how many ritchie boys were there
I don't know. And that has been the driving force in my life. David Frey: Many of those who trained at Camp Ritchie actually did go on to the OSS the precursor to the CIA, That meant that the people who learned their craft at Camp Ritchie played a significant role in setting up what eventually became the CIA. Jon Wertheim: So physical combat training as well as intelligence? who was awarded a Silver Star medal posthumously for gallantry beyond the call of duty. and I said "may I know where I'm going?" We see those who are the greatest of the greatest generation. David Frey: Well the most important part of the training was that they learned to do interrogation, and in particular of prisoners of war. Martin Selling, 24, was undergoing training as a U.S. Army medical orderly in February 1943 and chafing under a Pentagon policy that kept hima Jewish refugee from Germany and hence an enemy alienaway from any combat unit. And we all were scared. Broadcast associate, Elizabeth Germino. WebThe army recruited not just those fluent in German, French, Italian, and Polish (approximately a fifth were Jewish refugees from Europe), but also Arabic, Japanese, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Russian, Turkish, and other languages as well as some 200 Native Americans and 200 WACs. It was the viewing of that film that converted Dan into a Ritchie Boy Wannabe and launched him on a quest to help publicize this heroic group. Paul Fairbrook: Oh that is a very good question. We worked harder than anyone could have driven us. They did counterintelligence training. Hed endured a lot already, including three brutal months in Dachau concentration camp after Kristallnacht in 1938, before finding haven in America. Wayne State University Professor Ehrhard Dabringhaus, another attendee, was ordered shortly after the war to become the American control officer to Klaus Barbie, the notorious war criminal. David Frey: Techniques where you want to get people to talk to you. Jon Wertheim: As a former German who understood the psychology and the mentality. What did work Is complicity. I know all about you. The Department of Defense provides the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security. What was that like? We now know that this perception needs to be broadened. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. When the war was over, their German accents and unusual They all rose to the top of their fields, as did a number of other Ritchie Boys. Victor Brombert: And at great effort we found people, we arrested them, we were proud of doing that. But after a year, he joined the U.S. Army and became one of the 20,000 Ritchie Boys, a special group of soldiers trained at Camp Ritchie (formerly a Maryland National Guard site) to serve in military intelligence during World War II. Sixty-plus percent of the actionable intelligence gathered on the battlefield was gathered by Ritchie Boys. And I needed to get my own back. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, Stern, by then a college student, raced to enlist. Download our app to find events, locations and programs near you. Jon Wertheim: As a way to honor your family that perished. David Frey: Some became ambassadors. As members of the Ritchie Boys, German and Austrian refugees offered language skills and knowledge that proved vital to American military intelligence. In 1943, he was drafted into the Army and in 1944 landed in Normandy after D-day as a "Ritchie Boy." Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), The Ritchie Boys train at Camp Ritchie, Maryland during World War II. Andrew Hollinger They became known as the Ritchie Boys. Their enormous contributions to defeating Nazismone Army study concluded they were responsible for obtaining nearly 60 percent of the actionable intelligence gathered in Europe during the warand their postwar justice efforts remain little known to Americans even today. This was our kind of war. Gross wrote to me saying, My The Ritchie Boys trained for war against these fake Germans with fake German tanks made out of wood. WASHINGTON The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will confer its highest honor, the Elie Wiesel Award, on the Ritchie Boys, a little-known special World War II US military intelligence unit that included many Jewish refugees from Nazism and was instrumental to the Allied victory. Victor Brombert: We improvised according to the situation. He is a frequent contributor to The Washington Post, and has also written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, Politico Magazine, and CNN.com. Guy Stern: My fellow students it was an all-male school withdrew from you. Victor Brombert: I remember being up on a cliff the first night over Omaha beach. Many had fled Nazi Germany but returned as American soldiers, deploying their knowledge of German language and culture to great advantage. That was the mantra. They were all forced to do it. And they were impressed with that. There were two who were actually captured at Museum to Confer its Highest Honor, The Elie Wiesel Award, Secret Unit Formed 80 Years Ago Was Instrumental in Nazi GermanysDefeat and Included Many Who Had Fled the Regime. There were Ritchie Boys who were in virtually every battle that you can think of and some actually suffered the worst fate. Now 98, Fairbrook is the former dean of the Culinary Institute of America. It was wonderful to be part of them. This was our kind of war. Many landed on the beaches of Normandy soon after D-Day. After Germany's surrender, the Ritchie Boys took on the difficult task of identifying and tracking down Nazi criminals. It was here that over 19,000 Ritchie Boys, many of them German-Jewish immigrants from Europe Besides their language ability, these soldiers were familiar with the culture and thinking of enemy soldiers, which would aid them in their efforts. I wanted, desperately, to do something. Since