Ritchie Boys Wiki

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

← Older edit
VisualWikitext
Add French Croix de Guerre / Legion of Honor to awards ribbon rack
RB Archive batch-11 enrichment: RB Archive packet chronological regen
 
(2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 13: Line 13:
|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; French Legion of Honor
|awards=Silver Star; Purple Heart; French Legion of Honor
|awards_grid=Silver Star;;French Legion of Honor
|awards_grid=Silver Star;;Purple Heart;;French Legion of Honor
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Silver_Star_Medal_ribbon.png; Ribbon_Legion_Honneur_Chevalier.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;;Ribbon_Legion_Honneur_Chevalier.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
|birth_place=Austria
|birth_date=3 September 1924
}}
}}


Line 33: Line 34:


== 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.
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).


He received his undergraduate degree at Yale in 1947, and his MA at Yale in 1949. Skala attended 5-4-43 Skala, who was a student at Queens College, enlisted in the Army and became Pvt. Peter attended 10-45 Brief return visit to Camp Ritchie before returning to college (at Yale University.
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).


He Graduated from Yale with a BA and MA in Political Science. He Graduated with 10th Class (IPW-Ge) as a Master Sergeant. Peter graduated from the 10th class at Camp Ritchie.
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.
 
He was a member of the Yale Graduate School Development Committee.
 
In 1972, Skala worked as a started with Boyden International (a multicultural executive search firm) by. Among his military awards and decorations were the Purple Heart, Silver Star, and the French Legion d'Honneur (in 2014). He has been active in the Institute for Global Ethics.
 
He opening the Brussels office and subsequently moved to London to run the UK. 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.
 
Following his military service, he began a career in international marketing and executive search.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
* Silver Star; Legion of Honor
* 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 ==
== Technical record ==
Line 69: Line 63:
<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">
* 5-4-43 Skala, who was a student at Queens College, enlisted in the Army and became Pvt.
* 3 September 1924 — Born in Austria.
* 4-22-50 Married Barbara A.
* 1938 — Family fled Austria after Kristallnacht.
* Born 9-3-24 Born in Austria of a Czech-American (Jewish) father and a German-American.
* 5 April 1943 — Enlisted while a student at Queens College.
* 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.
* 1943–1944 — Graduated from Camp Ritchie (Class 10); assigned to IPW Team 101 with the 95th Infantry Division.
* 10-44 With the 95th Infantry Division at the capture of Metz, Skala earned a Silver Star.
* October 1944 — Awarded the Silver Star for gallantry at Metz.
* 12-44 Excerpt from the Army history of the XX Corps, which included the 95th Division.
* 1947 — Received a B.A. from Yale.
* 7-44 After a short stay at MIS HQ in Broadway (UK), was assigned to the 95th Infantry.
* 1949 — Received an M.A. from Yale.
* A New York Times reporter who happened to be embedded with the Division.
* 2014 — Received the French Legion of Honor.
* Co. and the United Fruit Company.
* 3 April 2017 — Died in London, England.
* Division in France as a leader of IPW Team 101.
* Graduated with 10th Class (IPW-Ge) as a Master Sergeant.
* 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
Retrieved from "https://ritchieboys.org/wiki/Skala,_Peter_H._(01326224)"