Houses For Rent In Catskill And Cairo, Articles H

Many had fled Nazi Germany but returned as American soldiers, deploying their knowledge of German language and culture to great advantage. Guy Stern: I went to my father one day and I said, "classes are becoming a torture chamber". Ritchie Boys: The secret U.S. unit bolstered by German It is a story of a remarkable synergy between a diverse group of well trained and motivated individuals. The Ritchie Boys, some of whom landed on the beaches at Normandy, helped to interpret documents and gather intelligence, and conducted enemy warfare. And incredibly, they were responsible for most of the combat intelligence gathered on the Western Front. Among the unusual sights at Ritchie: a team of U.S. soldiers dressed in German uniforms. For decades, they didn't discuss their work. Additional valuable information on the Ritchie Boys may be found in a forum-type Facebook page, Ritchie Boys of WWII, ably managed with considerable devotion by Bernie Lubran, son of Ritchie Boy Walter Lubran, and by Josh Freeling, whose great uncle was Ritchie Boy Kurt Kugelmann. Paul Fairbrook: When the soldiers said "I'm not going to talk" they could say "wait a minute. Guy Stern: Handkerchiefs, I couldn't know at that point that I would never see my siblings or my parents again nor my grandmother and so forth and so on. Fred Frommer is a historian and writer, and author of several books, including You Gotta Have Heart: Washington Baseball from Walter Johnson to the 2019 World Series Champion Nationals. Guy Stern: I was called to the company office and told you're shipping out. Guy Stern: God no. (See David Frey: Techniques where you want to get people to talk to you. They knew the psychology and the Salinger, author of the classic book "The Catcher in the Rye.". II prisoner-of-war camps in Newsday Those were the heroes. Individual Ritchie Boys were cited for their contributions by being awarded over 60 Silver Star Medals for bravery. At the time though, the military wouldn't take volunteers who weren't born in the U.S. As a Jew, I knew I might not be treated exactly by the Geneva rules. The Department of Defense provides the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security. But ask him about his most formative experience - and he doesn't hesitate. I'm denouncing this and I was forced to do it. According to the kind of unit, according to the kind of person we were interrogating. Download our app to find events, locations and programs near you. Beginning in September 1944, the United States military trained Japanese Americans at Camp Ritchie, and their language skills were also used in the war effort, this time against Japan. Besides their language ability, these soldiers were familiar with the culture and thinking of enemy soldiers, which would aid them in their efforts. They spoke the same German as the Wehrmacht soldiers they were up against, they shared experiences, education and culture with them, explains Henderson. Guy Stern arrived in the U.S. alone at age 15, settling with an uncle in St. Louis. Victor Brombert: Yes, well with a stick. What Henderson found when he looked into their history was that about 100 were still alive, half of them willing and able to talknot everyone has reliable 70-year-old memoriesabout an extraordinary corner of the Second World War. Tonight, we'll introduce you to members of a secret American intelligence unit who fought in World War II. Ritchie Boys In civilian life, he became a noted sculpture and fine arts teacher and rose to the presidency for the Center for Creative Studies at Detroit's College of Art and Design. Victor Brombert: We improvised according to the situation. Jewish soldiers were in great danger if captured, and two were captured and executed due to being identified by their captors as German-born Jews. Jon Wertheim: Did you ever ask yourself why me? Salinger was a Ritchie Boy. Our country owes them an enormous debt of gratitude for their courage and sacrifices. We were all on the same wavelength. By highlighting those individuals who, in the midst of evil, stood for the best, rather than the worst of human nature, the Holocaust Memorial Center seeks to contribute to maintaining an open and free society, he added. Jon Wertheim: You let him know you were Jewish? Ritchie Web"The Ritchie Boys" is the untold story of a group of young men who fled Nazi Germany and returned to Europe as soldiers in US-uniforms. When U.S. soldiers fought Germany during World War II, there was one group that was particularly motivatedabout 2,000 mostly German and Austrian Jewish refugees who fled the Nazis and then returned to Europe to take on their tormentors as members of American military intelligence. [email protected]. Please take a moment to let our troops know how much we appreciate their service and sacrifice. You know where the strong points are, and you know you what to avoid and what to attack. Among them were the Ritchie Boys, some 