Hanns Scharff

Nazi interrogator who pioneered humane intelligence-gathering techniques

Hanns Scharff (1907–1992), a Luftwaffe interrogator during WWII, developed revolutionary non-violent interrogation methods that contradicted Nazi stereotypes. Stationed at Auschwitz’s Oberusel camp, he extracted critical Allied aircraft intel through psychological tactics rather than torture.

His 'Scharff Technique' involved building rapport, feigning omniscience about prisoners’ units, and exploiting human tendencies to correct misinformation. This method proved so effective that postwar US military manuals adopted it. Remarkably, many interrogated airmen later corresponded with him, including B-17 pilot Francis 'Gabby' Gabreski.

Postwar, Scharff became a celebrated Byzantine mosaic artist in California. His legacy lives on through FBI and CIA training programs. Unlike typical war figures, Scharff demonstrated that psychological acuity could surpass brutality in intelligence operations—a lesson still relevant in modern counterterrorism.