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. 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. Not just any Nazi party member. Many of the German and Austrian Jewish refugees reported to Camp Ritchie while still designated as "enemy aliens." And that's why civilians could be useful and soldiers could be useful, "where is the minefield?" The Ritchie Boys were one of World War IIs greatest secret weapons for US Army intelligence, said incoming Museum Chairman Stuart E. Eizenstat. Director, Communications We now know that this perception needs to be broadened. Why do so few Americans know about this? Max Lerner: They have a tattoo of their blood group under their left arms. It was Sunday, May 13, 1945, Henderson marvels. David Frey: They were incredibly effective. We were crusaders.". It is a story of a remarkable synergy between a diverse group of well trained and motivated individuals. He still works six days a week. 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. Max Lerner: He spent several days in my jail. Guy Stern: No because I knew that the contact with Germans might not be very nice. According to the kind of unit, according to the kind of person we were interrogating. Salinger was a Ritchie Boy. Web4.73K subscribers The Ritchie Boys of World War Two were more than 15,000 servicemen who fled Nazi Germany and Austria, becoming instrumental in the allied war effort with It was wonderful to see these people again. Sensing danger, Stern's father tried to get the family out. Guy Stern: None of my family survived. Many were foreign-born or had lived abroad for significant amounts of time. and I said "may I know where I'm going?" Among them were the Ritchie Boys, some 15,200 men who attended the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie, Md. Jon Wertheim: That's how you looked at it. The Ritchie Boys consisted of approximately 15,200 servicemen who were trained for U.S. Army Intelligence during WWII. 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. David Frey: Because it involves military intelligence, much of it was actually kept secret until the - the 1990's. You want to convince them that you're trustworthy. (See Aren't we all sort of, tired of it?". Jon Wertheim: So this is you on the job. Many were German- and Austrian-born Jews who had fled Adolf Hitlers genocidal Nazi regimemaking them most determined enemies of the Third Reich. There's no fee to visit the local community Jon Wertheim: Did the Ritchie Boys redefine what it means to be a soldier and contribute to a military? 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. Personal, of course, but also this country - I was really treated well. Originally a resort, Camp Ritchie was a curiously idyllic setting to prepare for the harshness and brutality of war. You on one side and we on this side. I have some that were shot. Max Lerner: You know how to tell an SS man? -This story was originally published on defense.gov. So was Archibald Roosevelt, grandson of Theodore Roosevelt. Many had fled Nazi Germany but returned as American soldiers, deploying their knowledge of German language and culture to great advantage. 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. In a different way, the contributions made by a small team or by a large group of individuals may also save lives and deserve to be called heroic. who was awarded a Silver Star medal posthumously for gallantry beyond the call of duty. "How to kill a sentry from behind." Wehrmacht Captain Curt Bruns, convicted by a military tribunal of ordering the murder of those two Ritchie Boys, was executed by a firing squad in June, 1945. And only in the early 2000's did we begin to see reunions of the Ritchie Boys. It was wonderful to see these people again. Max Lerner: It was my war. 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. This is Guy Stern 80 years ago. Dabringhaus went on to write a book about the experience called Klaus Barbie: The Shocking Story of How the U.S. Used this Nazi War Criminal as an Intelligence Agent.. The Ritchie Boys earned a reputation for delivering important tactical information fast, making a major contribution to every battle on the Western Front. Guy Stern: I was called to the company office and told you're shipping out. 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. The 10 digit ISBN is 0811769968 and the 13 digit ISBN is 9780811769969. Ritchie Boy Wannabe Dan Gross and several invited guests joined the Ritchie Boys for the photo. What was that like? Camp Ritchie, Maryland - Development of the Intelligence Training As the world observes International Holocaust Remembrance Day, some may remember the so-called "Ritchie Boys," who greatly aided allied forces in their fight against Germany and other Axis nations in World War II. David Frey: Part of what the Ritchie Boys did was to convince German units to surrender without fighting. Ritchie 4.39. Another bit of indispensable Ritchie Boy handiwork: the order of battle of the German army. The USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD). As was philanthropist David Rockefeller and media baron and billionaire John Kluge. Guy Stern speaks at the opening of the Holocaust Memorial Centers Ritchie Boys exhibit and reunion at Farmington Hills, Mich., July 24, 2011. 