TRENT PARK TATTLETALES

Between 1942 and 1945 more than 10,000 German prisoners of war, including 63 Nazi generals captured on the battlefield, were processed and interrogated in this North London mansion known as Trent Park.

The highest ranking officers had unrestricted access to many of the mansion's lavish rooms for chance encounters, arranged meetings, or for casual chat during meals in their private dining room.  They read books in the German languague from a continually stocked library, played billiards and table tennis, attended classes in English, enjoyed walking priviliges within the expansive estate, had their own sundries shop for beer and cigarettes, took part in accompanied excursions to places such as Hampton Court, and were dutifully paid monthly in pound sterling.  Even potential artists were given drawing materials.  In the sketch below, a German officer illustrated the gilded cage serving as his place of confinement.

How fortunate for the prisoners to enjoy the relative freedom of a noble house owned by the eminent Sassoon family.  In fact, though, the easy environment was actually a British ruse intended to deceive the be-medaled prisoners into making unplanned comments perhaps leading to critical disclosures about the military planning process or musings about battles won or lost. 

Ranging upwards in rank from Generalmajor, Generalleutnant, General, and Generaloberst, the cream of the German officer corps enjoyed a comfortable confinement unknown to Allied prisoners. But there was method to the British largesse.  Increasing confidence within an informal setting could lead, it was earnestly hoped, to revealed intimacies disclosing strategies, tactics or the fate of Europe's Jews.  A spy would yearn to be a fly on the wall during those talks. 

Indeed, there were bugs of a different type on walls and ceilings throughout the grand home.  At least twelve of the common area rooms were rigged for electronic eavesdropping by CSDIC, a branch of British intelligence.  Engineers had secreted microphones in walls, ceilings, even in toilets, and in places where small groups congregated.  Operators in the basement recorded every word on stacks of acetate records.  What resulted became an increasing gift of accidentially spoken intelligence ripe with clues, admissions, and insights.  It led to rarely afforded glimpses into new weapons, the use of radio and radar equipment, U-boat tactics, and command and control organization, the details all minutely examined by the secret staff, many located literally underfoot in the basement. 

In the photos below, 24 of the captured generals, some with medals won in battle, comfortably posed on the lawn outside the mansion.  In the center photo in the back row on the left holding a cane, General Dietrich von Cholitz, lavishly praised for surrendering Paris instead of destroying it as ordered by Hitler, confided his own dark secret as recorded by CSDIC engineers in the basement. He told General Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma that he had presided over "the liquidation of Jews" while in command in the Crimea in 1942.  He wasn't alone; almost all the generals were either aware of or had actively participated in planning the extermination of Europe's Jews.  Eager enough to discuss the crimes in quiet gatherings at Trent Park, all later disavowed any knowledge or responsibility.  The Allies who later read transcriptions of the conversations had little interest in acting on such knowledge; there was a war to be won and knowing the destiny of Europe's Jews was unlikely to win it. 

                                         herewerbugsof adifferent type onwalls and ceilings throughout the grand home.  At least twelof the common area rooms were rigged for eavesdropping by CSDIC, a branch of British intelligence.  Engineers had secreted microphones in walls, ceilings, hallways, even in toilets and in eas where small groups congregated.  Thus began inasing gift of accidentially spoken intelligence ripe with clues, admissions, and insights.  It led to a rarely affordedvesdp directly into the officers minds and methods as they informally remarked about the weather, the war, battle strategies, or vengefully ratted on each other.  Over headsets nearby were instantly heard and recorded the sahoughts and reflectis about battles lost or won, or the best intelligence of all, plans or expectations for the war's future.

Also seeded within the mansion's convivial assemblage were ranks of stool-pigeons and studied conversationalists trained to initiate dialogue and gain the confidence of battle-hardened officers. The relaxed atmosphere of idle talk and tattles produced acetate records in growing heaps, each word documented by recording engineers, translated by fluent German-speaking interpreters, and typed by pools of stenographers, all sworn to secrecy under penalties of the draconian Official Secrets Act.  

If the chat lagged CSDIC had gentle but persuasive means to loosen tongues, including populating the groups with agents trained to initiate conversations who posed as welfare officers.  The agents compassionately inquired about ways to get reassuring word to families or speculated idly with the prisoners about a battle's outcome, the intent being the conversion of lazy chat into actionable intelligence.  To introduce variety in intelligence categories, Luftwaffe and U boat officers were regularly rotated into the mostly Wehrmacht groups.  In maintaining the pretense, uniformed guards accorded full military respect by saluting the general officers.   But it was all a carefully staged performance, with the unknowing German officers as the cast and the hidden staff as an attentive although unresponsive audience.

The intelligence harvest succeeded beyond any expectation.  Over 10,000 typed pages resulted from the secret recording of 64,427 conversations, each translated from German into English, with one-half page for the shortest chat to a bulky 22 pages for the lengthiest.  It became the largest intelligence harvest in the war, with no knowledge by any of the prisoners about what was taking place within walls and ceilings with microphones and wires leading to engineers and translators and then to Allied positions everywhere.

Trent Park's accummulated intelligence added to masses of other secrets uncovered by thousands of secret agents posted in other unknown places including BLETCHLEY PARK where ULTRA broke the German ENIGMA cypher, or the WESTERN APPROACHES Command Centre in Liverpool.  Both were exclusively revealed by the author in feature articles appearing in international publications.  Some are on this site and can be accessed by THE BUTTONS BELOW.   Liverpool's Western Approaches Command Centre continues as the last remaining major secret of World War Two with revelations and images exclusive to this web site. 

RETURN LATER in 2012 to enter the real and existing Trent Park through on-site images, deep research, and factual reporting.  Trent Park and other features by the author enter the actual locations where real history was made and which still exist, and where its lessons can be passed to a new generation. TRENT PARK TATTLETALES is another secret place unknown to most historians specializing in World War Two.  Its revelations will appear here first.

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INSIDE FRANK GEHRY'S BEDOUIN TENT

Jerome M. O'Connor, CTG

MEMBER: American Society of Journalists and Authors, American Historical Association

HONOREE:  United States Naval Institute Author of the Year

NIGHT OR DAY, OUTSIDE OR IN, A DYNAMIC STATEMENT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY BY THE WORLD'S LEADING ARCHITECT.

is exclusive feature will appear by spring 2011

ALSO OF INTEREST -  Internationally published features about unknown but vital wartime events, plus the U.S. Naval Institute Naval History Magazine "Author of the Year" feature - GRAY WOLVES DEN.  Learn how the masterful construction and U-Boat operation from five indestructible bunker bases in occupied France almost won the war for Germany.  Click UNDECLARED WAR to learn that the U.S. Navy - on orders from President Franklin D. Roosevelt - repeatedly ignored the US Neutrality Act months before Pearl Harbor.  To save Britain from certain defeat, the Navy hoped that by provoking Nazi Germany, they would initiate high seas war.  This feature became a world sensation.    "Western Approaches"continues as the last remaining major secret of World War Two, and may be the only such location that made history, yet is virtually unknown to the public and to most historians...but not to the author.