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Old 13th July 2005, 09:54
Tony Williams Tony Williams is offline
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Tony Williams
Re: NEW BOOK - LUFTWAFFE & THE WAR AT SEA

Quote:
Originally Posted by SES
These interrogation reports CANNOT be used as prime sources, but sadly they have been by authors, who jumped the gun and in good faith believed these reports.
You make an interesting point here, which I have also noticed in compiling information for my own books. It is traditional to regard 'primary sources' - first-hand accounts from people involved at the time - as the best and most valuable evidence. However, I have frequently discovered this to be untrue. As you say, witnesses might not have known the 'whole picture', or have misunderstood it. Even direct eye-witness evidence sometimes turns out to be wrong, particularly in wartime when information is more restricted and difficult to check.

Such first-hand accounts are fascinating (because they reveal what the people involved thought was the case, even if it wasn't) but always need cross-checking with other sources.

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