The German Generals

In May 1942, the first German General was captured on the battlefields of North Africa and brought to Trent Park. Within a year, there were eleven. They arrived in their full Nazi uniforms with their batmen, having first been interrogated at Latimer House or Wilton Park. When they came to Trent Park, they thought it was all over. But for British Intelligence, the game was just beginning. The Generals were expecting to be kept in a regular prisoner-of-war camp but instead they found themselves in a beautiful stately home. This was all part of the secret war. British Intelligence decided to treat the Generals like gentlemen and referred to them as 'our guests'. They lived in comfort which was designed to make them feel relaxed so that they would become unguarded in their conversations. It worked. The Generals soon began to chat about things which British Intelligence needed to know to win the war. They also began to argue amongst themselves and form into two opposing political groups: pro-Nazi and anti-Nazi. This was of interest to the British because it showed a divided army. By the end of the war, Trent Park was holding 59 German Generals, a significant proportion of Hitler's High Command.