Katzenstein, William B. (33722535): Difference between revisions

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|birth_year=1924

|death_year=2012

|nativity=Ge

|nativity=Germany

|religion=J

|religion=Jewish

|enlistment_place=BALTIMORE MARYLAND

|state=MARYLAND

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|division=505th PIR, 82nd Airborne

|photo=Enemy I Knew William Katzenstein 1.png

|rank_final=Pvt

|class_number=11

|class_display=11

|awards=Purple Heart; Bronze Star Medal; French Croix de Guerre

|awards_grid=Purple Heart; Bronze Star Medal;;French Croix de Guerre

|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png; Ribbon_Croix_de_Guerre_1939-1945.png

|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png;;Ribbon_Croix_de_Guerre_1939-1945.png

|story=The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/William Katzenstein

|awards_extra=

}}

'''William B. Katzenstein''' ~~(1924–2012)~~ was a ~~United States Army soldier associated with~~ Camp Ritchie~~, Maryland~~. ~~William enlisted at Baltimore, Maryland. From Schenklengsfeld; Camp Ritchie graduate who jumped with~~ the 505th ~~PIR~~, 82nd Airborne, in Normandy and Holland.

'''William B. Katzenstein''' was a German-born refugee from Schenklengsfeld and a Camp Ritchie-trained airborne intelligence soldier. Serving in the S-2 section of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, he took part in the Normandy and Holland campaigns.

</div>

== Biography ==

William Katzenstein ~~left~~ Schenklengsfeld, Germany, in 1937 and settled in New York. After Camp Ritchie he volunteered for the paratroops and ~~served in~~ the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment~~, S-2 section~~, 82nd Airborne Division, in Normandy and Holland. ~~After~~ the war ~~he continued in~~ U.S. Army Intelligence in Washington, D.C. ~~See~~ the ~~[[The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/~~William Katzenstein~~|full story]]~~.

William B. Katzenstein grew up in Schenklengsfeld, Germany, as Nazi persecution made continued Jewish life increasingly dangerous. He left Germany in 1937 and settled in New York, beginning again in the United States several years before America entered the war.

After joining the U.S. Army, Katzenstein was selected for military intelligence training at Camp Ritchie. His German fluency and personal knowledge of the country prepared him to interpret enemy documents, question prisoners, and evaluate information about German forces.

Katzenstein volunteered for the paratroops and was assigned to the S-2 intelligence section of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. The assignment placed a refugee from Germany in one of the Army's most mobile combat formations, where reliable intelligence had to be collected and communicated quickly.

With the 505th, Katzenstein served in the Normandy campaign and later in Holland. He supported airborne operations by helping the regiment understand the enemy troops and material it encountered. His training connected German language and cultural knowledge directly to the needs of regimental headquarters in combat.

Katzenstein continued his intelligence career after the war. He worked for U.S. Army Intelligence in Washington, D.C., carrying the specialized skills developed at Camp Ritchie and in the 82nd Airborne into postwar government service.

William attended college CCNY (AB and graduate work). He graduated George Washington University. On 6 June 1944, Katzenstein served as Pathfinder during D-Day invasion. Katzenstein sent to Algiers where he provided weekly news program for the United Nations radio.

== Research notes ==

* "CIB; BS; The Enemy I Knew" "About Face"

* 505th PIR

* Civil Life

~~== Gallery ==~~

~~[[File:Enemy I Knew William Katzenstein 1.png|thumb|Enemy I Knew William Katzenstein 1.png]]~~

== Technical record ==

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Line 108:

| row_source || demographics

|}

== Timeline ==

* Born 1924.

* 23 April 1943 — Enlisted as Pvt (ASN 33722535).

* 25 August 1943 — Entered Class 11 (German) (did not complete – ‘Dropped’).

* June 1943 — Entered Class 9 (French) but ‘Dropped’.

* 6 June 1944 — Served as Pathfinder during D-Day invasion.

* Purple Heart; CIB (505th GO 19, 11-29-44, Box 10474). Bronze Arrowhead.

* Assigned to 82nd Airborne Div. (505th PIR). Served with HQ (S-2).

* Awards: Bronze Star (w 4 clusters), CIB, French and Belgian CdeG, Purple Heart.

* Awards: Bronze Star (w 4 clusters); French and Belgian Croix de Guerre.

* Entered Class 11 (German) (did not complete – ‘Dropped’).

