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Schwarz, Walter (31189305): Difference between revisions
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Enrich from Zekelman Holocaust Center oral history |
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|birth_year=1921 | |birth_year=1921 | ||
|death_year=2018 | |death_year=2018 | ||
|nativity= | |nativity=Romania | ||
|religion= | |religion=Jewish | ||
|enlistment_place=HARTFORD CONNECTICUT | |enlistment_place=HARTFORD CONNECTICUT | ||
|state=CONNECTICUT | |state=CONNECTICUT | ||
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|class_number=20 | |class_number=20 | ||
|class_display=20 | |class_display=20 | ||
|birth_place=Timișoara, Romania | |||
|rank_final=T/Sgt | |||
|division=Third Army | |||
}} | }} | ||
<div class="soldier-lead"> | <div class="soldier-lead"> | ||
'''Walter Schwarz''' (1921–2018) was a | '''[[Schwarz, Walter (31189305)|Walter Schwarz]]''' (1921 – 2018) was a Timișoara-born [[Class 20]] Ritchie Boy who served as a technical sergeant interrogator with Third Army through the Battle of the Bulge. | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
== Biography == | == Biography == | ||
Walter Schwarz was born in 1921 in Timișoara, Romania, the son of Joseph and Bessy Schwarz. The family spoke chiefly German at home. Sent to Brno for textile study, He was there when Germany occupied Czechoslovakia and struggled home. His mother, a U.S. citizen, secured papers; the family left Italy for America in March 1940 on what He recalled as the last refugee ship. | |||
Rejected when He first tried to enlist as a non-citizen, Schwarz was drafted in 1942, trained in Pennsylvania, and spent nearly two years at [[Camp Ritchie]] ([[Class 20]]), graduating as a technical sergeant. Sent to England in September 1944 and to France in October, He served with Third Army at the Saar, during the Battle of the Bulge—first questioning civilians, then German soldiers—and after the Rhine crossing. He later served near Plzeň, where He contacted surviving relatives from his Brno years. | |||
Discharged in January 1946, He used the GI Bill at Lowell Technological Institute (textile studies, 1949), worked in Canada and Wisconsin, and raised five children with his wife, whose mother had survived Bergen-Belsen. | |||
== Research notes == | == Research notes == | ||
== Technical record == | == Technical record == | ||
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== Timeline == | |||
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline"> | |||
<div class="soldier-timeline-body"> | |||
* 1921 — Born in Timișoara, Romania. | |||
* March 1940 — Arrived in the United States from Italy. | |||
* 1942 — Drafted; later trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 20). | |||
* September 1944 — Sent to England; to France in October with Third Army. | |||
* December 1944 — Battle of the Bulge interrogations. | |||
* January 1946 — Discharged. | |||
* 1949 — Graduated Lowell Technological Institute (textile studies). | |||
* 2018 — Died. | |||
</div> | |||
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div> | |||
== Sources == | == Sources == | ||
* Camp Ritchie | * [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=c9b7dbbb-8dd7-466f-9403-c8fe6399b41e Zekelman Holocaust Center oral history, OHV 413] | |||
* 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) | ||
Latest revision as of 02:13, 17 September 2026
| Walter Schwarz | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1921 Timișoara, Romania |
| Died | 2018 |
| Nativity | Romania |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 31189305 |
| Rank | Technical Sergeant |
| Rank at Ritchie | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 20 (19 June – 16 August 1944) |
| Section | 5C |
| Enlisted | Hartford, Connecticut |
| Unit / division | Third Army |
| Team | IPW 152 |
Interview Watch Walter Schwarz on Zekelman Holocaust Center.
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.
Walter Schwarz (1921 – 2018) was a Timișoara-born Class 20 Ritchie Boy who served as a technical sergeant interrogator with Third Army through the Battle of the Bulge.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Walter Schwarz was born in 1921 in Timișoara, Romania, the son of Joseph and Bessy Schwarz. The family spoke chiefly German at home. Sent to Brno for textile study, He was there when Germany occupied Czechoslovakia and struggled home. His mother, a U.S. citizen, secured papers; the family left Italy for America in March 1940 on what He recalled as the last refugee ship.
Rejected when He first tried to enlist as a non-citizen, Schwarz was drafted in 1942, trained in Pennsylvania, and spent nearly two years at Camp Ritchie (Class 20), graduating as a technical sergeant. Sent to England in September 1944 and to France in October, He served with Third Army at the Saar, during the Battle of the Bulge—first questioning civilians, then German soldiers—and after the Rhine crossing. He later served near Plzeň, where He contacted surviving relatives from his Brno years.
Discharged in January 1946, He used the GI Bill at Lowell Technological Institute (textile studies, 1949), worked in Canada and Wisconsin, and raised five children with his wife, whose mother had survived Bergen-Belsen.
Research notes[edit | edit source]
Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 97 |
| Nara ASN | 31189305 |
| Nara Name | SCHWARZ WALTER |
| Nara State | 11 |
| Nara County | 1 |
| Nara POE | 1143 |
| Nara DOE | 100942 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | BI |
| Nara Branch Code | 0 |
| Branch | Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA |
| Nara Term or Enlistment | 5 |
| Term of enlistment | Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law |
| Defer. Date | 0 |
| Nara Source | 0 |
| Nara Nativity | N5 |
| Nara Year of Birth | 21 |
| Nara Race | J |
| Nara Race Description | White not yet a citizen |
| Nara Education | 6 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 624 |
| Nara Marital Status | 1 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 70 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 164 |
| Class_ASN | 31189305 |
| Class_Name | SCHWARZ, Walter |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline[edit | edit source]
- 1921 — Born in Timișoara, Romania.
- March 1940 — Arrived in the United States from Italy.
- 1942 — Drafted; later trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 20).
- September 1944 — Sent to England; to France in October with Third Army.
- December 1944 — Battle of the Bulge interrogations.
- January 1946 — Discharged.
- 1949 — Graduated Lowell Technological Institute (textile studies).
- 2018 — Died.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Zekelman Holocaust Center oral-history index
- Zekelman Holocaust Center oral history, OHV 413
- 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)