Description
Object description
British NCO served with Security Section, 2nd Tactical Air Force, RAF and Headquarters, Joint Intelligence Staff in North West Europe, 1945-1946; officer served with Headquarters, Joint Intelligence Team in Germany, 1946-1948
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of period as NCO with Security Section, 2nd Tactical Air Force, RAF and Headquarters, Joint Intelligence Staff in North West Europe, 1945-1946: investigation of story of Dutch civilians executed by Germans in Netherlands, 4/1945; discovery of remnants of crashed aircraft in forest near Tilburg, Netherlands; discovery of corpse during digging up of forest floor; forester's story of what he witnessed in 8/1942; forester's apprehension by frontier police; forester's description of visit to forest by top Nazi in Netherlands.
REEL 2 Continues: unearthing of four more corpses; circumstances of accidental preserving of bodies; research into back copies of 'De Tilburgsche Courant' from 8/1942; his attempts to identify five corpses; his interrogation of former member of frontier police who participated in the executions.
REEL 3 Continues: names of the executed Dutch civilians; escape of Nazis to South America after end of Second World War; approach made to him by Argentinean women in Flensburg, Germany, 5/1946; his realisation that she was obtaining information from him; her claim that she had come to Germany to help the people; presence of Argentineans working in British Military Government; threat to chief of police by Gertrude Bartholemy.
REEL 4 Continues: information from newspaper Evening Standard about Nazi hideout on North Frisian Islands, Germany, 4/1946. Recollections of period as officer with Headquarters, Joint Intelligence Team in Germany, 1946-1948: return to Germany, 4/1946; offer of help from German policeman; Rechniczer's attempt to apprehend three fugitive Nazi war criminals; how fugitives took refuge in sanatorium.
REEL 5 Continues: arrest of three Nazi fugitives on island; conveyance of Nazis fugitives to mainland; chance meeting with old friend from Wales; attempts of police inspector to prevent reports reaching Rechniczer; re-encounter with Argentinean girlfriend; his removal of police officer for hampering investigations; suspicion of man using marine binoculars.
REEL 6 Continues: his sighting of German submarien schnorkel off coast; question of Rechnizer's theory that Nazis' were escaping from Fuhr Island on submarine to Argentina; news that his sub-station to be closed on economy grounds; reasons for his failure to report his suspicions; police officer's fear of assassination when British left; news of supposed suicide of police officer; story of encounter with Argentinean hitchhikers who knew his former Argentinean girlfriend.
REEL 7 Continues: post-war employment of Gertrude Bartholemy in West German Embassy in GB; question of Rechniczer's discovery that Germans were building very large submarines to transport Nazis to Argentina; Aspects of period as civilian in London, GB, 1941: accommodation.
REEL 8 Continues: question of suspected test of German V1 Flying Bomb over London, 1941; destruction of centre of Hendon; construction of air raid shelter at Frigidaire Company in London, 1941; landing of German fighter on top of shelter. Recollections of period as NCO served with Security Section, 2nd Tactical Air Force, RAF in North West Europe, 1945: estimate of large number of German sympathisers in Antwerp, Belgium; shooting of German spy in street, Antwerp, Belgium; police inspector's story of Belgian Resistances' occupation of part of Hotel de Ville in Antwerp; German hit on tall building with German V1 Flying Bomb in Antwerp, Belgium; sight of German V2 dropping out of sky.
REEL 9 Continues: investigation into betrayal of escape chain, Antwerp, Belgium, 1945; apprehension of two suspects; escape of one suspect and shooting of other; arrival of Very Important Persons (VIPs) at airfield outside Brussels, Belgium; suspicious and comical behaviour of Belgian workman; arrival of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Brussels, Belgium, 1945; sight of huge number of American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses over Eindhoven, Netherlands, 1945; sight of convoy of landing craft on vehicles to be used for River Nederrijn crossing at Arnhem, Netherlands, 3/1945.
REEL 10 Continues: takeover of Gestapo headquarters near Celle, Germany, 5/1945; vetting civilians at Volkswagen works at Wolfsburg, Germany; discovery of Schutzstaffel (SS) personnel in Celle Prison, Germany; visit to German cemetery and encounter with German child tending father's grave; work rounding up German sabotage group in Schleswig, Germany, 1945; behaviour and attitude of German civilian population.
REEL 11 Continues: ill treatment of prisoner under interrogation at Flensburg, 1945; encounter with former commander of Hoth Group on Stalingrad front; gift of diary of containing details of German campaign in Soviet Union; his methods of extracting information; American retrieving of Nazi party member records; Rechniczer's use of Nazi party members' records during interrogations; presence of Nazis in United States of America; prior recollection of enlistment in Royal Air Force, 941.
REEL 12 Continues: arrest of three war criminals on North Frisian Islands; treatment of German suspects by British troops.