15,200 men who attended the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie, Md. We worked harder than anyone could have driven us. The Ritchie Boys and Questions of Death and Spies We were briefed that the Germans were not going to welcome us greatly. David Frey: Much of it originated at Camp Ritchie because it had never it hadn't been done before. The Ritchie Boys exhibit at the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills, Mich., July 24, 2011. And that has been the driving force in my life. You playacted. Jon Wertheim: Why did you want to enlist initially? Striecher was later tried and convicted at the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, where concentration camp survivors who bore witness to the mass murder faced down their Nazi tormentors. There were at least 30 languages spoken at Camp Ritchie, but the preference obviously was for German speakers because most of the enemy forces would be German, Frey says. All the while, they tracked down evidence and interrogated Nazi criminals, later tried at Nuremberg. Making such a distinction in this case is very difficult. Immigrant Soldier, The Story of We now know that this perception needs to be broadened. And I had no choice." served as the Intelligence Officer for the Second Ranger Battalion and was among those who scaled the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc at Omaha Beach on D-Day. The group also included large numbers of first- or second-generation Americans who still spoke German or other languages at home, Frey says. Some of them requested new dog tags with very good reason. Jon Wertheim: This was one of the leaflets that was dropped out--. Jon Wertheim: That's the kind of thing you would know. Essentially they were intellectuals. Paul Fairbrook: Well, because it was an unusual part of the United States Army. They took their name from the place they trained - Camp Ritchie, Maryland a secret American military intelligence center during the war. Jon Wertheim: As a way to honor your family that perished. Jon Wertheim: So there's a real element of - costumes and deception and accents. Be the first to learn about news, service member stories and fundraising updates from USO. Already available are biographies and memoirs by and about individual Ritchie Boys as well as the book by the NYT best-selling author Bruce Henderson and books about Austrian-born Ritchie Boys by Robert Lackner and Florian Traussnig. Nina Wolff Feld told her fathers story in Someday You Will Understand: My Fathers Private World War 2. Jon Wertheim: This had a real material impact on World War II. Longtime Yale and Princeton professor Victor Brombert helped enact the official Allied policy of removing Nazi influence from german public life known as denazification. We are honored to recognize the unique role they played serving the United States and advancing our victory over Germany., Outgoing Museum Chairman Howard M. Lorber added, We selected the Ritchie Boys because of their remarkable actions and heroism in helping to end the war and the Holocaust. Other Ritchie Boys were able to express their motivation and accomplishments in memoirs with titles such as I Must Be a Part of This War and A Few Who Made a Difference. Jon Wertheim: What do you remember feeling that day? who was awarded a Silver Star medal posthumously for gallantry beyond the call of duty. Jon Wertheim: You didn't want to be identified as Jewish going back to Western Europe. Guy Stern: My fellow students it was an all-male school withdrew from you. Jon Wertheim: Because you were Jewish you were ostracized? Guy Stern: I was a soldier doing my job and that precluded any concern that I was going back to a country I once was very attached to. HistoryNet Your average commander in the field might not. David Frey: I think we look at this group and we see true heroes. One or more of Hendersons Ritchie Boys was present at every major moment of the American war in Europe: landing on Omaha Beach, speeding with Pattons tanks, liberating concentration camps. It was his service in the military during World War II. Eight Week Classes - Dates & Graduation Numbers. Many were German- and Austrian-born Jews who had fled Adolf Hitlers genocidal Nazi regimemaking them most determined enemies of the Third Reich. Walter Midener, an attendee, was awarded the Silver Star. The story of Camp Ritchie and the men (and women) who came there is a story that needs to be broadcast more widely. On a cold November morning in 1938, Herman watches in horror as his Contact. Jon Wertheim: You work 6 days a week, you swim every morning, you lecture, any signs of slowing down? They never met for reunions, they did not join veteran associations. Guy Stern: I had an immediate visceral response to that and that was this is my war for many reasons. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Jon Wertheim: What is it like when you get together and reflect on this experience going on 80 years ago?