At the end of World War II, the Allied race to reach Germany unfolded on multiple levels. One of the most interesting and mysterious was the acquisition of technology, documents, "intellectual resources", infrastructure, and material related to special projects approved by Nazism. The Force T stood at the forefront of these operations, which, by the way, were quite controversial and did not limit themselves to wartime.
The Mission
Operation Overlord marked the start of the advance in Western Europe against the positions of Nazi Germany. The Allies were deeply interested in the enemy's technical and military developments, which had already demonstrated notable advances. The V-1 flying bombs and V-2 rockets were the most sought-after prizes, but the main objective went far beyond rocketry. That led to the formation of the so-called Force T, a squadron composed at its peak of 3,000 British and American personnel, including light infantry and combat engineers.
In addition to taking control of scientific and technological targets (with special emphasis on the German nuclear program), Force T had a precise list of priorities. On one hand, it had to protect what was considered at that time "critical infrastructure" for the Allied forces in the process of occupation and reconstruction of Germany (a good example of that infrastructure was the telephone system). Other high-profile actions were the extractions of "intellectual resources" from the territory, with the plan to make Germany less competitive politically and economically.
This was one of the most controversial orders of Force T, since they even resorted to the kidnapping of German scientists and industrialists during and after the armed conflict, with a mechanism similar to the Gestapo (people taken from their homes at night, as virtual prisoners of war).
These "mandatory evacuations" served an additional purpose, which initially was not recognized: keeping these resources away from the Soviets. Everything had to be removed before the arrival of the Red troops, and if that was not possible, Force T had the order to destroy it. In May 1945, Force T took Kiel, entering "by mistake" into territory originally designated for conquest by the Red Army, but that helped reduce the Soviet sphere of influence and block its access to the warm-water port.
There are also stories of Force T members convincing Russian soldiers to hand over captured technology on nothing but liquor. From a certain viewpoint, the members of Force T became the first soldiers of the Cold War.