Stern spoke German he was tasked with the interrogation of prisoners of war and defectors. Naturally, I turned to Dan Gross, the unofficial archivist for the Ritchie Boys. Guy Stern: We always find another anecdote to tell. We hope you find the data, stories, and images here of interest. They then typed up their daily reports in the field to be passed up the chain of command. In exchange for their knowledge of German language, culture and topography, which proved critical in extracting information vital to the war effort, the Army offered citizenship. This little-known part of American history deserves national acknowledgement. The unit got its name from where they did their training, Camp Ritchie, Maryl Cast & Crew Read More Christian Bauer Director According to the Holocaust Museum, two Jewish Spy. Jon Wertheim: I imagine all of a sudden no one wants to admit to being a Nazi. David Frey: Because it involves military intelligence, much of it was actually kept secret until the - the 1990's. Step back in time and remember the lead up to VE Day, or "Victory in Europe Day," when soldiers and civilians alike across the world celebrated the end of the years-long World War II in Europe. Apart from the fighting, there were other threats confronting the Ritchie Boys. I was the only one to get out. "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. An official website of the United States Government. Before the Tuskegee Airmen, there were the Hellfighters from Harlem, a group of African American National Guard Soldiers of New York's 15th Infantry Regiment who fought for the right to serve in combat during World War I. They knew the psychology and the 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. 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. Giving out some cigarettes also helps a lot. told the story of his fathers motivation and bravery in the book Unavoidable Hope. As was philanthropist David Rockefeller and media baron and billionaire John Kluge. After the war, Frey says, a survey of battalion commanders concluded that intelligence gathered by graduates of Camp Ritchie was responsible for at least 60 percent of actionable intelligence for the Western Front Theater.. There's no fee to visit the local community WebMany of them, like Brombert, were Jewish. They took their name from the place they trained - Camp Ritchie, Maryland a secret American military intelligence center during the war. Max Lerner: He spent several days in my jail. Photo credit DoD/Holocaust Memorial Center, Why Marlene Dietrich Was One of the Most Patriotic Women in World War II, In World War I, African American 'Hellfighters from Harlem,' Fought Prejudice to Fight for Their Country, VE Day Marked End of Long Road for World War II Troops, Programs for Service Members and Their Families. One of these was. Guy Stern: God no. The Ritchie Boys were one of World War IIs greatest secret weapons for U.S. Army intelligence, said Stuart E. Eizenstat, shortly before becoming chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2022, when the museum bestowed the Ritchie Boys with the Elie Wiesel Award, its highest honor. There were recruiting posters all over town, The Ritchie Boys discovered that the Nazis were terrified of ending up in Russian captivity and they used that to great effect. WebIn the United States at the end of World War II, there were prisoner-of-war camps, including 175 Branch Camps serving 511 Area Camps containing over 425,000 prisoners of war (mostly German).The camps were located all over the US, but were mostly in the South, due to the higher expense of heating the barracks in colder areas. 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. "I had no choice." But the opportunity to help fight and win the war was a wonderful way. Jon Wertheim: All in service of winning the war? Victor Brombert was with the first American armored division to land on Omaha Beach. Jon Wertheim: This is going behind enemy lines. 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. I tell you when we landed on Omaha beach, there were-- the whole heights had been occupied by the German artillery and I looked up on those heights and there were our American soldiers in full occupation on the day D plus 3 and I said to myself, "that can't be done." After Pearl Harbor brought America into the war, many of those sons were eager to return to Europe and find their families. He added that the military chose intelligent people because they had to process a tremendous amount of information." Some Ritchie Boys were recruited to go on secret missions during the war. Of the approximately 19,000 Ritchie Boys who served during the war, about 200 are still living, ranging 95 107 years old. What could be more appropriate than to honor them with an award bearing the name of Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.. In any major military conflict, there will likely be both individual heroes and groups of heroes. Their subjects ranged from low-level German soldiers to high-ranking Nazi officers including Hans Goebbels, brother of Hitler's chief propogandist, Joseph Goebbels. Isn't it a miserable thing? Jon Wertheim: Sixty percent of the actionable intelligence? By providing your mobile phone number, you opt in to receive calls and texts from USO. Dozens of Ritchie Boys worked at the Nuremberg Trials as prosecutors, interrogators and translators. 