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Kosse, Gunter (32712417): Difference between revisions

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|birth_date=14 August 1922
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<div class="soldier-lead">
<div class="soldier-lead">
'''Gunter Kosse''' was a United States Army Private who trained at [[Camp Ritchie]], Maryland, in [[Class 9]].
'''[[Kosse, Gunter (32712417)|Gunter Kosse]]''' (born 14 August 1922 in Berlin) was a [[Class 9]] Ritchie Boy who served with IPW Team 4 of the 8th Infantry Division and interpreted at Nuremberg discovery interrogations of senior Nazis.
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== Biography ==
== Biography ==
He Graduated with the 9th Class (IPW-Ge). He worked for his father) and travelled to Cuba. Frank Brandstetter, who was previously a Captain in the German Army, was an instructor at Camp Ritchie teaching German Army organization. As one example, Kosse served as interpreter in the interrogation at Nuremberg of General Werner von Blomberg, the former German Minister of War. Just after the war ended, Kosse was sent to the Russian zone (somewhere in Poland) to try to get intelligence about the Russians. Later he served as an interpreter at the Nuremberg Trials where he uncovered facts about Russians used as slave labor in Bavaria; they were required to be repatriated to the USSR. He 11-38 Father escaped arrest (with help from the Nazi accountant who.
Gunter Kosse was born on 14 August 1922 in Berlin, Germany, the son of Leonard and Stephanie Kosse. His father owned a textile business and apartment buildings. Evicted from Gymnasium as a Jew, He continued in a Jewish school. Friends warned his father before Kristallnacht; Leonard fled to Cuba, and Gunter and his mother followed in February 1939. He attended a Quaker boarding school in Cuba, then the family reached New York in December 1940, where He apprenticed as a diamond cutter.
 
Drafted in January 1943, Kosse trained at Camp Lee, Virginia, then at [[Camp Ritchie]] in [[Class 9]] (IPW-Ge). After further “Cattle Alert” / ranger-style training in Northern Ireland and England, He entered France in September 1944 and joined IPW Team 4 with the 8th Infantry Division in Luxembourg. Near war’s end He interpreted during discovery interrogations of Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Fritz Sauckel, and Wilhelm Frick before the Nuremberg tribunals, often advising non-German-speaking lawyers on questioning. He also undertook a mission into Soviet-held Białystok gathering information on Soviet army positions.
 
Discharged in January 1946, Kosse studied industrial technology and worked in medical-research electronics at Columbia University. From 1951 He spent decades with the U.S. Department of Defense in Germany interrogating returning POWs and East German deserters and later in communications intelligence, retiring in 1986.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
* Camp Sharpe
* Camp Sharpe
* 8/14/1922-A


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
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* 11-38 Father escaped arrest (with help from the Nazi accountant who.
* 14 August 1922 — Born in Berlin, Germany.
* Assigned to IPW Team 4 attached to 8th Infantry Division (XV Corps).
* February 1939 — Reached Cuba with his mother after his father’s escape.
* Berlin, Germany where his father, an.
* December 1940 — Family arrived in the United States.
* January 1943 — Drafted; later sent to Camp Ritchie Class 9.
* September 1944 — Entered France; IPW Team 4, 8th Infantry Division.
* 1945 — Interpreted at Nuremberg discovery interrogations of senior Nazis.
* January 1946 — Discharged from the Army.
* 1951–1986 — U.S. Department of Defense intelligence work, chiefly in Germany.
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== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* [https://holocaustcenter.org/research/oral-history-department/oral-histories-index/ Zekelman Holocaust Center oral-history index]
* [https://5152.sydneyplus.com/argus/final/Portal/Default.aspx?component=AAFG&record=0d063378-8950-42c1-9c21-4e80d4ba830f Zekelman Holocaust Center oral history, OHV 416]
* 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 02:13, 17 September 2026

Gunter Kosse
Personal details
Born14 August 1922
Berlin, Germany
NativityGermany
ReligionJewish
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
ASN32712417
RankCaptain
Rank at RitchiePrivate
Camp RitchieClass 9 (21 June – 18 August 1943)
Section5F
TeamIPW 4
Interview Watch Gunter Kosse on Zekelman Holocaust Center.
Teammates
Team — IPW 4
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.


Gunter Kosse (born 14 August 1922 in Berlin) was a Class 9 Ritchie Boy who served with IPW Team 4 of the 8th Infantry Division and interpreted at Nuremberg discovery interrogations of senior Nazis.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Gunter Kosse was born on 14 August 1922 in Berlin, Germany, the son of Leonard and Stephanie Kosse. His father owned a textile business and apartment buildings. Evicted from Gymnasium as a Jew, He continued in a Jewish school. Friends warned his father before Kristallnacht; Leonard fled to Cuba, and Gunter and his mother followed in February 1939. He attended a Quaker boarding school in Cuba, then the family reached New York in December 1940, where He apprenticed as a diamond cutter.

Drafted in January 1943, Kosse trained at Camp Lee, Virginia, then at Camp Ritchie in Class 9 (IPW-Ge). After further “Cattle Alert” / ranger-style training in Northern Ireland and England, He entered France in September 1944 and joined IPW Team 4 with the 8th Infantry Division in Luxembourg. Near war’s end He interpreted during discovery interrogations of Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Fritz Sauckel, and Wilhelm Frick before the Nuremberg tribunals, often advising non-German-speaking lawyers on questioning. He also undertook a mission into Soviet-held Białystok gathering information on Soviet army positions.

Discharged in January 1946, Kosse studied industrial technology and worked in medical-research electronics at Columbia University. From 1951 He spent decades with the U.S. Department of Defense in Germany interrogating returning POWs and East German deserters and later in communications intelligence, retiring in 1986.

Research notes[edit | edit source]

  • Camp Sharpe

Gallery[edit | edit source]

After you are autoconfirmed, upload a photo and add [[File:Example.jpg|thumb|caption]] here, or set |photo=Example.jpg in the infobox.

Technical record[edit | edit source]

Field Imported value
Class_ASN 32712417
Class_Name KOSSE, Gunter
match_method asn_exact_name_exact
row_source both

Timeline[edit | edit source]

  • 14 August 1922 — Born in Berlin, Germany.
  • February 1939 — Reached Cuba with his mother after his father’s escape.
  • December 1940 — Family arrived in the United States.
  • January 1943 — Drafted; later sent to Camp Ritchie Class 9.
  • September 1944 — Entered France; IPW Team 4, 8th Infantry Division.
  • 1945 — Interpreted at Nuremberg discovery interrogations of senior Nazis.
  • January 1946 — Discharged from the Army.
  • 1951–1986 — U.S. Department of Defense intelligence work, chiefly in Germany.

Sources[edit | edit source]

  • Zekelman Holocaust Center oral-history index
  • Zekelman Holocaust Center oral history, OHV 416
  • 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)
  • Dan Gross, Timeline of Gunter Kosse for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
  • Dan Gross, Timeline of Kosse, Gunter for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: GUNTER KOSSE.doc)
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