The Race for Nazi War Secrets
Creators: name: Project Team, Their Finest Hour
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 430304
subject: British history
classificationCode: 430308
subject: European history (excl. British, classical Greek and Roman)
classificationCode: 430316
subject: International history

description: This is the story of how John Bradley, a quiet railway metallurgist, found himself taking part in the British Army's final military advance of the war in Europe in 1945.It was in July 1944 that Eisenhower issued a secret order from the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force to raise a T Force - Target Force, to secure German scientific and industrial technology before it could be destroyed by retreating German forces or seized by the advancing Red Army. One of the influences behind T Force was Ian Fleming of James Bond fame and he was responsible for determining the priorities for T Force operations.Attached to this force were 250 British and American Scientists, who raced forward into Germany with advanced troops.John Bradley was one of these scientists, a metallurgist, working in railway research.He became part of the naval group of scientists, whose targets were:<br>Submarines, Mine sweeping, Mines, Torpedoes, and Naval ConstructionJohn Bradley made three separate trips to Germany in 1945 with T Force. He first left England on February 21st, traveling to Ostend in an LST Landing Ship. On arrival he had several days initial training as he had come straight from civilian life. ( As a scientist his was a reserved occupation).<br>Very soon he was close to the Advanced Force in Koln Germany, where they investigated works of naval interest in torpedoes. He was horrified at the devastation and the conditions Russian and Polish 'slave' workers were living in and the destruction caused by Allied bombing. During the next month he visited a number of works in Germany, returning to England on March 22, with orders to be on stand by for another trip.The phone call came on March 30th and on April 1st he left England, this time by Dakota, and on this occasion was firstly based in Holland. His first visit involved crossing the Rhine for the first time to visit a factory in Duisberg. He then advanced further into Germany, staying uncomfortably close to the front line. He commented on the extent of the decentralisation of the Germany war industry to escape bombing and many sites of scientific interest were visited.By the beginning of May, T Force and John Bradley were operating with the SAS. At 8.50 on May 4th 1945, a Ceasefire was ordered by General Montgomery and no further advance was to take place. However, Allied High Command was concerned about the future of Europe and a key target had always been to get to Kiel and its submarine research facilities and shipyards and its strategic position before the Russians. Their target was the Walter Werke Works and Herr Hellmuth Walter. He had pioneered a new way of powering submarines, which could also be adapted to fuel rockets, so he was an incredibly important target in the final days of the war.Disobeying orders, at 7am on May 5th T Force, the SAS and a number of scientists including John Bradley, advanced in all haste to Kiel . It was the British Army's final advance of war in Europe led by Colonel Hibbert, in defiance of the ceasefire order.<br>They arrived into Kiel, drove into the city, just 300 men and a handful of jeeps, to find 12,00 armed Germans. Amazingly there was no aggression and they were not stopped and they were able to proceed directly to the Walter Werke works and secure Herr Walter and the research and submarine factory which was almost undamaged.John Bradley returned to England on May 25th 1945, returning to make one final trip between August 30th and October when much time was again spent in Kiel.The end of the war saw all of Herr Walter's research materials confiscated by the British military and Walter and his colleagues taken to the UK to work for the Royal Navy.<br> He was allowed to return to Germany in 1948, and Walter worked for the Paul Seifert Engine Works. In 1950 he emigrated to the US and joined a company, eventually becoming vice president of research and development to an American company.John Bradley as naval scientist carried on with his career as Chief Scientific officer at Portsmouth Dockyard, specialising in submarines. Other scientists with T Force were responsible for securing nuclear, chemical and rocket research.On June 21 2010, Colonel Hibbert, who had disobeyed orders and advanced to Kiel was given The Freedom of the City as a thank you for disobeying orders and preventing Kiel from falling into Soviet hands.