</div>

</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==

* Camp Ritchie ~~class roster~~ (~~classes~~ 1–31), ~~merged~~ research ~~file~~

* 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

* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)

* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)

* [[The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/William Katzenstein|The Stories essay]]

* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of William B. Katzenstein for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 2 source documents reviewed)

* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Katzenstein, William B. for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 2 source files: WILLIAM B. KATZENSTEIN.doc, WILLIAM KATZENSTEIN.doc)

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 |birth_year=1924
 |death_year=2012
-|nativity=Ge
+|nativity=Germany
-|religion=J
+|religion=Jewish
 |enlistment_place=BALTIMORE MARYLAND
 |state=MARYLAND
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 |division=505th PIR, 82nd Airborne
 |photo=Enemy I Knew William Katzenstein 1.png
+|rank_final=Pvt
+|class_number=11
+|class_display=11
+|awards=Purple Heart; Bronze Star Medal; French Croix de Guerre
+|awards_grid=Purple Heart; Bronze Star Medal;;French Croix de Guerre
+|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png; Ribbon_Croix_de_Guerre_1939-1945.png
+|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png;;Ribbon_Croix_de_Guerre_1939-1945.png
+|story=The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/William Katzenstein
+|awards_extra=
 }}
 <div class="soldier-lead">
-'''William B. Katzenstein''' (1924&ndash;2012) was a United States Army soldier associated with Camp Ritchie, Maryland. William enlisted at Baltimore, Maryland. From Schenklengsfeld; Camp Ritchie graduate who jumped with the 505th PIR, 82nd Airborne, in Normandy and Holland.
+'''William B. Katzenstein''' was a German-born refugee from Schenklengsfeld and a Camp Ritchie-trained airborne intelligence soldier. Serving in the S-2 section of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, he took part in the Normandy and Holland campaigns.
 </div>
 == Biography ==
-William Katzenstein left Schenklengsfeld, Germany, in 1937 and settled in New York. After Camp Ritchie he volunteered for the paratroops and served in the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, S-2 section, 82nd Airborne Division, in Normandy and Holland. After the war he continued in U.S. Army Intelligence in Washington, D.C. See the [[The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/William Katzenstein|full story]].
+William B. Katzenstein grew up in Schenklengsfeld, Germany, as Nazi persecution made continued Jewish life increasingly dangerous. He left Germany in 1937 and settled in New York, beginning again in the United States several years before America entered the war.
+After joining the U.S. Army, Katzenstein was selected for military intelligence training at Camp Ritchie. His German fluency and personal knowledge of the country prepared him to interpret enemy documents, question prisoners, and evaluate information about German forces.
+Katzenstein volunteered for the paratroops and was assigned to the S-2 intelligence section of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. The assignment placed a refugee from Germany in one of the Army's most mobile combat formations, where reliable intelligence had to be collected and communicated quickly.
+With the 505th, Katzenstein served in the Normandy campaign and later in Holland. He supported airborne operations by helping the regiment understand the enemy troops and material it encountered. His training connected German language and cultural knowledge directly to the needs of regimental headquarters in combat.
+Katzenstein continued his intelligence career after the war. He worked for U.S. Army Intelligence in Washington, D.C., carrying the specialized skills developed at Camp Ritchie and in the 82nd Airborne into postwar government service.
+William attended college CCNY (AB and graduate work). He graduated George Washington University. On 6 June 1944, Katzenstein served as Pathfinder during D-Day invasion. Katzenstein sent to Algiers where he provided weekly news program for the United Nations radio.
 == Research notes ==
 * "CIB; BS; The Enemy I Knew" "About Face"
 * 505th PIR
-* Civil Life
-== Gallery ==
-[[File:Enemy I Knew William Katzenstein 1.png|thumb|Enemy I Knew William Katzenstein 1.png]]
 == Technical record ==
@@ Line 93: / Line 108: @@
 | row_source || demographics
 |}
+== Timeline ==
+<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
+<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
+* Born 1924.
+* 23 April 1943 — Enlisted as Pvt (ASN 33722535).
+* 25 August 1943 — Entered Class 11 (German) (did not complete – ‘Dropped’).
+* June 1943 — Entered Class 9 (French) but ‘Dropped’.
+* 6 June 1944 — Served as Pathfinder during D-Day invasion.
+* Purple Heart; CIB (505th GO 19, 11-29-44, Box 10474). Bronze Arrowhead.
+* Assigned to 82nd Airborne Div. (505th PIR). Served with HQ (S-2).
+* Awards: Bronze Star (w 4 clusters), CIB, French and Belgian CdeG, Purple Heart.
+* Awards: Bronze Star (w 4 clusters); French and Belgian Croix de Guerre.
+* Entered Class 11 (German) (did not complete – ‘Dropped’).
+</div>
+</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>
 == Sources ==
-* Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
+* 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
 * NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
 * 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
 * [[The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/William Katzenstein|The Stories essay]]
+* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of William B. Katzenstein for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 2 source documents reviewed)
+* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Katzenstein, William B. for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 2 source files: WILLIAM B. KATZENSTEIN.doc, WILLIAM KATZENSTEIN.doc)