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Neustadt, Hermann (0555150): Difference between revisions

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|surname=Neustadt
|surname=Neustadt
|first=Hermann
|first=Hermann
|alias=Newton
|alias=Harvey P. Newton
|class_section=5B
|class_section=5B
|class_rank=Pfc
|class_rank=Pfc
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|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png
|birth_place=Breslau, Germany
|death_date=1 April 1998
|birth_date=4 October 1920
|death_place=Costa Rica
}}
}}


<div class="soldier-lead">
<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Neustadt, Hermann (0555150)|Hermann Neustadt]]''' (1920–1998) was a Ritchie Boy who later served as a first lieutenant and prisoner of war interrogation officer under the name Harvey P. Newton.
'''[[Neustadt, Hermann (0555150)|Hermann Neustadt]]''' (4 October 1920 – 1 April 1998), later '''Harvey P. Newton''', was a Breslau-born Ritchie Boy (Class 17) who interrogated in France, earned a Purple Heart, and became a soil scientist.
</div>
</div>


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Hermann Neustadt served first as an enlisted soldier under ASN 33044875, attaining the rank of private first class. His enlisted record shows Chinese-language Army Specialized Training and German prisoner-of-war interrogation training at Camp Ritchie. He was honorably discharged on 17 June 1944 to accept a commission as a second lieutenant in the Army of the United States.
Hermann Neustadt was born on 4 October 1920 in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) to an assimilated Jewish family. After Kristallnacht he was imprisoned at Buchenwald, then trained in agriculture at Auswanderer-Lehrsgut Groß Breesen and at Wieringerwaard in the Netherlands. He emigrated to the United States in 1940, worked briefly at the Hyde Park training farm in Virginia, and enlisted in the Army.


In 1944, a Maryland court approved his change of name from Hermann Neustadt to Harvey P. Newton. His later officer records use ASN 0555150 and identify him as a first lieutenant. His Separation Qualification Record describes him as a prisoner-of-war interrogation officer who interrogated German prisoners and supervised prisoner enclosures, searches, evacuations, and enemy-document examinations. He participated in the Normandy, Northern France, and Rhineland campaigns.
In February 1944 he transferred to Camp Ritchie (Class 17) as a German-language interrogator. He questioned German civilians and officers until he was wounded in France in November 1944, earning the Purple Heart, then served at the Enemy Prisoners of War Information Bureau. In 1944 he legally changed his name to Harvey P. Newton; he left the Army in 1946 as a first lieutenant. Enlisted records also list ASN '''33044875''' before his officer ASN '''0555150'''.


The record states that he was wounded by enemy shell fragments near Ingwiller, France, on 30 November 1944, and was later assigned to the Enemy Prisoner of War Information Bureau. He was awarded the Purple Heart and separated from active duty on 2 April 1946.
Under the G.I. Bill he earned a B.S. in agronomy at Rutgers (1948) and a Ph.D. in plant physiology (1951), then worked as a soil expert for U.S. agricultural programs in Venezuela, Costa Rica, Somalia, and Ecuador. He died in Costa Rica on 1 April 1998.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
* Enlisted records identify Hermann Neustadt as ASN 33044875; later officer records identify Harvey P. Newton/Hermann Neustadt as ASN 0555150.
* Enlisted records identify Hermann Neustadt as ASN 33044875; later officer records identify Harvey P. Newton/Hermann Neustadt as ASN 0555150.
* The name-change record connects Hermann Neustadt with Harvey P. Newton.
* The name-change record connects Hermann Neustadt with Harvey P. Newton.
* Public profile remains under roster title Neustadt, Hermann (0555150); Harvey P. Newton is the postwar legal name (alias).


