Menzel, Rene Eugene (01054061) - Revision history

Admin: Sort Timeline bullets chronologically

2026-09-23T04:21:23Z

Sort Timeline bullets chronologically

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	* August 1943 — Assigned to Camp Ritchie (Class 11); naturalized while stationed there.		* August 1943 — Assigned to Camp Ritchie (Class 11); naturalized while stationed there.
	* 1944–1945 — Served with MII Team 415; Channel screening, Normandy landing, liberation of France / POW recovery.		* 1944–1945 — Served with MII Team 415; Channel screening, Normandy landing, liberation of France / POW recovery.
			* 10 May 2017 — Died in Williamsburg, Virginia.
	* Postwar — Career with IBM World Trade; later Darien civic service and SCORE.		* Postwar — Career with IBM World Trade; later Darien civic service and SCORE.
	* 10 May 2017 — Died in Williamsburg, Virginia.
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Admin: Expand documented full name in infobox and lead

2026-09-20T20:14:39Z

Expand documented full name in infobox and lead

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	<div class="soldier-lead">		<div class="soldier-lead">
	'''[[Menzel, Rene E. (01054061)\|Rene Eugene Menzel]]''' (22 November 1919 – 10 May 2017) was a Ritchie Boy (from Netherlands; Catholic) who trained at Camp Ritchie in [[:Category:Class 11\|class 11]].		'''[[Menzel, Rene Eugene (01054061)\|Rene Eugene Menzel]]''' (22 November 1919 – 10 May 2017) was a Ritchie Boy (from Netherlands; Catholic) who trained at Camp Ritchie in [[:Category:Class 11\|class 11]].
	</div>		</div>

Admin: Admin moved page Menzel, Rene E. (01054061) to Menzel, Rene Eugene (01054061) without leaving a redirect: Expand documented middle name: Eugene

2026-09-20T20:14:37Z

Admin moved page Menzel, Rene E. (01054061) to Menzel, Rene Eugene (01054061) without leaving a redirect: Expand documented middle name: Eugene

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:14, 20 September 2026
(No difference)

Admin: Link Camp Ritchie class and team mentions in lead/biography

2026-09-19T00:11:18Z

Link Camp Ritchie class and team mentions in lead/biography

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	<div class="soldier-lead">		<div class="soldier-lead">
	'''[[Menzel, Rene E. (01054061)\|Rene Eugene Menzel]]''' (22 November 1919 – 10 May 2017) was a Ritchie Boy (from Netherlands; Catholic) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 11.		'''[[Menzel, Rene E. (01054061)\|Rene Eugene Menzel]]''' (22 November 1919 – 10 May 2017) was a Ritchie Boy (from Netherlands; Catholic) who trained at Camp Ritchie in [[:Category:Class 11\|class 11]].
	</div>		</div>

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	René Eugene Menzel was born on 22 November 1919 in The Hague, Netherlands, to Jean and Erna Menzel, and grew up largely in Brussels. He graduated from the University of Brussels as World War II began. When the German invasion forced the family to flee, Menzel enlisted in the Free French Army, was wounded by shrapnel, escaped occupied France on a falsified pass, reached Casablanca, and rejoined his parents in New York by way of a ship bound for Guadeloupe.		René Eugene Menzel was born on 22 November 1919 in The Hague, Netherlands, to Jean and Erna Menzel, and grew up largely in Brussels. He graduated from the University of Brussels as World War II began. When the German invasion forced the family to flee, Menzel enlisted in the Free French Army, was wounded by shrapnel, escaped occupied France on a falsified pass, reached Casablanca, and rejoined his parents in New York by way of a ship bound for Guadeloupe.

	He entered the U.S. Army, became a naturalized citizen while at Camp Ritchie (Class 11), and served with MII Team 415. Overseas he screened Channel crossers for intelligence risks, landed in Normandy on D-Day, and took part in liberating France; his detachment helped free tens of thousands of Allied prisoners. U.S. awards included the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star (with oak leaf cluster); France awarded him the Croix de Guerre.		He entered the U.S. Army, became a naturalized citizen while at Camp Ritchie ([[:Category:Class 11\|Class 11]]), and served with [[Team MII 415\|MII Team 415]]. Overseas he screened Channel crossers for intelligence risks, landed in Normandy on D-Day, and took part in liberating France; his detachment helped free tens of thousands of Allied prisoners. U.S. awards included the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star (with oak leaf cluster); France awarded him the Croix de Guerre.

