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Skala, Peter H. (01326224): Difference between revisions

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|ipw_ge=101
|ipw_ge=101
|overseas=Y
|overseas=Y
|rank_final=Pvt
|rank_final=First Lieutenant
|certificate=3548
|certificate=3548
|confidence=medium
|confidence=medium
|class_number=10
|class_number=10
|class_display=10
|class_display=10
|awards=Silver Star
|awards=Silver Star; Purple Heart; French Legion of Honor
|awards_grid=Silver Star
|awards_grid=Silver Star;;Purple Heart;;French Legion of Honor
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Silver_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Silver_Star_Medal_ribbon.png;Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png;Ribbon_Legion_Honneur_Chevalier.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Silver_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Silver_Star_Medal_ribbon.png;;Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png;;Ribbon_Legion_Honneur_Chevalier.png
|awards_extra=Listed in [[By The Numbers/Awards]] (from ''Ritchie Boy Secrets'' by Beverley Driver Eddy).
|awards_extra=Listed in [[By The Numbers/Awards]] (from ''Ritchie Boy Secrets'' by Beverley Driver Eddy).
|death_place=London, England at
|death_place=London, England
|death_date=3 April 2017
|death_date=3 April 2017
|birth_place=Austria of a Czech-American
|birth_place=Austria
|birth_date=3 September 1924
}}
}}


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== Biography ==
== Biography ==
1LT Peter Hans Skala, born Sep 3 1924 in Austria, and passed away in London, England at the age of 92 on April 3 2017. He attended 5-4-43 Skala, who was a student at Queens College, enlisted in the Army and became Pvt. He attended 6-25-44 Shipped to Camp Myles Standish, MA for transshipment overseas to ETO. He 4-22-50 Married Barbara A. In 1972, he worked as a started with Boyden International (a multicultural executive search firm) by. He has been active in the Institute for Global Ethics. He Graduated from Yale with a BA and MA in Political Science. He Graduated with 10th Class (IPW-Ge) as a Master Sergeant. He attended 10-45 Brief return visit to Camp Ritchie before returning to college (at Yale University. He opening the Brussels office and subsequently moved to London to run the UK. Peter graduated from the 10th class at Camp Ritchie. He received his undergraduate degree at Yale in 1947, and his MA at Yale in 1949. He served in the US Army during WWII as an interrogation officer, a member of the famed "Ritchie Boys". During his service, he used his German language skills to talk enemy soldiers into surrendering. Among his military awards and decorations were the Purple Heart, Silver Star, and the French Legion d'Honneur (in 2014). Following his military service, he began a career in international marketing and executive search. He was a member of the Yale Graduate School Development Committee.
Peter Hans Skala was born on 3 September 1924 in Austria. His family fled after Kristallnacht in 1938. While a student at Queens College he enlisted in the Army on 5 April 1943 and graduated from Camp Ritchie with Class 10 as an interrogator (IPW Team 101).
 
Assigned to the 95th Infantry Division in France, Skala used German-language skills to persuade enemy soldiers to surrender. During the capture of Metz in October 1944 he earned the Silver Star for gallantry; he also received the Purple Heart. He later received the French Legion of Honor (2014).
 
After the war Skala earned B.A. (1947) and M.A. (1949) degrees at Yale and worked in international marketing and executive search, including Boyden International posts in Brussels and London. He died in London on 3 April 2017.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
* Silver Star; Legion of Honor
* Silver Star; Legion of Honor
* http://lotsastuff.info/download/377thInfantryRegiment.pdf
* Fixed malformed live birth_place/death_place strings. Purple Heart added from the packet alongside the existing Silver Star and Legion of Honor display. City of birth within Austria is not asserted.


