Soft launch: Soldier biographies and research notes vary in completeness. Prefer class-roster, NARA, newspapers, and other cited sources for contested facts — treat Research notes as leads, not settled history. Anyone can correct a page; contact us with questions.

Melchior, Ib J. (32909534): Difference between revisions

From Ritchie Boys Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
← Older edit
VisualWikitext
Weave timeline facts into existing biography without replacing prose
Link Camp Ritchie class and team mentions in lead/biography
 
(11 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 24: Line 24:
|death_date=14 March 2015
|death_date=14 March 2015
|birth_place=Copenhagen, Denmark
|birth_place=Copenhagen, Denmark
|death_place=West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
|death_place=West Hollywood, California
|alias=Ib Jørgen Melchior
|alias=Ib Jørgen Melchior
|rank_final=T/3
|awards=Bronze Star Medal
|awards_grid=Bronze Star Medal
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
|teams=MII 425-G
}}
}}


<div class="soldier-lead">
<div class="soldier-lead">
Ib Jørgen Melchior (September 17, 1917 – March 14, 2015) was a Danish-American novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and film director of low-budget American science fiction movies, most of them released by American International Pictures.
'''Ib Jørgen Melchior''' (17 September 1917&ndash;14 March 2015) was a Danish-American screenwriter and Camp Ritchie [[Class 10]] MII / CIC veteran (Team 425-G) awarded the Bronze Star.
</div>
</div>


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Ib Jørgen Melchior (September 17, 1917 – March 14, 2015) was a Danish-American novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and film director of low-budget American science fiction movies, most of them released by American International Pictures. In July 1942, he became member of OSS. Ib worked as cryptographer for OSS. He worked as news broadcaster in Europe. He worked as stage manager at Radio City Music Hall. He worked as stage manager; also as news broadcaster in Europe. He was captured buried SS records in Regensburg. Melchior was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark, the son of Lauritz Melchior, an opera singer. during World War II, getting his training at Camp Ritchie in Maryland which classifies him as one of the Ritchie Boys. He also participated in the liberation of Flossenbürg concentration camp as well as the discovery of stolen currency, gold and art at Merkers-Kieselbach Cavern, and the capture of a Werwolf unit in 1945, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star. which was confiscated by the communist government of East Germany and never returned. In 1965, a decorated war hero, he was dubbed Knight Commander of the Militant Order of Saint Bridget of Sweden. Melchior died of natural causes on March 14, 2015, at the age of 97, five months after the death of his wife of over 50 years, architect Cleo Baldon.
Ib Jørgen Melchior was born on 17 September 1917 in Copenhagen, Denmark, the son of opera singer Lauritz Melchior. Before and during the war he worked as a stage manager (including at Radio City Music Hall) and as a news broadcaster in Europe. Research notes record OSS service from July 1942. He was drafted into the Army in New York City on 19 May 1943 (ASN 32909534), became a naturalized U.S. Citizen in Washington, D.C., on 21 January 1944, and trained at [[Camp Ritchie]], Maryland, in [[Class 10]].
 
In the field he served on [[Team MII 425-G|MII Team 425-G]] (constituted 29 November 1944; attached to Twelfth Army Group / XII Corps, Third Army), working with CIC Detachment 212. Teammates included [[Arnstein, Felix P. (0552515)|Felix P. Arnstein]] and [[Lowenstein, Kurt (32888834)|Kurt Lowenstein]]. In a March 1948 ''Blue Book'' magazine article Melchior described Camp Ritchie IPW training and a 28 April 1945 CIC screening case at Weiden, Germany, in which Order of Battle knowledge from his IPW course helped expose a false deserter. Team reports under his name cover ammunition depots, underground factories, fortifications, and a V-2 site near Baumholder; a 19 May 1945 memo by Arnstein on Melchior’s Werewolf investigations supported his Bronze Star. Accounts also associate him with the liberation of Flossenbürg and the Merkers-Kieselbach treasure discovery.
 
After the war Melchior became a novelist, screenwriter, and director of low-budget science-fiction films. He died of natural causes on 14 March 2015 in West Hollywood, California, aged 97.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
* CIC 212; OSS (OS) from 7/42
* CIC 212
* OSS (OS) from 7/42
* ASTP
* ASTP
* 425-G
* Novelist,
* Science fiction films
* MII 425-G + CIC 212
* Novelist, "Order of Battle"
* Bronze Star (Werewolf investigations memo 19 May 1945)
* Portrait and summary from Notable Ritchie Boys slides ([https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1EWiegWT3PMxAFXS7MZLxFFLMZg0265GK5_Axp_XnzWM source]).
* campaigns Normandy–Central Europe (Gross NARA notes)


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
Line 109: Line 120:
| row_source || both
| row_source || both
|}
|}
== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* July 1942 — Became member of OSS.
* 19 May 1943 — Drafted into Army in NYC as Pvt (ASN: 32909534).
* 21 January 1944 — Became naturalized U.S. citizen in Washington, DC.
* 3 December 1944 — Assigned to MII Team 425-G attached to XII Corps.
* ? Promoted to T/3.
* ? Worked as cryptographer for OSS.
* Also assigned to OSS and CIC.
* Also attached to CIC Detachment 212 (XII Corps).
* Assigned to MII Team 425-G attached to XII Corps.
* Awarded Bronze Star Medal.
* Captured buried SS records in Regensburg.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* Ib Melchior, article in ''Blue Book'' magazine, vol. 86 no. 5 (March 1948) — first-person account of Camp Ritchie IPW training and CIC/OB case at Weiden, 28 April 1945 (RB Archive PDF)
* Dan Gross research archive (miscellaneous timeline-adjacent documents; not uploaded): ''IB MELCHIOR Reports.doc''
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ib_Melchior Wikipedia: Ib Melchior]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ib_Melchior Wikipedia: Ib Melchior]
* 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
Line 116: Line 146:
* 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)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Ib J. Melchior for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 3 source documents reviewed)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Melchior, Ib J. for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 3 source files: IB J. MELCHIOR (2020).doc, IB J. MELCHIOR.doc, IB J. MELCHIOR.docx)