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. And when their identity was discovered, they were summarily executed by the Germans that had captured them. But within a few months the government realized these so-called enemy aliens could be a valuable resource in the war. By the summer of 1944, German troops in Normandy were outnumbered and overpowered. But Hitler was determined to continue the war. Although members of the Ritchie Boys were awarded more than 65 Silver Stars, their group was not very well known during the war. Paul Fairbrook: I was proud to be in the American Army and we were able to do what we had to do. They significantly helped the war effort and saved lives. Jon Wertheim: What do you remember from that? Some of these books, Frey says, were nearly 500 pages long by the end of the war. Training was designed to be as realistic as possible. Fort Ritchie, as it later became known, closed in 1998. But at wars end, almost none found what they were really looking fortheir families. We hope you find the data, stories, and images here of interest. Ritchie Boy Wannabe Dan Gross and several invited guests joined the Ritchie Boys for the photo. Some never went back to Europe, but one retired to Berlin in 1988 and spent his final years visiting German schools to talk about his childhood under Hitler. Jon Wertheim: And you think because it had that signature, somehow that certified it. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Sons and Soldiers concentrates on six of them, two deadincluding Selling, who passed away at 86 in 2004but who left detailed memoirs, and four still flourishing 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. There were Ritchie Boys who were in POW camps embedded and gathering information in the United States. One can also point to a Ritchie Boy who was given the opportunity to shape the critically important program of psychological warfare by training nearly all the 850 members of the Mobile Radio Broadcasting Companies. Text STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Jon Wertheim: SS men, you're saying, have a tattoo under their left arm with their blood type? From that point on, Ritchie Boys were involved in every major battle in Europe, using their language skills to gather intelligence, interpret enemy documents, and engage in psychological warfare encouraging German soldiers to surrender by dropping leaflets, through radio broadcasts, and in trucks equipped with loudspeakers. There are valid reasons to consider that the Ritchie Boys as a group made a unique and enormous contribution to our military success in World War II. 97-year-old Max Lerner, an Austrian Jew fluent in German and French, served as a special agent with the counterintelligence corps, passing information to French underground resistance groups. The unit consisted mostly of young Germans, some of them of Jews, that had found a new homeland in America after their flight from the Nazis. Im a military history writer and Id never heard of them.. For 99-year-old Guy Stern, a German Jew whose entire family was killed by the Nazis, the Allies' victory over Hitler was the culmination of a public crusade and a private one as well. Its not just a story about Jewish emigres, Frey says, its also a story of what I would call marginal soldiers and their defense of this country.. A website by Dan Gross and Ritchie History Museum. It was an impact on war crimes. By the spring of 1945, Allied forces neared Berlin and Hitler took his life in his underground bunker. Guy Stern speaks at the opening of the Holocaust Memorial Centers Ritchie Boys exhibit and reunion at Farmington Hills, Mich., July 24, 2011. This group became known as The Ritchie Boys, who were the basis of a documentary film of the same name. Two Ritchie Boys were identified as German-language interrogators working for the Americans after they were captured in a Nazi counterattack; revealed to be Jewish, the men were summarily executed. Victor Brombert: We were supposed to arrest important Nazi officials. How The Ritchie Boys Helped Win World War II For America. "It was a terrible situation. They certainly saved lives. G. Guy Ritchie's The Covenant is an intense action movie, full of gunfire and explosions that make you feel caught in the midst of danger. Be the first to learn about news, service member stories and fundraising updates from USO. And it was not until a few years ago that the son of Italian-Jewish Ritchie Boy. Jon Wertheim: You have a smile on your face when you think back. The soldiers were sent for training to Camp Ritchie, Md., beginning June 19, 1942, where they trained at the Military Intelligence Training Center thus their nickname, the Ritchie Boys. The appearance of DoD visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. All SS members were subject to automatic arrest. Early on in the war, the Army realized it needed German- and Italian-speaking U.S. soldiers for a variety of duties, including psychological warfare, interrogation, espionage and intercepting enemy communications. That was potentially lethal in Europe under fluid battlefield conditions, especially during the Battle of the Bulge, when the Wehrmacht infiltrated American lines with soldiers dressed in U.S. uniforms. That is the key to being a good interrogator. "How many machine guns do you have there?" Dead people. Victor Brombert: Our interrogations - it had to do with tactical immediate concerns. After the war, the Ritchie Boys continued their work. My father was 49 years old and-- and my mother was 48 and they left everything they had built up behind. This was because he could speak fluent German; and indeed many of the interrogators at Nuremberg were German or Austrian Jews who had emigrated to America before WWII and were known as the Ritchie Boys. Max Lerner: It was my war. Frey noted similarities between the Jewish refugeeswho were considered enemy aliens until mid-1942 because they had come from countries the United States was at war withand Japanese Americans who had been interned. He still works six days a week. David Frey: There were Ritchie Boys that were in the first wave on the first day at D-Day. Guy Stern: We were on a PT boat taking off from Southampton. Many of these soldiers landed at Normandy, France, on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and others followed to perform their specialized tasks, which provided advanced intelligence to allied forces regarding German war plans and tactics. Little