Heinz Schlicke

Who was Heinz Schlicke?

Heinz Schlicke, German-born engineer and author, was the scientist on board the ill-fated German submarine U-234, an Operation Paperclip scientist, and engineer at the Allen-Bradley Co. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

He received both his Master's and Doctor's degrees in engineering sciences at the Institute of Technology in Dresden in 1937, working under Dr. Heinrich Barkhausen. His thesis subject was on the "Entrainment of Oscillators and Sub-Harmonics". During World War II he served in the Kriegsmarine working his way from the rank of Naval Engineer to Lieutenant-Commander. Near the end of the war he was sent on a special mission to transport high-technology information and supplies to Japan on board the submarine U-234. On May 8, 1945, the war with Germany ended, and on May 14 the U-234 surrendered to the United States. Schlicke was taken to a secret POW camp codenamed P. O. Box 1142, based out of Fort Hunt, Virginia. He was repatriated to Germany in 1946, but was invited to return to the United States to work under Operation Paperclip at the Office of Naval Research in Sands Point, New York. His work there consisted of what is now known as stealth technology.