	After the war Menzel worked for IBM World Trade, lived for years in Darien, Connecticut—chairing Planning and Zoning and later active in SCORE—and then in Williamsburg, Virginia. He died there on 10 May 2017.		After the war Menzel worked for IBM World Trade, lived for years in Darien, Connecticut—chairing Planning and Zoning and later active in SCORE—and then in Williamsburg, Virginia. He died there on 10 May 2017.

Admin: Remove research notes now confirmed on the profile

2026-09-18T22:46:10Z

Remove research notes now confirmed on the profile

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:46, 18 September 2026
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	== Research notes ==		== Research notes ==
	* See notes		* Bronze Star and Purple Heart are explicit in the Darienite obituary (Eisenhower orders). Croix de Guerre kept in prose only. Oak leaf cluster noted in prose
	* Bronze Star and Purple Heart are explicit in the Darienite obituary (Eisenhower orders). Croix de Guerre kept in prose only. Oak leaf cluster noted in prose; awards tuple lists Bronze Star once. Live rank_final 2nd Lt upgraded to First Lieutenant per obituary wartime grade.		* awards tuple lists Bronze Star once. Live rank_final 2nd Lt upgraded to First Lieutenant per obituary wartime grade

	== Gallery ==		== Gallery ==

Admin: RB Archive curated media

2026-09-16T23:25:58Z

RB Archive curated media

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:25, 16 September 2026
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	\|class_number=11		\|class_number=11
	\|class_display=11		\|class_display=11
	\|photo=~~5955733007781904~~.jpg		\|photo=Menzel_Rene_E_01054061_portrait.jpg
	\|birth_date=22 November 1919		\|birth_date=22 November 1919
	\|death_date=10 May 2017		\|death_date=10 May 2017
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	* See notes		* See notes
	* Bronze Star and Purple Heart are explicit in the Darienite obituary (Eisenhower orders). Croix de Guerre kept in prose only. Oak leaf cluster noted in prose; awards tuple lists Bronze Star once. Live rank_final 2nd Lt upgraded to First Lieutenant per obituary wartime grade.		* Bronze Star and Purple Heart are explicit in the Darienite obituary (Eisenhower orders). Croix de Guerre kept in prose only. Oak leaf cluster noted in prose; awards tuple lists Bronze Star once. Live rank_final 2nd Lt upgraded to First Lieutenant per obituary wartime grade.

			== Gallery ==
			<div class="soldier-gallery">
			<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
			Menzel_Rene_E_01054061_portrait.jpg\|Rene E. Menzel portrait (RB Archive)
			</gallery>
			</div>

	== Technical record ==		== Technical record ==
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	== Sources ==		== Sources ==
			* [[:File:Menzel_Rene_E_01054061_portrait.jpg\|Rene E. Menzel portrait (RB Archive)]]
	* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Rene E. Menzel for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; selected non-private findings)		* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Rene E. Menzel for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; selected non-private findings)
	* [https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/vagazette/name/rene-menzel-obituary?id=20095962 Legacy / Virginia Gazette — René Menzel obituary]		* [https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/vagazette/name/rene-menzel-obituary?id=20095962 Legacy / Virginia Gazette — René Menzel obituary]

Admin: RB Archive enrichment: RB Archive packet chronological regen

2026-09-16T23:23:51Z

RB Archive enrichment: RB Archive packet chronological regen

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:23, 16 September 2026
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	\|death_date=10 May 2017		\|death_date=10 May 2017
	\|arm_or_service=Coast Artillery Corps		\|arm_or_service=Coast Artillery Corps
	\|birth_place=Netherlands		\|birth_place=The Hague, Netherlands
	\|rank_final=~~2nd Lt~~		\|rank_final=First Lieutenant
	\|teams=MII 415		\|teams=MII 415
			\|death_place=Williamsburg, Virginia
			\|awards=Bronze Star; Purple Heart
			\|awards_grid=Bronze Star;;Purple Heart
			\|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png;Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png
			\|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png;;Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png
	}}		}}

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	== Biography ==		== Biography ==
	~~Rene~~ was born November ~~22nd~~ 1919 in The Hague, Netherlands. ~~While his parents and Georges were evading~~ the ~~Nazis by sleeping out in remote farm houses~~, ~~Rene~~ enlisted in the Free French Army~~. From Morocco he made his way to the US through~~ a ~~ship that was going to Guadeloupe where he was reunited with~~ his parents ~~who had previously escaped war torn Europe and were living~~ in New York ~~City~~.		René Eugene Menzel was born on 22 November 1919 in The Hague, Netherlands, to Jean and Erna Menzel, and grew up largely in Brussels. He graduated from the University of Brussels as World War II began. When the German invasion forced the family to flee, Menzel enlisted in the Free French Army, was wounded by shrapnel, escaped occupied France on a falsified pass, reached Casablanca, and rejoined his parents in New York by way of a ship bound for Guadeloupe.

