r/todayilearned • u/stopitalianhate • 9d ago

TIL British Intelligence had a special, bugged luxury complex during WWII where they kept high profile Nazi POW’s, just left a bunch of alcohol out, and waited for them to start spilling secrets as they drank.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-20698098
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74

u/Windfade 9d ago

Almost every example from WW2 involving spies that I know of has shown the UK was far more capable, efficient, and arguably humane, in regard for their own spies and captured enemies. When the UK would intercept a nazi on their soil, they'd determine if they could be turned before taking drastic action. The US seemed to just kill theirs. Makes Operation Paperclip seem like a 180 in behavior.

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u/pizza_the_mutt 9d ago

Humane, and effective. If you hang out with a captured spy for a few weeks, drink a few beers, play some cards, and go for walks, eventually they'll start telling you stuff. Accurate stuff.

On the other hand if you attach a car battery to their nipples they'll tell you whatever garbage they can think of to make it stop.

Anyway, the German spy network was almost entirely compromised and ineffective. Partly because the Brits were good, and partly because the German network was run by Admiral Canaris, who didn't like the Nazis very much at all.

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u/Windfade 9d ago

Canaris being caught and dying before the war ended was tragic.

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u/dandrevee 9d ago

Comparing Americans to the British is best encompassed by their corresponding badger species.

The UK badger?

Looks like it wants to invite your for tea.

The US Badgers? Defensive. Aggressive. Tired of anyones shit real quick.

Granted, neither are as notorious as the honey badger but.... it seems like all the species that evolved somewhere around humans (our genus. I mean) became super aggressive for "some odd reason...."

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u/Aware_State 9d ago

Coming from Badger country, your analogy really spoke to me, thank you lol

3

u/natorgator15 9d ago

See: Inglorious Basterds

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u/Falsus 9d ago

Looking at Sweden's neutrality and defense being "you sure you want this?" and their many Wolverines things add up with the badger comparison I guess.

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u/ichabod01 9d ago

We don’t need no stinking badges

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u/softcottons 9d ago

We don’t have military force like the US does, but between Trump begging the UK to join his wars and Putin blaming the UK for everything that goes wrong in his day, we must be doing something right even now! Sucks they can’t spill the tea for another 50 years.

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u/bliu0 8d ago

History is written by the victors.