Latest revision as of 00:11, 19 September 2026

Ib J. Melchior
Ib J. Melchior
Personal details
Birth nameIb Jørgen Melchior
Born17 September 1917
Copenhagen, Denmark
Died14 March 2015
West Hollywood, California
NativityDenmark
AwardsBronze Star Medal
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
ASN32909534
RankTechnician Third Grade
Rank at RitchiePrivate
Camp RitchieClass 10 (23 July – 20 September 1943)
Section5C
EnlistedNew York City, New York
TeamMII 425-G
Awards and honors
Bronze Star Medal
Teammates
Team — MII 425-G
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.


Ib Jørgen Melchior (17 September 1917–14 March 2015) was a Danish-American screenwriter and Camp Ritchie Class 10 MII / CIC veteran (Team 425-G) awarded the Bronze Star.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Ib Jørgen Melchior was born on 17 September 1917 in Copenhagen, Denmark, the son of opera singer Lauritz Melchior. Before and during the war he worked as a stage manager (including at Radio City Music Hall) and as a news broadcaster in Europe. Research notes record OSS service from July 1942. He was drafted into the Army in New York City on 19 May 1943 (ASN 32909534), became a naturalized U.S. Citizen in Washington, D.C., on 21 January 1944, and trained at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, in Class 10.

In the field he served on MII Team 425-G (constituted 29 November 1944; attached to Twelfth Army Group / XII Corps, Third Army), working with CIC Detachment 212. Teammates included Felix P. Arnstein and Kurt Lowenstein. In a March 1948 Blue Book magazine article Melchior described Camp Ritchie IPW training and a 28 April 1945 CIC screening case at Weiden, Germany, in which Order of Battle knowledge from his IPW course helped expose a false deserter. Team reports under his name cover ammunition depots, underground factories, fortifications, and a V-2 site near Baumholder; a 19 May 1945 memo by Arnstein on Melchior’s Werewolf investigations supported his Bronze Star. Accounts also associate him with the liberation of Flossenbürg and the Merkers-Kieselbach treasure discovery.

After the war Melchior became a novelist, screenwriter, and director of low-budget science-fiction films. He died of natural causes on 14 March 2015 in West Hollywood, California, aged 97.

Research notes[edit | edit source]

  • CIC 212
  • OSS (OS) from 7/42
  • ASTP
  • Novelist,
  • MII 425-G + CIC 212
  • Bronze Star (Werewolf investigations memo 19 May 1945)
  • campaigns Normandy–Central Europe (Gross NARA notes)

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
Approx Age at Death 98
Nara ASN 32909534
Nara Name MELCHIOR IB J
Nara State 23
Nara County 61
Nara POE 2364
Nara DOE 190543
Nara Grade Alpha PVT
Nara Grade Code 8
Nara Branch Alpha NO
Nara Branch Code 2
Branch No branch assignment
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 M2
Nara Year of Birth 17
Nara Race J
Nara Race Description White not yet a citizen
Nara Education 8
Nara Civilian Occupation 2
Nara Marital Status 2
Nara Height (inches) 43
Nara Weight (lbs) 123
Class_ASN 32909534
Class_Name MELCHIOR, Ib J.
match_method asn_exact_name_exact
row_source both

Timeline[edit | edit source]

  • July 1942 — Became member of OSS.
  • 19 May 1943 — Drafted into Army in NYC as Pvt (ASN: 32909534).
  • 21 January 1944 — Became naturalized U.S. citizen in Washington, DC.
  • 3 December 1944 — Assigned to MII Team 425-G attached to XII Corps.
  • ? Promoted to T/3.
  • ? Worked as cryptographer for OSS.
  • Also assigned to OSS and CIC.
  • Also attached to CIC Detachment 212 (XII Corps).
  • Assigned to MII Team 425-G attached to XII Corps.
  • Awarded Bronze Star Medal.
  • Captured buried SS records in Regensburg.

Sources[edit | edit source]

  • Ib Melchior, article in Blue Book magazine, vol. 86 no. 5 (March 1948) — first-person account of Camp Ritchie IPW training and CIC/OB case at Weiden, 28 April 1945 (RB Archive PDF)
  • Dan Gross research archive (miscellaneous timeline-adjacent documents; not uploaded): IB MELCHIOR Reports.doc
  • Wikipedia: Ib Melchior
  • 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 Ib J. Melchior for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 3 source documents reviewed)
  • Dan Gross, Timeline of Melchior, Ib J. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 3 source files: IB J. MELCHIOR (2020).doc, IB J. MELCHIOR.doc, IB J. MELCHIOR.docx)
Retrieved from "https://ritchieboys.org/index.php?title=Melchior,_Ib_J._(32909534)&oldid=125362"