Hanns Scharff

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Hanns-Joachim Gottlob Scharff (16 December 1907 – 10 September 1992) was a German Luftwaffe interrogator during the Second World War. He has been called the "Master Interrogator" of the Luftwaffe, and possibly all of Nazi Germany; he has also been praised for his contribution to shaping U.S. interrogation techniques after the war. As an Hauptgefreiter (approximately equivalent to NATO rank code OR-3), he was responsible for interrogating captured American fighter pilots after he became an interrogation officer in 1943. He has been highly praised for the success of his techniques, particularly because he never used physical means to obtain the required information. Scharff's interrogation techniques were so effective that he was occasionally called upon to assist other German interrogators in their questioning of Allied bomber pilots and aircrews, including those crews and fighter pilots from countries other than the United States. Additionally, he was charged with questioning many more important prisoners who were funnelled through the interrogation center, such as senior officers and famous flying aces. In 1948, Scharff was invited by the United States Air Force to lecture on his interrogation techniques and first-hand experiences. The U.S. military later incorporated his methods into its curriculum at its interrogation schools. Many of his methods are still taught in U.S. Army interrogation schools. Scharff was granted immigration status. From the 1950s until he died in 1992, he redirected his efforts to creating mosaics. He became a world-renowned mosaic artisan, with his artistic creations commissioned for the California State Capitol; Los Angeles City Hall; several schools, colleges, and universities, including the giant Outdoor Mosaic Mural façade of the Utah Tech University Fine Arts Center; EPCOT Center; and in the 15-foot arched mosaic walls featuring the story of Cinderella inside Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World, Florida.