Ritchie Boys Wiki

Mosbacher, Stephen S. (35554027): Difference between revisions

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|surname=Mosbacher
|surname=Mosbacher
|first=Stephen
|first=Stephen
|middle=S.
|middle=Sigmund
|class_section=5A
|class_section=5A
|class_rank=Pfc
|class_rank=Pfc
|birth_year=1923
|birth_year=1923
|death_year=1945
|death_year=1945
|nativity=Ge
|nativity=Germany
|religion=J
|religion=Jewish
|enlistment_place=TOLEDO OHIO
|enlistment_place=TOLEDO OHIO
|state=OHIO
|state=OHIO
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|class_number=19
|class_number=19
|class_display=19
|class_display=19
|awards=
|awards=Silver Star
|awards_grid=
|awards_grid=Silver Star
|awards_ribbons=
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Silver_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Silver_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
|awards_extra=
|awards_extra=
|birth_date=14 October 1923
|photo=5852771538078052.jpg
|birth_place=Nuremberg, Germany
|rank_final=Staff Sergeant
|death_date=2 April 1945
|death_place=Neuhaus, Germany
|division=8th Armored Division
|alias=Sigmund Mosbacher; Moose
}}
}}


<div class="soldier-lead">
<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Mosbacher, Stephen S. (35554027)|Stephen S. Mosbacher]]''' (1923–1945) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 19 and served with IPW Team 149.
'''Stephen Sigmund Mosbacher''' (14 October 1923 &ndash; 2 April 1945) was a German-born United States Army interrogator who trained at [[Camp Ritchie]], Maryland, in [[Class 19]] and was killed in action near Lippstadt while serving with IPW Team 149, 8th Armored Division.
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</div>


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Ritchie Boy Stephen Sigmund Mosbacher. Stephen, who usually signed as "Sigmund", was born October 14 1923 into a Jewish family in Nuremberg. He was the oldest child and only son of Emil Mosbacher and Rose Wurman.
Stephen Sigmund Mosbacher (born Sigmund; often called “Moose”) was born on 14 October 1923 in Nuremberg, Germany, into a Jewish family; his father was the gynecologist Dr. Emil Mosbacher. After the Nuremberg Laws curtailed his schooling, the family fled to the United States in October 1938. Stephen Americanized his name, attended Newton High School in Jackson Heights, Queens, and later studied chemistry at the University of Toledo after the family moved to Ohio.


Life in Germany had become unbearable when threats to the Jewish population progressed to a point where his father Dr Mosbacher was forced to discontinue his practice of medicine. Stephen enlisted in the US Army in his adopted hometown of Toledo, Ohio on June 12, 1943. During the attack on the Elbe River, S/Sgt Mosbacher advanced to within ten yards of enemy infantry elements in an effort to rescue a comrade who was pinned down by enemy fire.
He enlisted from Toledo on 12 June 1943, trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 19), and went overseas to England in September 1944 with a prisoner-of-war interrogation team attached to Combat Command B, 8th Armored Division. Billeted for a time with a Dutch family in Margraten, he earned a reputation for courage and cheerfulness in Holland and during the drive to the Rhine.


The rescue was accomplished in the face of direct fire of artillery, mortars and small arms fire Mosbacher was fatally wounded a few minutes later while attempting the rescue of another wounded soldier who was directly in the path of an enemy tank. Stephen was grimly smiling and still had a firm grip on his machine gun. Stephen Sigmund Mosbacher is buried at Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Margraten, Plot I, Row 11, Grave 19.
On 2 April 1945, during a billeting mission near Lippstadt, Mosbacher volunteered to help cover a withdrawal at Neuhaus and then rode into enemy fire to pull a stranded soldier into a jeep. A German tank shell killed him moments later while the party tried to rescue another wounded man. He received the Silver Star posthumously and is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery at Margraten.
 
S/Sgt Mosbacher was awarded the Silver Star Medal posthumously for his actions on the day of his death. October 14 1923 - April 2 1945. He was attached to IPW Team #149, 8th Armored Division.
 
They also had a daughter named Marianne. His parents left Germany in 1938 to escape persecution and pursue happiness. They chose America as their new home.
 
He and the rescued soldier were found dead. He had received the nickname "Moose", in part because of his size. He was also reputed to have the biggest appetite in the headquarters company and to be always the first man in the mess line.
 
This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location. In addition, he has a Purple Heart among his other awards and commendations.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
* Silver Star
* Silver Star
* Enlisted Reserve or Medical Administrative Corps (MAC) Officer
* Enlisted Reserve or Medical Administrative Corps (MAC) Officer
* Death date 2 April 1945 from commanding officer letter and folder dates. Rank rose from Pfc roster entry to staff sergeant in combat narratives—set rank_final to Staff Sergeant.


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
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<div class="soldier-gallery">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
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== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 14 October 1923 — Born in Nuremberg, Germany.
* October 1938 — Family fled Nazi Germany for the United States.
* 12 June 1943 — Enlisted at Toledo, Ohio.
* Class 19 — Trained at Camp Ritchie; IPW Team 149.
* September 1944 — Arrived England; later Netherlands and Germany with 8th Armored Division.
* 2 April 1945 — Killed in action at Neuhaus near Lippstadt, Germany; Silver Star (posthumous).
* Burial — Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
* RB Archive Mosbacher packet photographs and related PDFs
* RB Archive, “Stories of Allied Soldiers from Nuremberg-Fürth: Stephen S. Mosbacher” (includes Maj. John R. Elting letter, 9 June 1946)
* 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 2022-11-11 (1 post)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-11-11 (1 post)
* Facebook-linked source: [https://www.fieldsofhonor-database.com/index.php/en/american-war-cemetery-margraten-m/51712-mosbacher-stephen-s fieldsofhonor-database.com]
* Facebook-linked source: [https://www.fieldsofhonor-database.com/index.php/en/american-war-cemetery-margraten-m/51712-mosbacher-stephen-s fieldsofhonor-database.com]
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Stephen S. Mosbacher for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Mosbacher, Stephen S. for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: STEPHEN S. MOSBACHER (2020).doc)
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