== 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">
* 4-22-50 Married Barbara A.
* 3 September 1924 — Born in Austria.
* 10-44 With the 95th Division at the capture of Metz, Skala earned a Silver Star for gallantry in action; the award read in part.
* 1938 — Family fled Austria after Kristallnacht.
* 10-44 With the 95th Infantry Division at the capture of Metz, Skala earned a Silver Star.
* 5 April 1943 — Enlisted while a student at Queens College.
* 12-44 Excerpt from the Army history of the XX Corps, which included the 95th Division.
* 1943–1944 — Graduated from Camp Ritchie (Class 10); assigned to IPW Team 101 with the 95th Infantry Division.
* 7-44 After a short stay at MIS HQ in Broadway (UK), was assigned to the 95th Infantry.
* October 1944 — Awarded the Silver Star for gallantry at Metz.
* A New York Times reporter who happened to be embedded with the Division.
* 1947 — Received a B.A. from Yale.
* Austria of a Czech-American.
* 1949 — Received an M.A. from Yale.
* Co. and the United Fruit Company.
* 2014 — Received the French Legion of Honor.
* Division in France as a leader of IPW Team 101.
* 3 April 2017 — Died in London, England.
* for gallantry in action; the award read in part.
* indications that the will to resist was weakening; the regiment was encouraged.
* opening the Brussels office and subsequently moved to London to run the UK.
* “…When Company I was attacking the Kaserne at Metz, 2nd Lt. Skala went ahead.
</div>
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Peter H. Skala for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; selected non-private findings)
* RB Archive biographical note for 1LT Peter Hans Skala (Class 10; Yale; Purple Heart; Silver Star; French Legion d’Honneur 2014)
* 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 23:23, 16 September 2026

Record status: unconfirmed. Class-roster match confidence is medium. Correct the infobox if you have a source, and note it on talk.
Peter Hans Skala
Personal details
Born3 September 1924
Austria
Died3 April 2017
London, England
NativityAustria
ReligionProtestant
AwardsSilver Star; Purple Heart; French Legion of Honor
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
ASN01326224
RankFirst Lieutenant
Rank at RitchiePrivate
Camp RitchieClass 10 (23 July – 20 September 1943)
Section5A
TeamIPW 101
Awards and honors
Silver Star Purple Heart French Legion of Honor
Teammates
Team — IPW 101
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.


Peter Hans Skala (1924 – 3 April 2017) was a Ritchie Boy (from Austria; Protestant) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 10 and served with IPW Team 101.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Peter Hans Skala was born on 3 September 1924 in Austria. His family fled after Kristallnacht in 1938. While a student at Queens College he enlisted in the Army on 5 April 1943 and graduated from Camp Ritchie with Class 10 as an interrogator (IPW Team 101).

Assigned to the 95th Infantry Division in France, Skala used German-language skills to persuade enemy soldiers to surrender. During the capture of Metz in October 1944 he earned the Silver Star for gallantry; he also received the Purple Heart. He later received the French Legion of Honor (2014).

After the war Skala earned B.A. (1947) and M.A. (1949) degrees at Yale and worked in international marketing and executive search, including Boyden International posts in Brussels and London. He died in London on 3 April 2017.

Research notes[edit | edit source]

  • Silver Star; Legion of Honor
  • Fixed malformed live birth_place/death_place strings. Purple Heart added from the packet alongside the existing Silver Star and Legion of Honor display. City of birth within Austria is not asserted.

Technical record[edit | edit source]

Field Imported value
Approx Age at Death 93
Class_ASN 32883052
Class_Name SKALA, Peter H.
match_method pass2_unique_name
row_source both

Timeline[edit | edit source]

  • 3 September 1924 — Born in Austria.
  • 1938 — Family fled Austria after Kristallnacht.
  • 5 April 1943 — Enlisted while a student at Queens College.
  • 1943–1944 — Graduated from Camp Ritchie (Class 10); assigned to IPW Team 101 with the 95th Infantry Division.
  • October 1944 — Awarded the Silver Star for gallantry at Metz.
  • 1947 — Received a B.A. from Yale.
  • 1949 — Received an M.A. from Yale.
  • 2014 — Received the French Legion of Honor.
  • 3 April 2017 — Died in London, England.

Sources[edit | edit source]

  • Dan Gross, Timeline of Peter H. Skala for Camp Ritchie (private research document; selected non-private findings)
  • RB Archive biographical note for 1LT Peter Hans Skala (Class 10; Yale; Purple Heart; Silver Star; French Legion d’Honneur 2014)
  • 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 2022-09-27 (1 post)
  • Dan Gross, Timeline of Peter H. Skala for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 2 source documents reviewed)
  • Dan Gross, Timeline of Skala, Peter H. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 2 source files: PETER SKALA (2020).doc, PETER SKALA.doc)
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