Kreisler, George F. (39270027)

George F. Kreisler
Personal details
Birth name	Georg Kreisler
Born	18 July 1922 Vienna, Austria
Died	22 November 2011 Salzburg, Austria
Nativity	Austria
Known for	Pianist, Composer, Singer-songwriter, Writer
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	39270027
Rank	Private
Camp Ritchie	Class 7 (15 April – 12 June 1943)
Section	8
Enlisted	Los Angeles, California
Team	IPW 178

Teammates

Team — IPW 178

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.

George F. Kreisler (18 July 1922 – 22 November 2011), better known as Georg Kreisler, was a Vienna-born cabarettist and Ritchie Boy (Class 7) who wrote for soldiers in Britain and France before returning to European stages.

Biography

Georg Kreisler, rostered as George F. Kreisler, was born on 18 July 1922 in Vienna. He studied music theory in high school and learned violin and piano. In 1938 he fled with his parents as Nazi restrictions on Jews tightened. He married Philine Hollaender in 1941 and was naturalized as a United States citizen on 20 July 1943 in District Court in Washington, D.C., in a Camp Ritchie soldiers’ ceremony reported the next day in The Washington Post.

Enlisting at Los Angeles on 11 December 1942, he trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 7) and served in Europe with IPW Team 178. During the war he wrote songs for soldiers in Britain and France, working with Marcel Prawy.

Afterward he worked in Hollywood, including film work associated with Charlie Chaplin, then performed in nightclubs. Record companies rejected some of his satirical songs in 1947 as “un-American.” From 1955 he lived again in Europe—Vienna, Munich, Berlin, Salzburg, Basel—and became a leading Viennese-language cabarettist and author. He died in Salzburg on 22 November 2011.

Research notes

• German-language “Gespräch” PDF in RB Archive did not yield extractable text; Wikipedia remains the principal public narrative source.

Gallery

• 
  Washington Post, 21 July 1943 — naturalized 20 July 1943 (Camp Ritchie cohort ceremony, District Court, Washington, D.C.)

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	89
Nara ASN	39270027
Nara Name	KREISLER GEORGE F
Nara State	91
Nara County	37
Nara POE	9141
Nara DOE	111242
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	K6
Nara Year of Birth	22
Nara Race	J
Nara Race Description	White not yet a citizen
Nara Education	8
Nara Civilian Occupation	24
Nara Marital Status	2
Nara Height (inches)	72
Nara Weight (lbs)	148
Class_ASN	39270027
Class_Name	KREISLER, George F.
match_method	asn_exact_name_exact
row_source	both

Timeline

• 18 July 1922 — Born in Vienna.
• 1938 — Fled Austria with parents.
• 1941 — Married Philine Hollaender.
• 11 December 1942 — Enlisted at Los Angeles (ASN 39270027).
• 1943 — U.S. citizenship; Camp Ritchie Class 7; IPW Team 178; songs for soldiers in Britain and France.
• 20 July 1943 — Naturalized as a U.S. citizen in District Court, Washington, D.C. (Camp Ritchie soldiers’ ceremony; reported in The Washington Post, 21 July 1943)
• 22 November 2011 — Died in Salzburg.
• Postwar — Hollywood / nightclub work; 1947 song rejections; from 1955 European cabaret career.

Sources

• Same clipping (PDF)
• The Stories/Camp Ritchie naturalization (July 1943)
• “85 Soldiers Naturalized In Court Here,” The Washington Post, 21 July 1943, p. B6 (ceremony 20 July 1943; almost all from Camp Ritchie)
• Wikipedia — Georg Kreisler
• 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 George F. Kreisler for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Kreisler, George F. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: GEORGE F. KREISLER.doc)