Ritchie Boys Wiki

Zappler, Murray (32824267): Difference between revisions

← Older edit
VisualWikitext
Link other Ritchie Boys named in Facebook bio/gallery captions
Sort Timeline chronologically; drop clear junk bullets
 
(17 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 8: Line 8:
|birth_year=1924
|birth_year=1924
|death_year=1944
|death_year=1944
|nativity=Ge
|nativity=Germany
|religion=J
|religion=Jewish
|enlistment_place=NEW YORK CITY NEW YORK
|enlistment_place=NEW YORK CITY NEW YORK
|state=NEW YORK
|state=NEW YORK
Line 20: Line 20:
|class_number=19
|class_number=19
|class_display=19
|class_display=19
|birth_place=Germany
|rank_final=Technician Fifth Grade
|division=106th Infantry Division
}}
}}


<div class="soldier-lead">
<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Zappler, Murray (32824267)|Murray Zappler]]''' (1924–1944) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 19 and served with IPW Team 154.
'''Murray Zappler''' (1924&ndash;1944) was a German-born Jewish Ritchie Boy on IPW Team 154 with the 106th Infantry Division; he was murdered as a prisoner of war because he was Jewish.
</div>
</div>


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Stephen Dickerman Stange has sent a request for information related to the incident cited in Bruce Henderson's book, Sons and Soldiers, where two German-Jewish Ritchie Boys became POWs, were identified as being Jewish, and were murdered. "I am currently writing a book on the murders of [[Zappler, Murray (32824267)|Murray Zappler]] and [[Jacobs, Kurt R. (12207399)|Kurt Jacobs]] of IPW 150, 106th USA Infantry Division in the Ardennes, and subsequent trial of the accused, Kurt Bruns. I am hoping somebody on this page can help me with pictures or other information on these 2 brave soldiers. My name is Steve Stange. I can be reached at 614-427-8052, email zt692@aol.com, Thank you so much, Steve"
Murray Zappler was a German-born Jewish Ritchie Boy (Class 19) who had ASTP German training at the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a clerk-typist before overseas duty. As a technician fifth grade on IPW Team 154, he served with Headquarters, 106th Infantry Division, interrogating German prisoners.


A Belgian Facebook friend sent the following information about the tragedy that befell Ritchie Boys [[Zappler, Murray (32824267)|Murray Zappler]] and [[Jacobs, Kurt R. (12207399)|Kurt Jacobs]]. He has sent me some photos that I want to share with the Community "Our daughter is the Primary Sentinel of Memory of [[Zappler, Murray (32824267)|Murray Zappler]] at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial. That is why we were in the footsteps of the 106th infantry division last Thursday."
Zappler and teammate [[Jacobs, Kurt R. (12207399)|Kurt R. Jacobs]] were taken prisoner and murdered because of their Jewish heritage. Their names appear on the 106th Division Headquarters honor roll (sometimes with typographical errors). The responsible German officer’s case is documented in a Dachau trial transcript.
 
A Belgian Facebook friend sent the following information about the tragedy that befell Ritchie Boys [[Zappler, Murray (32824267)|Murray Zappler]] and [[Jacobs, Kurt R. (12207399)|Kurt Jacobs]]. He has sent me some photos that I want to share with the Community "Our daughter is the Primary Sentinel of Memory of [[Zappler, Murray (32824267)|Murray Zappler]] at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial. That is why we were in the footsteps of the 106th infantry division last Thursday." "This was the border between Belgium and Germany. Here Hauptman Curt Bruns told Zappler and Jacobs to stand against the wall. After the other POW's walked away. He told 6 German soldiers to execute Zappler and Jacobs a few meters further."
 
A Belgian Facebook friend sent the following information about the tragedy that befell Ritchie Boys [[Zappler, Murray (32824267)|Murray Zappler]] and [[Jacobs, Kurt R. (12207399)|Kurt Jacobs]]. He has sent me some photos that I want to share with the Community. "Zappler and Jacobs were with MIS etousa. They were assigned to the 423th of the 106th infantry division as interogaters for German POW's. The 423th had to surrender on December 19th. The German POW's told Hauptman Bruns that there were 2Jewish men among the Americans."
 
I have some information on the FRANKY MEERS family in Belgium that has "adopted" the grave of Ritchie Boy [[Zappler, Murray (32824267)|Murray Zappler]] at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial. Here is what he wrote: "We live in Zutendaal, Belgium and our son and I are very interested in WWII. We all adopted a grave at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial. My wife, our son and our daughter and myself. And after we adopt a grave, we always start a research about the person behind that name. That is why we started a search on Murray."
 
There are at least two Ritchie Boys buried at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Liege, Belgium, [[Zappler, Murray (32824267)|Murray Zappler]] and [[Jacobs, Kurt R. (12207399)|Kurt Jacobs]] (Purple Heart). They had been captured together during the Battle of the Bulge. When the German Commanding Officer learned they were Jewish, he had them summarily executed.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
* ASTP; KIA Murdered as POW; http://www.online.uni-marburg.de/icwc/dachau/000-006-0056.pdf
* ASTP; KIA Murdered as POW
* IPW Team 154; murdered as POW (Jewish); with Kurt R. Jacobs


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
<div class="soldier-gallery">
<div class="soldier-gallery">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
''After you are autoconfirmed, [[Special:Upload|upload a photo]] and add <code><nowiki>[[File:Example.jpg|thumb|caption]]</nowiki></code> here, or set <code>|photo=Example.jpg</code> in the infobox.''
2437451426276764.jpg
2437451422943431.jpg
2437465789608661.jpg
2437465799608660.jpg
2437465796275327.jpg
2437470966274810.jpg
2437475396274367.jpg
2437475886274318.jpg
2437475896274317.jpg
2437480409607199.jpg
2437480422940531.jpg
</gallery>
</div>
</div>


Line 122: Line 106:
| row_source || both
| row_source || both
|}
|}
== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* Born 1 September 1924 in Germany (Jewish).
* 30 June 1943 — Became naturalized U.S. citizen.
* 13 July 1944 — Graduated Class 19 (German Linguist #2).
* 4 September 1944 — Promoted to T/5; transferred to DEML.
* 28 November 1944 — Assigned to IPW Team 154 attached to 106th Infantry Division.
* Buried at the American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle, Belgium.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
* Bruce Henderson, ''Sons and Soldiers'' (account of Jacobs and Zappler as POWs)
* [http://www.online.uni-marburg.de/icwc/dachau/000-006-0056.pdf Dachau trial transcript — Jacobs/Zappler murder case (Marburg ICWC)]
* Dan Gross research archive (miscellaneous timeline-adjacent documents; not uploaded): ''Jacobs and Zappler.doc''
* 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)
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
Line 130: Line 131:
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2019-06-06 (4 posts)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2019-06-06 (4 posts)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-03-08 (1 post)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-03-08 (1 post)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Murray Zappler for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Zappler, Murray for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: MURRAY ZAPPLER.doc)
Retrieved from "https://ritchieboys.org/wiki/Zappler,_Murray_(32824267)"