Soft launch: Soldier biographies and research notes vary in completeness. Prefer class-roster, NARA, newspapers, and other cited sources for contested facts — treat Research notes as leads, not settled history. Anyone can correct a page; contact us with questions.
Forrest, Gerald (39228276): Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Move opening paragraph onto page for visual editing |
Fix awards ribbon filenames (Bronze Star / Purple Heart) |
||
| (15 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
|first=Gerald | |first=Gerald | ||
|class_section=5A | |class_section=5A | ||
|class_rank= | |class_rank=Technician Fifth Grade | ||
|birth_year=1918 | |birth_year=1918 | ||
|death_year=2013 | |death_year=2013 | ||
|nativity= | |nativity=Germany | ||
|religion= | |religion=Protestant | ||
|enlistment_place=LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA | |enlistment_place=LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA | ||
|state=CALIFORNIA | |state=CALIFORNIA | ||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
|class_number=12 | |class_number=12 | ||
|class_display=12 | |class_display=12 | ||
|photo=5907724922582713.jpg | |||
|death_date=14 May 2013 | |||
|birth_place=Berlin, Germany | |||
|death_place=Los Angeles, California | |||
|birth_date=12 July 1918 | |||
|alias=Jerry Forrest; Feigenbaum | |||
|division=10th Armored Division | |||
|rank_final=Technician Fifth Grade | |||
|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 | |||
}} | }} | ||
<div class="soldier-lead"> | <div class="soldier-lead"> | ||
'''Gerald Forrest''' (1918 | '''[[Forrest, Gerald (39228276)|Gerald Forrest]]''' (12 July 1918 – 14 May 2013), born Feigenbaum, was a Berlin-born Ritchie Boy (Class 12) who landed on Utah Beach with the 10th Armored Division and later received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
== Biography == | == Biography == | ||
Gerald Forrest was born Gerald Feigenbaum on 12 July 1918 in Berlin to Leopold and Else Feigenbaum. After the Nazi rise to power in 1933 he and his brother Henry fled by bicycle while their parents left by train, reuniting friends in Paris before moving on to Scotland, where Jerry learned English. While his parents emigrated to the United States he lived on a moshav near Gedera in Mandatory Palestine, then rejoined the family in New York in 1939. | |||
He enlisted, trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 12), returned to England for the invasion buildup, and landed on Utah Beach on 6 June 1944 with the 10th Armored Division. His campaigns included the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of Dachau. He received the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. | |||
After the war he lived in Los Angeles, worked in the family business and aerospace, spent time in Israel repairing tanks for the IDF in the early 1980s, then ran a woodworking business until retirement. He died on 14 May 2013 at age 94. | |||
== Research notes == | == Research notes == | ||
== Technical record == | == Technical record == | ||
| Line 98: | Line 110: | ||
| row_source || both | | row_source || both | ||
|} | |} | ||
== Timeline == | |||
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline"> | |||
<div class="soldier-timeline-body"> | |||
* 12 July 1918 — Born in Berlin (Feigenbaum). | |||
* 1933 — Fled Germany via Paris and Scotland; moshav near Gedera; to New York 1939. | |||
* Camp Ritchie Class 12 — POW interrogation training. | |||
* 6 June 1944 — Utah Beach; 10th Armored Division; Bulge; Dachau liberation. | |||
* Awards — Bronze Star; Purple Heart. | |||
* Postwar — Los Angeles; early-1980s Israel tank repair; woodworking business. | |||
* 14 May 2013 — Died, age 94. | |||
</div> | |||
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div> | |||
== Sources == | == Sources == | ||
* Camp Ritchie | * [https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/gerald-forrest-obituary?id=18349684 Legacy / Los Angeles Times — Gerald Forrest] | ||
* New York Times, 22 May 2013 — paid death notice for Gerald Forrest (RB Archive ProQuest PDF; private copy, not uploaded) | |||
* 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) | ||
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-11-30 (1 post) | |||
Latest revision as of 19:30, 16 September 2026
| Gerald Forrest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Jerry Forrest Feigenbaum |
| Born | 12 July 1918 Berlin, Germany |
| Died | 14 May 2013 Los Angeles, California |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Awards | Bronze Star; Purple Heart |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 39228276 |
| Rank | Technician Fifth Grade |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 12 (27 September – 25 November 1943) |
| Section | 5A |
| Enlisted | Los Angeles, California |
| Unit / division | 10th Armored Division |
Awards and honors
|
|
| Bronze Star | Purple Heart |
Research notes on this page are compiled from the source file and later edits. They may be unverified, incomplete, or incorrect, and should not be treated as established fact. Please correct the article or add sources on the talk page. For class-roster terms, see About the data.
Sources & confidence: Treat Research notes as leads, not settled fact. Prefer NARA, the class roster, newspapers, Find a Grave, or published histories for contested claims. Mark unsourced claims with
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Gerald Forrest (12 July 1918 – 14 May 2013), born Feigenbaum, was a Berlin-born Ritchie Boy (Class 12) who landed on Utah Beach with the 10th Armored Division and later received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Gerald Forrest was born Gerald Feigenbaum on 12 July 1918 in Berlin to Leopold and Else Feigenbaum. After the Nazi rise to power in 1933 he and his brother Henry fled by bicycle while their parents left by train, reuniting friends in Paris before moving on to Scotland, where Jerry learned English. While his parents emigrated to the United States he lived on a moshav near Gedera in Mandatory Palestine, then rejoined the family in New York in 1939.
He enlisted, trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 12), returned to England for the invasion buildup, and landed on Utah Beach on 6 June 1944 with the 10th Armored Division. His campaigns included the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of Dachau. He received the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
After the war he lived in Los Angeles, worked in the family business and aerospace, spent time in Israel repairing tanks for the IDF in the early 1980s, then ran a woodworking business until retirement. He died on 14 May 2013 at age 94.
Research notes[edit | edit source]
Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 95 |
| Nara ASN | 39228276 |
| Nara Name | FORREST GERALD |
| Nara State | 91 |
| Nara County | 37 |
| Nara POE | 9141 |
| Nara DOE | 270241 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | BI |
| Nara Branch Code | 0 |
| Branch | Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA |
| Nara Term or Enlistment | 6 |
| Term of enlistment | Enlistment for the Panama Canal Department |
| Defer. Date | 0 |
| Nara Source | 0 |
| Nara Nativity | N1 |
| Nara Year of Birth | 18 |
| Nara Race | J |
| Nara Race Description | White not yet a citizen |
| Nara Education | 5 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 475 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 73 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 155 |
| Class_ASN | 39228276 |
| Class_Name | FORREST, Gerald |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline[edit | edit source]
- 12 July 1918 — Born in Berlin (Feigenbaum).
- 1933 — Fled Germany via Paris and Scotland; moshav near Gedera; to New York 1939.
- Camp Ritchie Class 12 — POW interrogation training.
- 6 June 1944 — Utah Beach; 10th Armored Division; Bulge; Dachau liberation.
- Awards — Bronze Star; Purple Heart.
- Postwar — Los Angeles; early-1980s Israel tank repair; woodworking business.
- 14 May 2013 — Died, age 94.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Legacy / Los Angeles Times — Gerald Forrest
- New York Times, 22 May 2013 — paid death notice for Gerald Forrest (RB Archive ProQuest PDF; private copy, not uploaded)
- 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)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-11-30 (1 post)