED BY
HEINRICH HIMMLER, THE S.S. WAS
RESPONSIBLE FOR SECURITY AND
INTELLIGENCE COLLECTION IN
278
00:32:46,331 --> 00:32:52,236
GERMANY.
THE S.S. CONTROLLED THE GERMAN
POLICE FORCES AND CONCENTRATION
CAMPS, AND DIRECTED THE SO-
279
00:32:52,303 --> 00:33:00,111
CALLED "FINAL SOLUTION" TO KILL
ALL EUROPEAN JEWS.
MAX LERNER RECALLS THAT IN ONE
RESPECT AT LEAST, IDENTIFYING
280
00:33:00,178 --> 00:33:08,186
MOST S.S. MEMBERS WAS EASY.
>> Lerner: YOU KNOW HOW TO TELL
AN S.S. MAN?
>> Wertheim: HOW?
281
00:33:08,252 --> 00:33:15,593
>> Lerner: THEY HAVE A TATTOO OF
THEIR BLOOD GROUP UNDER THEIR
LEFT ARMS.
>> Wertheim: S.S. MEN, YOU'RE
282
00:33:15,660 --> 00:33:20,198
SAYING, HAVE A TATTOO UNDER
THEIR LEFT ARM WITH THEIR BLOOD
TYPE?
>> Lerner: YES.
283
00:33:20,264 --> 00:33:27,105
OR THEY HAD AN EFFORT TO ERASE
IT.
>> Wertheim: THE PURPOSE OF THE
TATTOO WAS TO IDENTIFY A
284
00:33:27,171 --> 00:33:35,480
SOLDIER'S BLOOD TYPE IN CASE A
TRANSFUSION WAS NEEDED OR IF HIS
DOG TAGS WENT MISSING.
MAX LERNER RECALLS BEING PUT IN
285
00:33:35,546 --> 00:33:42,153
CHARGE OF ONE PROMINENT CAPTURED
GERMAN PRISONER AT A JAIL IN
WEISBADEN, GERMANY.
THAT WAS JULIUS STREICHER, THE
286
00:33:42,220 --> 00:33:48,226
FOUNDER AND EDITOR OF THE NAZI
PAPER "DER STUERMER" AND ONE OF
THE COUNTRY'S LEADING ANTI-
SEMITES.
287
00:33:48,292 --> 00:33:55,099
>> Lerner: HE SPENT SEVERAL DAYS
IN MY JAIL.
AND I MADE SURE HE KNEW THAT IT
WAS A JEW WHO CONTROLLED HIM.
288
00:33:55,166 --> 00:34:03,708
>> Wertheim: YOU LET HIM KNOW
YOU WERE JEWISH?
>> Lerner: OH, YES.
>> Wertheim: STRIECHER WAS LATER
289
00:34:03,775 --> 00:34:11,048
TRIED AND CONVICTED AT THE
INTERNATIONAL MILITARY TRIBUNAL
AT NUREMBERG, WHERE
CONCENTRATION CAMP SURVIVORS WHO
290
00:34:11,115 --> 00:34:16,554
BORE WITNESS TO THE MASS MURDER
FACED DOWN THEIR NAZI
TORMENTORS.
DOZENS OF RITCHIE BOYS WORKED AT
291
00:34:16,621 --> 00:34:23,394
THE NUREMBERG TRIALS AS
PROSECUTORS, INTERROGATORS AND
TRANSLATORS.
RITCHIE BOYS ALSO COLLECTED
292
00:34:23,461 --> 00:34:30,234
EVIDENCE WHICH LED TO THE
PROSECUTION OF MANY HIGH RANKING
NAZIS INCLUDING HERMANN GOERING,
HEAD OF THE LUFTWAFFE; RUDOLPH
293
00:34:30,301 --> 00:34:39,844
HESS, DEPUTY FURHER TO ADOLF
HITLER; AND WILHELM KEITEL,
CHIEF OF THE WEHRMACHT,
GERMANY'S ARMED FORCES.
294
00:34:39,911 --> 00:34:47,084
>> THE EVIDENCE RELATING TO WAR
CRIMES HAS BEEN OVERWHELMING IN
ITS VOLUME AND ITS DETAIL.
>> Wertheim: ALL WERE CONVICTED
295
00:34:47,151 --> 00:34:52,356
FOR THEIR CRIMES, AND MANY WERE
EXECUTED.
AFTER THE WAR, GUY STERN AND THE
OTHER RITCHIE BOYS WERE
296
00:34:52,423 --> 00:35:00,665
CELEBRATED FOR THEIR
ACHIEVEMENTS.
