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

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|surname=Skala

|first=Peter

|middle=H.

|middle=Hans

|class_section=5A

|class_rank=Pvt

|birth_year=1924

|death_year=2017

|nativity=Au

|nativity=Austria

|religion=P

|religion=Protestant

|ipw_ge=101

|overseas=Y

|rank_final=~~Pvt~~

|rank_final=First Lieutenant

|certificate=3548

|confidence=medium

|class_number=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).

|death_place=London, England at

|death_place=London, England

|death_date=3 April 2017

|birth_place=Austria

|birth_date=3 September 1924

}}

'''[[Skala, Peter H. (01326224)|Peter H. Skala]]''' (~~1924–2017~~) was a Ritchie Boy (from Austria; Protestant) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 10 and served with IPW Team 101.

'''[[Skala, Peter H. (01326224)|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.

</div>

== Biography ==

~~RB 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 graduated from the 10th class at Camp Ritchie~~. His family fled ~~Austria just~~ after Kristallnacht in 1938. ~~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 ==

* 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 ==

Line 53:

Line 59:

| row_source || both

|}

== Timeline ==

* 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.

</div>

</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==

* Camp Ritchie ~~class roster~~ (~~classes~~ 1–31), ~~merged~~ research ~~file~~

* 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)

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 |surname=Skala
 |first=Peter
-|middle=H.
+|middle=Hans
 |class_section=5A
 |class_rank=Pvt
 |birth_year=1924
 |death_year=2017
-|nativity=Au
+|nativity=Austria
-|religion=P
+|religion=Protestant
 |ipw_ge=101
 |overseas=Y
-|rank_final=Pvt
+|rank_final=First Lieutenant
 |certificate=3548
 |confidence=medium
 |class_number=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).
-|death_place=London, England at
+|death_place=London, England
 |death_date=3 April 2017
+|birth_place=Austria
+|birth_date=3 September 1924
 }}
 <div class="soldier-lead">
-'''[[Skala, Peter H. (01326224)|Peter H. Skala]]''' (1924–2017) was a Ritchie Boy (from Austria; Protestant) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 10 and served with IPW Team 101.
+'''[[Skala, Peter H. (01326224)|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.
 </div>
 == Biography ==
-RB 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 graduated from the 10th class at Camp Ritchie. His family fled Austria just after Kristallnacht in 1938. 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 ==
 * 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 ==
@@ Line 53: / Line 59: @@
 | row_source || both
 |}
+== Timeline ==
+<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
+<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
+* 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.
+</div>
+</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>
 == Sources ==
-* Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
+* 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)