National Archives and Records Administration - ARC Identifier 36443 / Local Identifier 111-TF-321 - COMBAT COUNTERINTELLIGENCE - Department of Defense. Department of the Army. Office of the Chief Signal Officer. (09/18/1947 - 02/28/1964). TRAINING FILM: On the danger of giving up information to the enemy.R.1: dramatization makes comparison of activities of professional sports scout to the information gathering activities of the enemy. Lessons stressed; do not carry cameras, diaries, engraved lighters and the like intobattle. They are potentially useful to the enemy. R.2: shows two dramatized examples of careless behavior that resulted in giving up information which in turn led to disaster for friendly troops. -

Operation Backfire was a military scientific operation during and after the Second World War, which was performed mainly by British staff. It was part of the Allies' scramble to acquire German technology. With the consent of U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the operation was orchestrated by Major Robert Staver from the Rocket Section of the Research and Development branch of the Ordnance Office that was tasked in directing the effort to find and interrogate the German rocket specialists who had built the V-2. Since April 30 he had been in the Nordhausen area searching the smaller laboratories for V-2 technicians. Also Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) Junior Commander Joan Bernard played a role in this operation. For this operation, three or possibly four V-2 rockets were launched during October 1945 from a launch pad at 53°50′50″N 8°35′32″E north-east of Arensch near Cuxhaven in Germany, in order to demonstrate the weapon to Allied personnel. The Americans had already taken away most of the V2 rocket technology from the German underground Mittelwerk factory at the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp near Nordhausen. Before the Soviets took control of that area, the British were given the opportunity to gather material. Some 400 railway cars and 70 Lancaster flights were used to bring the quarter-of-a-million parts and 60 specialized vehicles to Cuxhaven, the most elusive parts being batteries to operate the guidance gyros. German personnel were ordered to perform these, which for the most part they did willingly.