>> Stern: THE BRONZE STAR WAS
GIVEN TO ME RIGHT AT THE END OF
297
00:35:00,731 --> 00:35:06,304
HOSTILITIES.
THIS IS THE GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL,
WHICH I'M NOT REALLY ENTITLED
TO.
298
00:35:06,370 --> 00:35:18,316
( LAUGHS )
AND THIS HERE IS THE EUROPEAN
THEATRE OF OPERATIONS MEDAL WITH
FIVE BATTLES IN WHICH I
299
00:35:18,382 --> 00:35:23,221
PARTICIPATED.
>> Wertheim: DO YOU CONSIDER
YOURSELF A HERO?
>> Stern: GOD, NO.
300
00:35:23,287 --> 00:35:40,638
I TELL YOU, WHEN WE LANDED ON
OMAHA BEACH, THERE WERE THE
WHOLE HEIGHTS HAD BEEN OCCUPIED
BY THE GERMAN ARTILLERY.
301
00:35:40,705 --> 00:35:52,316
AND I LOOKED UP ON THOSE HEIGHTS
AND THERE WERE OUR AMERICAN
SOLDIERS IN FULL OCCUPATION ON
THE DAY-D PLUS THREE, AND I SAID
302
00:35:52,383 --> 00:36:06,364
TO MYSELF, "THAT CAN'T BE DONE."
AND TO TAKE THOSE HEIGHTS
AGAINST HEAVY FIRING, GOING UP
THOSE STEEP CLIFFS, AND OF
303
00:36:06,430 --> 00:36:15,406
COURSE, IT HAD BEEN DONE.
THE EVIDENCE WAS BEFORE US.
THOSE WERE THE HEROES.
>> Wertheim: GUY STERN RETURNED
304
00:36:15,473 --> 00:36:24,382
TO NORMANDY IN 2016 TO PAY HIS
RESPECTS TO THE MORE THAN 9,300
MEN BURIED IN THE AMERICAN
CEMETERY THERE, ON THE BLUFF
305
00:36:24,448 --> 00:36:32,390
OVERLOOKING THE HALLOWED BEACH.
DID THE RITCHIE BOYS REDEFINE
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A SOLDIER
AND CONTRIBUTE TO A MILITARY?
306
00:36:32,456 --> 00:36:36,827
>> Frey: I THINK THEY DID.
BECAUSE THEY SERVED IN SO MANY
DIFFERENT CAPACITIES.
>> Wertheim: HISTORY PROFESSOR
307
00:36:36,894 --> 00:36:44,402
DAVID FREY RUNS THE CENTER FOR
HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES
AT THE U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY AT
WEST POINT.
308
00:36:44,468 --> 00:36:52,376
>> Frey: THERE WERE RITCHIE BOYS
THAT WERE IN THE FIRST WAVE ON
THE FIRST DAY AT D-DAY.
THERE WERE RITCHIE BOYS WHO WERE
309
00:36:52,443 --> 00:36:58,516
IN P.O.W. CAMPS EMBEDDED AND
GATHERING INFORMATION IN THE
UNITED STATES.
SOME DIDN'T EVEN GO OVER TO- TO
310
00:36:58,583 --> 00:37:04,455
EUROPE.
THERE WERE RITCHIE BOYS WHO WERE
IN VIRTUALLY EVERY BATTLE THAT
YOU CAN THINK OF, AND SOME
311
00:37:04,522 --> 00:37:09,493
ACTUALLY SUFFERED THE WORST
FATE.
THERE WERE TWO WHO WERE ACTUALLY
CAPTURED AT THE BATTLE OF THE
312
00:37:09,560 --> 00:37:15,066
BULGE.
AND WHEN THEIR IDENTITY WAS
DISCOVERED, THEY WERE SUMMARILY
EXECUTED BY THE GERMANS THAT HAD
313
00:37:15,132 --> 00:37:18,202
CAPTURED THEM.
>> Wertheim: BECAUSE THEY WERE
JEWISH?
>> Frey: BECAUSE THEY WERE
314
00:37:18,269 --> 00:37:24,442
JEWISH.
>> Wertheim: WEHRMACHT CAPTAIN
CURT BRUNS, CONVICTED BY A
MILITARY TRIBUNAL OF ORDERING
315
00:37:24,508 --> 00:37:34,385
THE MURDER OF THOSE TWO RITCHIE
BOYS, WAS EXECUTED BY A FIRING
SQUAD IN JUNE, 1945.
AFTER THE WAR, THE RITCHIE BOYS
316
00:37:34,452 --> 00:37:40,458
CONTINUED THEIR WORK.