	~~Rene attended high school~~ and ~~university~~ in ~~Belgium~~. ~~Rene graduated from~~ the ~~University of Brussels just as WWII was breaking out in Europe~~.		He entered the U.S. Army, became a naturalized citizen while at Camp Ritchie (Class 11), and served with MII Team 415. Overseas he screened Channel crossers for intelligence risks, landed in Normandy on D-Day, and took part in liberating France; his detachment helped free tens of thousands of Allied prisoners. U.S. awards included the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star (with oak leaf cluster); France awarded him the Croix de Guerre.

	~~Rene immediately enlisted in~~ the ~~US Army and rose to the rank of First Lieutenant.~~		After the war Menzel worked for IBM World Trade, lived for years in Darien, Connecticut—chairing Planning and Zoning and later active in SCORE—and then in Williamsburg, Virginia. He died there on 10 May 2017.

	~~He became a naturalized US citizen while stationed at the Military Intelligence Training Center in Camp Ritchie, Maryland.~~

	He worked ~~as tabulating machine operator. He also served as an Investigating Officer with the War Crimes Branch. He served as interviewer of people fleeing the continent.~~

	~~Rene Eugene Menzel was a Ritchie Boy. Rene's father~~, ~~Jean was an industrialist, art collector, and champion horse owner. He and his family were forced to flee Belgium during the Nazi blitzkrieg.~~

	~~He was subsequently injured during a skirmish by shrapnel and convalesced~~ in a hospital in Nazi occupied France. He escaped through falsifying a pass that allowed him to travel freely throughout German occupied France. He eventually made his way to Casablanca Morocco which at that time was not under Vichy government control.

	Rene was assigned back to Europe where he was part of military intelligence interviewing people fleeing across the English Channel to insure they were not spies. Rene was part of D-Day and landed in Normandy under extreme conditions. He participated in the liberation of France where his detachment assisted in the freeing of over 50,~~000 Prisoners of War.~~

	~~One of Rene's favorite war stories detailed how he~~ and his Sergeant got ahead of the other allied troops and much to their surprise would arrive in their jeep in towns that hadn't been officially liberated yet. Rene was awarded the highest honors for his performance throughout the war. From the provisional French Government under General Charles de Gaulle, Rene was awarded the Croix de Geurre for his contribution to the liberation of the French Republic.

	~~From the USA under the orders of General Eisenhower, Rene was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star~~ and ~~the Oak Leaf Cluster. At the conclusion of the war, Rene reunited with his family who were already residing~~ in ~~Manhattan, NY. It was a fascinating period~~ in ~~their lives as they traveled frequently throughout the Orient.~~

	~~On the volunteer side~~, Rene became very involved in the local town government; heading up the Planning and Zoning Committee as well as becoming a Power Squadron instructor. Rene was awarded the SCORE Connecticut Chapter executive of the year award. He ~~was very fond of helping small business succeed.~~

	~~Rene Eugene Menzel~~ died May ~~10th,~~ 2017 ~~at the age of 97~~.

	== Research notes ==		== Research notes ==
	* See notes		* See notes
			* Bronze Star and Purple Heart are explicit in the Darienite obituary (Eisenhower orders). Croix de Guerre kept in prose only. Oak leaf cluster noted in prose; awards tuple lists Bronze Star once. Live rank_final 2nd Lt upgraded to First Lieutenant per obituary wartime grade.

	== Technical record ==		== Technical record ==
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	<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">		<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
	<div class="soldier-timeline-body">		<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
	* ~~Born~~ 22 November 1919 in Netherlands.		* 22 November 1919 — Born in The Hague, Netherlands.
	* August 1943 — Assigned to Camp Ritchie.		* 1940 — Graduated from the University of Brussels as war began in Europe.
	* ~~Assigned as CO of~~ MII 415 ~~attached to 2nd Infantry Division~~.		* 1940–1941 — Free French service, wound and escape through France and Morocco; reunited with family in New York.
	* ~~Graduated as 2nd Lt. (ASN 01054061)~~ with ~~Class 11 PI~~ and ~~SC 1 Fr~~.		* August 1943 — Assigned to Camp Ritchie (Class 11); naturalized while stationed there.
			* 1944–1945 — Served with MII Team 415; Channel screening, Normandy landing, liberation of France / POW recovery.
			* Postwar — Career with IBM World Trade; later Darien civic service and SCORE.
			* 10 May 2017 — Died in Williamsburg, Virginia.
	</div>		</div>
	</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>		</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