did he know he was whining to a Jewish refugee from Nazi-controlled Austria - a refugee who was now a Ritchie Boy, one of the most valuable interrogation units in the Allied forces. David Frey: All in service of winning the war. Paul Fairbrook: They sent us back to Camp Ritchie and they created something that I call the equivalent of the Library of Congress. Ritchie Boy Dr. Jon Wertheim: So in May of 1945, Germany surrenders, and you're assigned to the denazification process. This particular edition is in a Hardcover format. This is the good conduct medal which I'm not really entitled to (laugh) and this here is the European theatre of operations medal with five battles in which I participated. In the Ardennes region of Belgium, the Germans mounted a massive counteroffensive, which became known as the Battle of the Bulge. Established in 2011, the Elie Wiesel Award recognizes individuals whose actions embody the Museums vision of a world where people confront hate, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. After following in his familys footsteps and serving in the military, Air Force veteran Lyle Apo turned to USO Hawaii for the opportunity to volunteer and help current service members. There were Ritchie Boys who were in virtually every battle that you can think of and some actually suffered the worst fate. Jon Wertheim: Did you ever worry your accent might get you killed? Essentially they were intellectuals. Copyright 2023 Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. I asked them to leave it off. Our country owes them an enormous debt of gratitude for their courage and sacrifices. Then shaping the cold war era, they really played a significant role. You had people coming from all over uniting for a particular cause. Some of them were very involved with the collection of information that became the basis of the trials at Nuremberg and subsequent war crimes trials, Frey said. Following the war, some of the Ritchie Boys were used as interrogators during the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals. Through the power of Holocaust history, the Museum challenges leaders and individuals worldwide to think critically about their role in society and to confront antisemitism and other forms of hate, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. And there's nothing that forges unity better than having a common enemy. Jon Wertheim: Do you consider yourself a hero? David Frey: This is where the having an intelligence officer from Camp Ritchie was of critical importance. Recruits were chosen based on their knowledge of European Language and culture, as well as their high IQs. The Ritchie Boys exhibit at the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills, Mich., July 24, 2011. Many of the 15,200 selected were Jewish soldiers who fled Nazi-controlled Germany, which was systematically killing Jews. Enter. Victor Brombert: Yes, well with a stick. Germany surrendered on May 8th of that year. David Frey: All in service of winning the war. David Frey: A lot of what was learned and the methods used are important to keep secret. Sometimes, not even information about their fate: it was the 1990s before Werner Angress could confirm his father perished in Auschwitz. Individual Ritchie Boys were cited for their contributions by being awarded over 60 Silver Star Medals for bravery. It is a story of a remarkable synergy between a diverse group of well trained and motivated individuals. Guy Stern: I was called to the company office and told you're shipping out. Guy Stern: We were walking along and you saw these emaciated, horribly looking, close to death people. Another unusual sight: towering over recruits, Frank Leavitt, a World War I veteran and pro wrestling star at the time, was among the instructors. We were crusaders.. For as casually as we often toss around the word "hero", sometimes no lesser term applies. It was the viewing of that film that converted Dan into a Ritchie Boy Wannabe and launched him on a quest to help publicize this heroic group. Now in their late 90s, these humble warriors still keep in touch, swapping stories about a chapter in American history now finally being told. St. Joseph Communications uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. In 2011, the Holocaust Memorial Center, in Farmington Hills, Michigan, hosted an exhibit of the Ritchie Boys' exploits. Guy Stern: Yes and it's theatrics in a way yes. They took their name from the place they trained - Camp Ritchie, Maryland a secret American military intelligence center during the war. Nina Wolff Feld told her fathers story in Someday You Will Understand: My Fathers Private World War 2. I think that's quantifiable. Readers may be amazed to learn that the Ritchie Boys included five Marines who died on Iwo Jima, including two who graduated with a specialty of Terrain Intelligence) and were killed in action on the day the Marines stormed Iwo Jima (19 February 1945). 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Max Lerner: It gave me a great deal of satisfaction. When they landed on the beaches of Normandy, Wehrmacht troops were waiting for them well armed and well prepared. Jon Wertheim: This dog tag says Hebrew. Guy Stern, a Bronze Star Medal recipient who attended, said: "It was an emotional reunion, definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And if you get up early enough, you might catch him working out at his local park in the suburbs of Detroit. Camp Ritchie served the Maryland National Guard until 1942. A significant number of people, even those with some knowledge of Camp Ritchie, appear to visualize a graduate of the Armys Military Intelligence Training Center as follows: A physically-challenged man of the Jewish faith, who was born in Germany or Austria, joined the U. S. Army, and after being trained at Camp Ritchie served in the European Theater in World War II as an interrogator in relative safety behind the lines.