98-YEAR-OLD PAUL FAIRBROOK
HELPED SET UP THE GERMAN
MILITARY DOCUMENTS SECTION AT
317
00:37:40,524 --> 00:37:48,432
CAMP RITCHIE, A VAST CATALOG OF
MORE THAN 20,000 CAPTURED GERMAN
DOCUMENTS.
>> Fairbrook: THEY SENT US BACK
318
00:37:48,499 --> 00:37:54,438
TO CAMP RITCHIE AND THEY CREATED
SOMETHING THAT I CALL THE
EQUIVALENT OF THE LIBRARY OF
CONGRESS.
319
00:37:54,505 --> 00:38:00,444
WE HAD TO- WE GOT A LOT OF
GERMAN PRISONERS WHO WERE
WILLING TO HELP US CATALOG ALL
THOSE DOCUMENTS.
320
00:38:00,511 --> 00:38:06,717
>> Wertheim: THE PROJECT
DETAILED EVERY ASPECT OF THE
GERMAN ARMY'S OPERATIONS DURING
THE WAR, INCLUDING HOW THEY WERE
321
00:38:06,784 --> 00:38:14,992
STRUCTURED, HOW THEY MOBILIZED
AND HOW THEY USED INTELLIGENCE.
THE U.S. WAR DEPARTMENT USED
THIS COLLECTION OF GERMAN
322
00:38:15,059 --> 00:38:20,698
DOCUMENTS TO STUDY GERMANY'S
BATTLES WITH THE SOVIETS ON THE
EASTERN FRONT, IN ORDER TO BE
BETTER PREPARED FOR ANY FUTURE
323
00:38:20,765 --> 00:38:28,305
CONFLICT WITH RUSSIA.
>> Wertheim: SO, THERE'S ALL
SORTS OF IMPACT YEARS AND YEARS
AND YEARS AFTER THE WAR FROM
324
00:38:28,372 --> 00:38:32,510
THIS, THIS CAMP IN MARYLAND?
>> Frey: RIGHT.
IT WAS NOT ONLY THAT SHORT TERM
IMPACT ON THE BATTLEFIELD.
325
00:38:32,576 --> 00:38:39,784
IT WAS AN IMPACT ON WAR CRIMES.
THEN SHAPING THE COLD WAR ERA,
THEY REALLY PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT
ROLE.
326
00:38:39,850 --> 00:38:47,525
>> Wertheim: AFTER THE WAR, GUY
STERN, VICTOR BROMBERT, PAUL
FAIRBROOK AND MAX LERNER CAME
HOME, MARRIED, AND WENT TO IVY
327
00:38:47,591 --> 00:38:53,030
LEAGUE SCHOOLS ON THE G.I.
BILL.
GUY STERN BECAME A PROFESSOR AND
TAUGHT FOR ALMOST 50 YEARS.
328
00:38:53,097 --> 00:39:00,504
THEY ALL ROSE TO THE TOP OF
THEIR FIELDS, AS DID A NUMBER OF
OTHER RITCHIE BOYS.
I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE SOME
329
00:39:00,571 --> 00:39:05,876
RITCHIE BOYS, BECAME FAIRLY
PROMINENT FIGURES.
>> Frey: THERE ARE A WHOLE
VARIETY OF PROMINENT RITCHIE
330
00:39:05,943 --> 00:39:11,849
BOYS.
>> Wertheim: IT TURNS OUT THAT
AUTHOR J.D. SALINGER WAS A
RITCHIE BOY.
331
00:39:11,916 --> 00:39:18,556
SO WAS ARCHIBALD ROOSEVELT,
GRANDSON OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
AS WAS PHILANTHROPIST DAVID
ROCKEFELLER, AND MEDIA BARON AND
332
00:39:18,622 --> 00:39:24,562
BILLIONAIRE JOHN KLUGE.
>> Frey: SOME BECAME
AMBASSADORS.
OTHERS WERE ACTUALLY REALLY
333
00:39:24,628 --> 00:39:31,001
IMPORTANT IN AMERICAN SCIENCE.
>> Wertheim: AND NOTABLY,
PROFESSOR FREY SAYS, MORE THAN
250 RITCHIE BOYS CONTINUED TO
334
00:39:31,068 --> 00:39:38,576
WORK IN THE FIELD OF
INTELLIGENCE AFTER THE WAR,
BECOMING PROFESSIONAL SPIES.
>> Frey: MANY OF THOSE WHO
335
00:39:38,642 --> 00:39:47,251
TRAINED AT CAMP RITCHIE ACTUALLY
DID GO ON TO THE O.S.S., THE
PRECURSOR TO THE C.I.A., THAT
MEANT THAT THE PEOPLE WHO
336
00:39:47,318 --> 00:39:54,558
LEARNED THEIR CRAFT AT CAMP
RITCHIE PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT
ROLE IN SETTING UP WHAT
EVENTUALLY BECAME THE C.I.A.