	== Sources ==		== Sources ==
			* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Rene E. Menzel for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; selected non-private findings)
			* [https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/vagazette/name/rene-menzel-obituary?id=20095962 Legacy / Virginia Gazette — René Menzel obituary]
			* [https://darienite.com/rene-menzel-97-one-adventure-another-ww-ii-later-darien-pz-chairman-22200 Darienite, 17 May 2017 — René Menzel obituary feature]
	* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data		* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
	* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records		* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records

Admin: Remove research notes now confirmed on the profile

2026-09-10T04:32:45Z

Remove research notes now confirmed on the profile

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	\|birth_place=Netherlands		\|birth_place=Netherlands
	\|rank_final=2nd Lt		\|rank_final=2nd Lt
			\|teams=MII 415
	}}		}}

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	== Research notes ==		== Research notes ==
	* See notes		* See notes
	* MII 415

	== Technical record ==		== Technical record ==

Admin: Apply shared profile publish standards

2026-09-02T15:40:11Z

Apply shared profile publish standards

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 == Biography ==
-Rene attended high school and university in Belgium. He worked as tabulating machine operator. He also served as an Investigating Officer with the War Crimes Branch. He served as interviewer of people fleeing the continent. Rene Eugene Menzel was a Ritchie Boy. Rene was born November 22nd 1919 in The Hague, Netherlands. Rene's father, Jean was an industrialist, art collector, and champion horse owner. Rene graduated from the University of Brussels just as WWII was breaking out in Europe. He and his family were forced to flee Belgium during the Nazi blitzkrieg. While his parents and Georges were evading the Nazis by sleeping out in remote farm houses, Rene enlisted in the Free French Army. He was subsequently injured during a skirmish by shrapnel and convalesced in a hospital in Nazi occupied France. He escaped through falsifying a pass that allowed him to travel freely throughout German occupied France. He eventually made his way to Casablanca Morocco which at that time was not under Vichy government control. From Morocco he made his way to the US through a ship that was going to Guadeloupe where he was reunited with his parents who had previously escaped war torn Europe and were living in New York City. Rene immediately enlisted in the US Army and rose to the rank of First Lieutenant. He became a naturalized US citizen while stationed at the Military Intelligence Training Center in Camp Ritchie, Maryland. Rene was assigned back to Europe where he was part of military intelligence interviewing people fleeing across the English Channel to insure they were not spies. Rene was part of D-Day and landed in Normandy under extreme conditions. He participated in the liberation of France where his detachment assisted in the freeing of over 50,000 Prisoners of War. One of Rene's favorite war stories detailed how he and his Sergeant got ahead of the other allied troops and much to their surprise would arrive in their jeep in towns that hadn't been officially liberated yet. Rene was awarded the highest honors for his performance throughout the war. From the provisional French Government under General Charles de Gaulle, Rene was awarded the Croix de Geurre for his contribution to the liberation of the French Republic. From the USA under the orders of General Eisenhower, Rene was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and the Oak Leaf Cluster. At the conclusion of the war, Rene reunited with his family who were already residing in Manhattan, NY. It was a fascinating period in their lives as they traveled frequently throughout the Orient. On the volunteer side, Rene became very involved in the local town government; heading up the Planning and Zoning Committee as well as becoming a Power Squadron instructor. Rene was awarded the SCORE Connecticut Chapter executive of the year award. He was very fond of helping small business succeed. Rene Eugene Menzel died May 10th, 2017 at the age of 97.
+Rene was born November 22nd 1919 in The Hague, Netherlands. While his parents and Georges were evading the Nazis by sleeping out in remote farm houses, Rene enlisted in the Free French Army. From Morocco he made his way to the US through a ship that was going to Guadeloupe where he was reunited with his parents who had previously escaped war torn Europe and were living in New York City.
 == Research notes ==

Admin: Add audited Dan Gross timeline enrichment

2026-09-01T12:49:58Z

Add audited Dan Gross timeline enrichment

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	<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">		<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
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			* Born 22 November 1919 in Netherlands.
	* August 1943 — Assigned to Camp Ritchie.		* August 1943 — Assigned to Camp Ritchie.
	* Assigned as CO of MII 415 attached to 2nd Infantry Division.		* Assigned as CO of MII 415 attached to 2nd Infantry Division.
			* Graduated as 2nd Lt. (ASN 01054061) with Class 11 PI and SC 1 Fr.
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