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
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| row_source || both
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|}
== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 4 October 1920 — Born Hermann Neustadt in Breslau.
* 1938–1940 — Buchenwald after Kristallnacht; Groß Breesen / Wieringerwaard training; to U.S. 1940.
* 24 May 1941 onward — U.S. Army service (enlisted ASN 33044875).
* February 1944 — Camp Ritchie Class 17; name change to Harvey P. Newton (1944).
* November 1944 — Wounded in France; Purple Heart; EPW Information Bureau.
* 1946 — Left Army as first lieutenant (officer ASN 0555150).
* 1948 / 1951 — Rutgers B.S. agronomy; Ph.D. plant physiology.
* 1952 onward — USDA / AID soil work in Latin America and Africa.
* 1 April 1998 — Died in Costa Rica.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* [https://prabook.com/web/harvey_p.newton/1695537 Prabook — Harvey P. Newton vital / service dates]
* [https://search.cjh.org/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=CJH_ALEPH000197537&context=L&vid=lbi&lang=en_US CJH / LBI catalog — Harvey P. Newton Collection]
* Leo Baeck Institute / CJH finding aid — Harvey P. Newton Collection (born Hermann Neustadt)
* 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
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* [[:File:5784574971564376.jpg|Newton record of award of decoration]]
* [[:File:5784574971564376.jpg|Newton record of award of decoration]]
* [[:File:5784574951564378.jpg|Newton military education record]]
* [[:File:5784574951564378.jpg|Newton military education record]]
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Hermann Neustadt for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Neustadt, Hermann for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: HERMANN NEUSTADT.doc)

Latest revision as of 19:56, 16 September 2026

Record status: unconfirmed. Class-roster match confidence is medium. Correct the infobox if you have a source, and note it on talk.
Hermann Neustadt
Personal details
Birth nameHarvey P. Newton
Born4 October 1920
Breslau, Germany
Died1 April 1998
Costa Rica
NativityGermany
ReligionJewish
AwardsPurple Heart
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
ASN0555150
RankFirst Lieutenant
Rank at RitchiePrivate First Class
Camp RitchieClass 17 (11 March – 8 May 1944)
Section5B
SpecialtyPrisoner of War Interrogation Officer
Battles / warsNormandy
Northern France
Rhineland
Awards and honors
Purple Heart
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.


Hermann Neustadt (4 October 1920 – 1 April 1998), later Harvey P. Newton, was a Breslau-born Ritchie Boy (Class 17) who interrogated in France, earned a Purple Heart, and became a soil scientist.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Hermann Neustadt was born on 4 October 1920 in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) to an assimilated Jewish family. After Kristallnacht he was imprisoned at Buchenwald, then trained in agriculture at Auswanderer-Lehrsgut Groß Breesen and at Wieringerwaard in the Netherlands. He emigrated to the United States in 1940, worked briefly at the Hyde Park training farm in Virginia, and enlisted in the Army.

In February 1944 he transferred to Camp Ritchie (Class 17) as a German-language interrogator. He questioned German civilians and officers until he was wounded in France in November 1944, earning the Purple Heart, then served at the Enemy Prisoners of War Information Bureau. In 1944 he legally changed his name to Harvey P. Newton; he left the Army in 1946 as a first lieutenant. Enlisted records also list ASN 33044875 before his officer ASN 0555150.

Under the G.I. Bill he earned a B.S. in agronomy at Rutgers (1948) and a Ph.D. in plant physiology (1951), then worked as a soil expert for U.S. agricultural programs in Venezuela, Costa Rica, Somalia, and Ecuador. He died in Costa Rica on 1 April 1998.

Research notes[edit | edit source]

  • Enlisted records identify Hermann Neustadt as ASN 33044875; later officer records identify Harvey P. Newton/Hermann Neustadt as ASN 0555150.
  • The name-change record connects Hermann Neustadt with Harvey P. Newton.
  • Public profile remains under roster title Neustadt, Hermann (0555150); Harvey P. Newton is the postwar legal name (alias).

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Technical record[edit | edit source]

Field Imported value
Approx Age at Death 78
Class_ASN 33044875
Class_Name NEUSTADT, Hermann
match_method pass2_unique_name
row_source both

Timeline[edit | edit source]

  • 4 October 1920 — Born Hermann Neustadt in Breslau.
  • 1938–1940 — Buchenwald after Kristallnacht; Groß Breesen / Wieringerwaard training; to U.S. 1940.
  • 24 May 1941 onward — U.S. Army service (enlisted ASN 33044875).
  • February 1944 — Camp Ritchie Class 17; name change to Harvey P. Newton (1944).
  • November 1944 — Wounded in France; Purple Heart; EPW Information Bureau.
  • 1946 — Left Army as first lieutenant (officer ASN 0555150).
  • 1948 / 1951 — Rutgers B.S. agronomy; Ph.D. plant physiology.
  • 1952 onward — USDA / AID soil work in Latin America and Africa.
  • 1 April 1998 — Died in Costa Rica.

Sources[edit | edit source]

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