337
00:39:54,625 --> 00:40:00,197
>> Wertheim: HOW DO YOU THINK WE
SHOULD BE RECALLING THE RITCHIE
BOYS?
>> Frey: I THINK WE LOOK AT THIS
338
00:40:00,264 --> 00:40:04,568
GROUP AND WE SEE TRUE HEROES.
WE SEE THOSE WHO ARE THE
GREATEST OF THE GREATEST
GENERATION.
339
00:40:04,635 --> 00:40:12,576
THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO MADE
MASSIVE CONTRIBUTIONS, WHO
HELPED SHAPE WHAT IT MEANT TO BE
AMERICAN AND WHO, IN SOME CASES,
340
00:40:12,643 --> 00:40:18,582
GAVE THEIR LIVES IN SERVICE TO
THIS COUNTRY.
>> Wertheim: THIS-- THIS IS A
REMARKABLE STORY.
341
00:40:18,649 --> 00:40:24,588
WHY DO SO FEW AMERICANS KNOW
ABOUT THIS?
>> Frey: BECAUSE IT INVOLVES
MILITARY INTELLIGENCE, MUCH OF
342
00:40:24,655 --> 00:40:34,231
IT WAS ACTUALLY KEPT SECRET
UNTIL THE, THE 1990s.
A LOT OF WHAT WAS LEARNED AND
THE METHODS USED ARE IMPORTANT
343
00:40:34,298 --> 00:40:40,571
TO KEEP SECRET.
AND ONLY IN THE EARLY 2000s DID
WE BEGIN TO SEE REUNIONS OF THE
RITCHIE BOYS.
344
00:40:40,638 --> 00:40:48,579
>> Wertheim: NOW IN THEIR LATE
90s, THESE HUMBLE WARRIORS STILL
KEEP IN TOUCH, SWAPPING STORIES
ABOUT A CHAPTER IN AMERICAN
345
00:40:48,646 --> 00:40:56,921
HISTORY NOW FINALLY BEING TOLD.
WHAT IS IT LIKE WHEN YOU GET
TOGETHER AND REFLECT ON THIS
EXPERIENCE GOING ON 80 YEARS
346
00:40:56,987 --> 00:41:03,460
AGO?
>> Stern: WE ALWAYS FIND ANOTHER
ANECDOTE TO TELL.
( LAUGHS )
347
00:41:03,527 --> 00:41:08,666
>> Wertheim: YOU HAVE A SMILE ON
YOUR FACE WHEN YOU THINK BACK.
>> Stern: YES, THIS IS WHAT
HAPPENS.
348
00:41:08,732 --> 00:41:16,073
>> Wertheim: IT WAS HARD FOR US
NOT TO NOTICE THAT BEYOND THE
STORIES RUNS A DEEP SENSE OF
PRIDE.
349
00:41:16,140 --> 00:41:20,644
>> Fairbrook: YOU BET YOUR LIFE
I'M PROUD OF THE RITCHIE BOYS.
IT WAS WONDERFUL TO BE PART OF
THEM!
350
00:41:20,711 --> 00:41:28,652
I WAS PROUD TO BE IN THE
AMERICAN ARMY AND WE WERE ABLE
TO DO WHAT WE HAD TO DO.
I DON'T THINK WE'RE HEROES, BUT
351
00:41:28,719 --> 00:41:35,860
THE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP FIGHT
AND WIN THE WAR WAS A WONDERFUL
WAY.
I CAN LOOK ANYBODY STRAIGHT IN
352
00:41:35,926 --> 00:41:40,664
THEIR EYE AND SAY I THINK I'VE
EARNED THE RIGHT TO BE AN
AMERICAN.
AND THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT IT
353
00:41:40,731 --> 00:41:46,503
DID FOR ME.
( TICKING )
354
00:41:47,638 --> 00:41:54,645
>> MORE FROM RITCHIE BOY GUY
STERN.
>> Stern: THAT IS THE FRENCH
LEGION OF HONOR.
355
00:41:54,712 --> 00:42:03,220
>> AT 60minutesovertime.com.
356
00:42:03,654 --> 00:42:08,192
>> Wertheim: I'M JON WERTHEIM.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
WE'LL BE BACK NEXT WEEK WITH A
BRAND NEW EDITION OF "60
357
00:42:08,259 --> 00:42:16,133
MINUTES."
Captioning funded by CBS
and FORD.
We go further, so you can.
358
00:42:16,200 --> 00:42:17,501
Captioned by
Media Access Group at WGBH
access.wgbh.org