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. Guy Stern: I had a war to fight and I did it. It turns out that author J.D. Ritchie Boys Honored for WWII Service, Valor | AUSA The award will be presented this spring. Jon Wertheim: This was one of the leaflets that was dropped out--. Additional valuable information on the Ritchie Boys may be found in a forum-type Facebook page, , ably managed with considerable devotion by Bernie Lubran, son of Ritchie Boy, , and by Josh Freeling, whose great uncle was Ritchie Boy. Another unusual sight: towering over recruits, Frank Leavitt, a World War I veteran and pro wrestling star at the time, was among the instructors. David Frey: The purpose of the facility was to train interrogators. Spy. 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 case of, stands out in my mind as the essence of the reason why the Ritchie Boys were able to use their intelligence (and motivation) to make an enormous difference. In New York, Paul Fairbrook, had a similar impulse. Download our app to find events, locations and programs near you. Jon Wertheim: Did you enjoy hunting Nazis? They were all forced to do it. Bill. As members of the Ritchie Boys, German and Austrian refugees offered language skills and knowledge that proved vital to American military intelligence. Paul Fairbrook: Oh that is a very good question. A mighty onslaught of more than 160,000 men, 13,000 aircraft, and 5,000 vessels. And so I fell back behind because I didn't want to be seen crying to a hardened soldier and then he looked around to look where I was, how I was delayed, and he, this good fellow from middle of Ohio was bawling just as I was. The story of Camp Ritchie and the men (and women) who came there is a story that needs to be broadcast more widely. Ritchie Boys: The secret U.S. unit bolstered by German There were recruiting posters all over town, The very aspect of these SOBs now being at my command (laugh) gave me also some personal satisfaction. Many of the 15,200 selected were Jewish soldiers who fled Nazi-controlled Germany, which was systematically killing Jews. ", Jon Wertheim: "Unprincipled and dishonorable and I'm sorry?". The case of Hans Habe stands out in my mind as the essence of the reason why the Ritchie Boys were able to use their intelligence (and motivation) to make an enormous difference. You really have to understand it helps to have been born in Germany in order to in order to do a good job. 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. Fort Ritchie, as it later became known, closed in 1998. To do so, they learned photo analysis, terrain analysis, aerial reconnaissance, enemy army analysis, interrogation, signals intelligence and much more.. How The Ritchie Boys Helped Win World War II For America. Some didn't even go over to to Europe. An African-American Ritchie Boy William Warfield If you have ever heard a recording of William Warfield singing Ol Man River, from the musical Showboat by Jerome Kern, you will not have forgotten his deep, rich, bass-baritone voice. Then came the surprise transfer to secretive Camp Ritchie in backwoods Maryland, where his first sight was a platoon of soldiers marching byin full-dress Wehrmacht uniforms. About 200 Ritchie Boys are estimated to be alive today. By the spring of 1945, Allied forces neared Berlin and Hitler took his life in his underground bunker. Some of them requested new dog tags with very good reason. Guy Stern: Out of a plane. Holocaust refugee turned American Soldier never forgot Every day, Americas service members selflessly put their lives on the line to keep us safe and free. David Frey: They were incredibly effective. Now is it because they were afraid that the Nazis might come back, that it's not over? "It was a terrible situation. David Frey: They were in fact. 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. The evidence was before us. Guy Stern: They were killed either in Warsaw or in Auschwitz. Jon Wertheim: This had a real material impact on World War II. David Frey is a professor of history and director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. WebThe Ritchie Boys were a secret unit of the US Army during the Second World War. Jon Wertheim: That's what you were told. Not all the boys were immigrantsfuture banker David Rockefeller and writer J.D. With World War II, Camp Ritchie had a new, fascinating and mysterious mission. Victor Brombert: It was very, very hard, very difficult and very rare to have a German denounce another German at that point. That is the key to being a good interrogator. Jon Wertheim: And those are your those are your comrades. There were Ritchie Boys who were in POW camps embedded and gathering information in the United States. 