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Trefousse, Hans L. (01590860): Difference between revisions

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|class_number=8
|class_number=8
|class_display=8
|class_display=8
|birth_date=December 19, 1921
|birth_date=18 December 1921
|death_date=8 January 2010
|death_date=8 January 2010
|birth_place=Frankfurt, Germany
|birth_place=Frankfurt, Germany
|death_place=Staten Island, New York, U.S.
|death_place=Staten Island, New York
|education=City College New York (B.A., 1942);; Columbia University (M.A., 1947)(PhD. 1950)
|education=City College New York (B.A., 1942);; Columbia University (M.A., 1947)(PhD. 1950)
|occupation=Author, historian, professor
|occupation=Author, historian, professor
|known_for=Author, historian, professor
|known_for=Author, historian, professor
|arm_or_service=Quartermaster Corps
|arm_or_service=Quartermaster Corps
|rank_final=Col
|rank_final=Lieutenant Colonel
|awards=Bronze Star Medal
|awards=Bronze Star
|awards_grid=Bronze Star Medal
|awards_grid=Bronze Star
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
|division=29th Infantry Division
}}
}}


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'''[[Trefousse, Hans L. (01590860)|Hans L. Trefousse]]''' (1921–2010) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 8 and served with IPW Team 33; 24.
'''[[Trefousse, Hans L. (01590860)|Hans L. Trefousse]]''' (18 December 1921 – 8 January 2010) was a Frankfurt-born Ritchie Boy (Class 8) who landed with the 116th Infantry on D-Day and later became a Civil War historian at Brooklyn College.
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== Biography ==
== Biography ==
. An interview, "Through an Interrogator's Eyes" by Patrick O'Donnell, appeared in ''Military History Magazine'' on 19 April 2002.
Hans L. Trefousse was born on 18 December 1921 in Frankfurt, Germany, the son of a German Jewish physician and World War I veteran. The family left Germany in 1936. He graduated from City College of New York with a B.A. in history on 16 May 1942 and enlisted in the Army on 17 May 1943.


<!-- Dan Gross timeline enrichment -->
Fluent in German, French, and English, he trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 8), was commissioned in the Quartermaster Corps, and was attached to the 116th Infantry Regiment for the Normandy landings. As an IPW interrogator he served through the liberation of Paris and later campaigns; he received the Bronze Star.
The timeline research also records 5/16/1942 Graduated from City College, NY (BA, History). Later served as OIC with IPW Team 33.
 
After the war Trefousse became a leading Civil War scholar, teaching at Brooklyn College from 1950 to 1998 (later professor emeritus) and at the CUNY Graduate Center, and appearing as a CNN analyst. He died on 8 January 2010 on Staten Island.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
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* 12/18/1921 Born in Frankfurt (Jewish).
* 18 December 1921 — Born in Frankfurt.
* 7/16/1943 Graduated as Lt. (ASN 01590860) with Class 8 (IPW Ge).
* 1936 — Family emigrated from Germany.
* 10/30/1943 Promoted to 1st Lt.
* 16 May 1942 — B.A., City College of New York.
* 11/1944 Served at Huertgen Forest; tried to get Germans to surrender (Bronze Star).
* 17 May 1943 — Enlisted; Camp Ritchie Class 8; commissioned.
* 1971 Retired as Lt. Colonel after 28 years of service.
* 6 June 1944 onward — 116th Infantry / IPW; Normandy and later ETO; Bronze Star.
* Served with 26th Regiment, 1st Infantry (Col. Canham).
* 1950–1998 — Brooklyn College history faculty; CUNY Graduate Center; Civil War scholarship.
* THROUGH AN INTERROGATOR'S EYES. Thomsen, Paul A.; Spivak, Joshua // Military History; Apr 2002, Vol. 19 Issue 1, p.58 Interviews Hans L. Trefousse, a retired lieutenant colonel of the U.S. Army. Views on growing up in Frankfurt, Germany; Description on training in the army; Methods used in extracting information from prisoners of war; Opinion on the....
* 8 January 2010 — Died, Staten Island, New York.
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== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_L._Trefousse Wikipedia: Hans L. Trefousse]
* Military History magazine, April 2002 — “Through an Interrogator’s Eyes” interview with Hans L. Trefousse (RB Archive)
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_L._Trefousse Wikipedia — Hans L. Trefousse]
* 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

Latest revision as of 19:56, 16 September 2026

Hans L. Trefousse
Personal details
Born18 December 1921
Frankfurt, Germany
Died8 January 2010
Staten Island, New York
NativityGermany
ReligionJewish
Known forAuthor, Historian, Professor
AwardsBronze Star
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
Arm / serviceQuartermaster Corps
ASN01590860
RankLieutenant Colonel
Rank at RitchieSecond Lieutenant
Camp RitchieClass 8 (17 May – 16 July 1943)
Section5A
Unit / division29th Infantry Division
TeamsIPW 33, IPW 24
Awards and honors
Bronze Star
Teammates
Team — IPW 33
Team — IPW 24
These are other soldiers listed on the same team roster. People moved between teams; overlapping service dates are not always documented.
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.


Hans L. Trefousse (18 December 1921 – 8 January 2010) was a Frankfurt-born Ritchie Boy (Class 8) who landed with the 116th Infantry on D-Day and later became a Civil War historian at Brooklyn College.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Hans L. Trefousse was born on 18 December 1921 in Frankfurt, Germany, the son of a German Jewish physician and World War I veteran. The family left Germany in 1936. He graduated from City College of New York with a B.A. in history on 16 May 1942 and enlisted in the Army on 17 May 1943.

Fluent in German, French, and English, he trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 8), was commissioned in the Quartermaster Corps, and was attached to the 116th Infantry Regiment for the Normandy landings. As an IPW interrogator he served through the liberation of Paris and later campaigns; he received the Bronze Star.

After the war Trefousse became a leading Civil War scholar, teaching at Brooklyn College from 1950 to 1998 (later professor emeritus) and at the CUNY Graduate Center, and appearing as a CNN analyst. He died on 8 January 2010 on Staten Island.

Research notes[edit | edit source]

  • First Army
  • see time line

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Technical record[edit | edit source]

Field Imported value
Approx Age at Death 89
Class_ASN 590860
Class_Name TREFOUSSE, Hans L.
match_method asn_partial_name_exact
row_source both

Timeline[edit | edit source]

  • 18 December 1921 — Born in Frankfurt.
  • 1936 — Family emigrated from Germany.
  • 16 May 1942 — B.A., City College of New York.
  • 17 May 1943 — Enlisted; Camp Ritchie Class 8; commissioned.
  • 6 June 1944 onward — 116th Infantry / IPW; Normandy and later ETO; Bronze Star.
  • 1950–1998 — Brooklyn College history faculty; CUNY Graduate Center; Civil War scholarship.
  • 8 January 2010 — Died, Staten Island, New York.

Sources[edit | edit source]

  • Military History magazine, April 2002 — “Through an Interrogator’s Eyes” interview with Hans L. Trefousse (RB Archive)
  • Wikipedia — Hans L. Trefousse
  • 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 2022-12-25 (1 post)
  • Dan Gross, Timeline of Hans L. Trefousse for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
  • Dan Gross, Timeline of Trefousse, Hans L. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: HANS L. TREFOUSSE.doc)
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