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Aren't we all sort of, tired of it?". That changed over the years as the Ritchie Boys began to receive more recognition. Gross wrote to me saying, My Jon Wertheim: And you think because it had that signature, somehow that certified it. We worked harder than anyone could have driven us. Max Lerner: Or they had an effort to erase it. Broadcast associate, Elizabeth Germino. Produced by Katherine Davis. 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: How effective were they at gathering intelligence? Victor Brombert was with the first American armored division to land on Omaha Beach. A childhood friend described to Stern how his parents, younger brother and sister had been forced from their home and deported. African-American Ritchie Boy William Warfield There were recruiting posters all over town, WebMany of them, like Brombert, were Jewish. And arrived in the United States penniless. Jon Wertheim: And you're saying that some of that originated at Camp Ritchie? What what did that entail? Untold story of the Ritchie Boys - edmondlifeandleisure.com "Enjoy" is perhaps not the right word. David Frey teaches history to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The purpose of the tattoo was to identify a soldier's blood type in case a transfusion was needed or if his dog tags went missing. 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. The SS controlled the German police forces and concentration camps and directed the so-called "Final Solution" to kill all European Jews. Many of the 15,200 selected were Jewish soldiers who fled Nazi-controlled Germany, which was systematically killing Jews. Some faced antisemitism from their fellow soldiers. Some of the prisoners were actual German POWs brought to Camp Ritchie so the Ritchie Boys could practice their interrogation techniques. You want to give them that feeling that you know who they are, they know who you are. 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He grew up in a close-knit family in the town of Hildesheim, Germany. History professor David Frey runs the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Who helped shape what it meant to be American and who in some cases gave their lives in service to this country. Jon Wertheim: This-- This is a remarkable story. Guy Stern: The Bronze Star was given to me right at the end of hostilities. We see those who are the greatest of the greatest generation. Early on in World War II, 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. He is among the last surviving Ritchie Boys - a group of young men many of them German Jews who played an outsized role in helping the Allies win World War II. Some Ritchie Boys were recruited to go on secret missions during the war. For more information, visit ushmm.org. 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. We were crusaders.". Here are five ways Dietrich supported American troops and the USO during World War II. Victor Brombert: We improvised according to the situation. And only in the early 2000's did we begin to see reunions of the Ritchie Boys. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Max Lerner: Because I remembered my parents. Jon Wertheim: I imagine all of a sudden no one wants to admit to being a Nazi. 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. Jon Wertheim: I see a tent in the background of that photo right in front of you. "It was a terrible situation. He project detailed every aspect of the German army's operations during the war, including how they were structured, how they mobilized and how they used intelligence. 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. 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. Paul Fairbrook: When the soldiers said "I'm not going to talk" they could say "wait a minute. Salinger was a Ritchie Boy. Surviving soldiers were among the attendees. Starting in 1942, more than 11,000 soldiers went through the rigorous training at what was the Army's first centralized school for intelligence and psychological warfare. Among them were the Ritchie Boys, some 15,200 men who attended the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie, Md. Guy Stern: I think it was the continuous flow of reliable information that really helped expedite the end of the war. The Ritchie Boys connected with prisoners on subjects as varied as food and soccer rivalries but they weren't above using deception on difficult targets. It was wonderful to see these people again. The award will be presented this spring. Jon Wertheim: Did the Ritchie Boys redefine what it means to be a soldier and contribute to a military? On a cold November morning in 1938, Herman watches in horror as his Another unusual sight: towering over recruits, Frank Leavitt, a World War I veteran and pro wrestling star at the time, was among the instructors. The soldiers were sent for training to Camp Ritchie, Maryland, beginning June 19, 1942, where they trained at the Military Intelligence Training Center thus their nickname, the Ritchie Boys.. Jon Wertheim: How did you find out you were going to go to Camp Ritchie? And there's nothing that I wanted more is to get some revenge on Hitler who killed my uncles, and my aunts and my cousins and there was no question in my mind, and neither of all the men in Camp Ritchie. Jon Wertheim: So physical combat training as well as intelligence? David Frey: A lot of what was learned and the methods used are important to keep secret. "How many machine guns do you have there?" Since the story of the Ritchie Boys remained relatively unknown for a half-century or more, it was often left to their children and grandchildren to bring their accomplishments to light. But Hitler was determined to continue the war. Paul Fairbrook: I was proud to be in the American Army and we were able to do what we had to do. K. Lang-Slattery, Katie Lang-Slattery. Jon Wertheim: You have a smile on your face when you think back. 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. The Ritchie Boys - Introduction 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. Please enter valid email address to continue. They were members of a secret group whose mastery of the German language and culture helped them provide battlefield intelligence that proved pivotal to the Allies' victory. Although Ritchie Boy Private Henry Kolm did not have the opportunity to serve overseas, he was able to make a significant contribution as an interrogator at Fort Hunt and as the principal facilitator in the integration of German Paperclip scientists and engineers such as Wernher von Braun into our society. It's important for people everywhere to remember those who perished and those who survived the Holocaust and, in a world increasingly faced with sectarian strife and intolerance, to set forth the lessons of the Holocaust as a model for teaching ethical conduct and responsible decision-making, Stern said. 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. And that has been the driving force in my life. Jon Wertheim: Do you consider yourself a hero? Jon Wertheim: How do you think we should be recalling the Ritchie Boys? The Ritchie Boys exhibit at the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills, Mich., July 24, 2011. In any major military conflict, there will likely be both individual heroes and groups of heroes. Jon Wertheim: So this is you on the job. We hope you find the data, stories, and images here of interest. Guy Stern: Well I think not (laugh) but I don't run as fast, I don't swim as fast but I feel happy with my tasks. Jon Wertheim: So it sounds like this gave the officers in the field a guide to the German Army so they could then interrogate the German POW's more efficiently. 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).