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. Jon Wertheim: What was it like for you, leaving Nazi Germany, escaping as a Jew, and the next time you go back to Europe it's to fight those guys? 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. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Ritchie Boys key asset was language skills, and the militarys hunger was for battlefield POW interrogators. 70 ratings17 reviews. Nina Wolff Feld told her fathers story in Someday You Will Understand: My Fathers Private World War 2. The intelligence they gathered was coveted by higher commanda postwar Pentagon report ascribed more than half of the credible battlefield intelligence gathered in Europe to the Ritchie Boys. The Ritchie Boys to Receive Museums 2022 Elie Wiesel 5 likes. We see those who are the greatest of the greatest generation. By Julia M. Klein August 26, 2017. Isn't it a miserable thing? Fortunately, a book written by historian Beverley Eddy tells the story of Camp Ritchie and the Ritchie Boys in great detail and with professional skill. One can also point to a Ritchie Boy But it gave me great deal of satisfaction. Paul Fairbrook: (laugh) You bet your life I'm proud of the Ritchie Boys. What did work Is complicity. I think that's quantifiable. 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. 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. In the age of mechanized warfare, you need to know what these large armies look like, what their capabilities are, how theyre arrayed, Frey says. Angress followed up leads that took him to an Amsterdam address just five days after VE Day. 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. But the opportunity to help fight and win the war was a wonderful way. "I would have been killed if I hadn't gone along. Victor Brombert: My parents were pacifists so the idea of my going to war was for them calamitous, however they realized that it was a necessary war, especially for us. Max Lerner: Or they had an effort to erase it. In 1944, the Ritchie Boys headed to Europe to fight in a war that was, for them, intensely personal. David Frey: This is where the having an intelligence officer from Camp Ritchie was of critical importance. Ritchie Boys of According to the Holocaust Museum, two Jewish Jon Wertheim: So there's a real element of - costumes and deception and accents. WebThe surviving Ritchie Boys are in their eighties now. Immigrants like Guy Stern. 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. Others were actually really important in American science. Training was designed to be as realistic as possible. Among the unusual sights at Ritchie: a team of U.S. soldiers dressed in German uniforms. 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. 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. ", Dr. Victor Brombert: I remember being up on a cliff the first night over Omaha beach. Nina Wolff Feld told her fathers story in Someday You Will Understand: My Fathers Private World War 2. 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. The U.S. Army had evidently decided that Martin Selling was a useful asset after all. I never calculated that there is such a thing as terror, fear. Jon Wertheim: Do you consider yourself a hero? He added that the military chose intelligent people because they had to process a tremendous amount of information." And like so many war films it A PHOTO FROM A RITCHIE BOY REUNION HELD IN WASHINGTON DC. "Enjoy" is perhaps not the right word. Jon Wertheim: You let him know you were Jewish? Besides their language ability, these soldiers were familiar with the culture and thinking of enemy soldiers, which would aid them in their efforts. But joy turned to horror as Allied soldiers and the world learned the full scale of the Nazi mass extermination. 'Ritchie Boys' Aided Army's Efforts to Defeat Germany Victor Brombert: There were long and demanding exercises and close combat training. Jon Wertheim: That's what you called yourself? The Ritchie Boys were members of a secret American intelligence group whose mastery of the German language and culture proved critical to the Allies' victory over Hitler. The knowledge that his adopted country would not let him fight their common enemy was bitterly frustrating. We were delighted to get a chance to do something for the United States. Immigrant Soldier, The Story of The Jewish Refugees Who Fled Nazi GermanyThen Returned to His Jewish family left Germany in 1933 when he was 10. The Ritchie Boys, some of whom landed on the beaches at Normandy, helped to interpret documents and gather intelligence, and conducted enemy warfare. There were Ritchie Boys who were in virtually every battle that you can think of and some actually suffered the worst fate. The intent of this web page, in addition to providing demographics and statistics not available elsewhere, will be to highlight individual secret heroes whose contributions were also singularly significant.

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