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Brombert, Victor H. (32906913): Difference between revisions

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Enrich from Wikipedia: Victor Brombert
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|surname=Brombert
|surname=Brombert
|first=Victor
|first=Victor
|middle=H.
|middle=Henri
|alias=Victor Henri Bromberg
|alias=Victor Henri Bromberg
|class_number=11
|class_number=11
|class_section=5C
|class_section=5C
|class_rank=Pvt
|class_rank=Private
|birth_year=1923
|birth_year=1923
|nativity=Germany
|nativity=Germany
|religion=J
|religion=Jewish
|enlistment_place=NEW YORK CITY NEW YORK
|enlistment_place=NEW YORK CITY NEW YORK
|state=NEW YORK
|state=NEW YORK
Line 18: Line 18:
|marital=Single without dependents
|marital=Single without dependents
|certificate=3780
|certificate=3780
|photo=Brombert, Victor (32906913).jpg
|photo=Brombert, Victor (32906913) press TANGRAM.jpg
|confidence=high
|confidence=high
|class_display=11
|class_display=11
Line 26: Line 26:
|death_date=26 November 2024
|death_date=26 November 2024
|death_year=2024
|death_year=2024
|birth_place=Berlin, Brandenburg, Prussia, Germany
|death_place=Princeton, New Jersey
|death_place=Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.
|branch=United States Army
|branch=United States Army
|class_branch=United States Army
|years_of_service=1943–1946
|years_of_service=1943–1946
|battles=World War II
|battles=World War II
|known_for=Professor
|known_for=Professor
|rank_final=Major
|birth_place=Berlin, Germany
}}
}}


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== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Victor Brombert was born Victor Bromberg in Berlin on 11 November 1923 into a Russian-Jewish family that had fled the Russian Revolution and settled in Germany. After Hitler came to power in 1933, the family moved to France, and Paris became his home. In 1941 he and his parents left for New York.


Drafted into the U.S. Army, he trained at Camp Ritchie as an interrogator in French and German. He landed in Normandy about two days after D-Day, fought in France, and was present for the liberation of Paris. He later served in the Hürtgen Forest fighting. After Germany’s surrender he worked as an interpreter and interrogator in denazification work before leaving the army at the end of 1946.


Victor Bromberg was born in Berlin on November 11, 1923, into a well-to-do Russian-Jewish family that had fled Russia at the outbreak of the Russian Revolution and settled in Leipzig. Brombert, also known as Bromberg was born in 1923, with nativity listed as Germany, Jewish. As the German army advanced on Paris in 1940, the family fled to the unoccupied zone under the control of the Vichy government and a year later, in 1941, escaped via Spain to the United States, settling in New York.
After the war Brombert studied at Yale University and became a scholar of nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature, teaching at Yale and Princeton and serving as Princeton’s Henry Putnam University Professor.
 
He taught at Yale University and Princeton University, becoming Princeton's Henry Putnam University Professor. After the war, Brombert studied at Yale University, where he received a B.A. and Europe: the University of California (Berkeley); Johns Hopkins University; Columbia University; New York University; the University of Colorado; the Scuola Normale Superiore (Pisa, Italy); the Collège de France (Paris); the University of Bologna; the University of Puerto Rico.
 
Roster notes also show enlisted at New York City New York; education listed as 1 year of college; civilian occupation listed as Laboratory technicians and assistants.
 
In May 1943, he was drafted into the US Army.
 
Service notes include Camp Ritchie class 11; class rank Pvt; overseas service.
 
Victor Henri Brombert (né Bromberg; November 11, 1923 – November 26, 2024) was an American scholar of 19th and 20th century literature. In 1950, he married Beth Archer, a translator from French and Italian, and the author of the biographies Cristina: Portraits of a Princess and Édouard Manet: Rebel in a Frock Coat. in Romance Languages and Literatures in 1953.
 
When Hitler came to power in Germany, the family left for Paris, and Brombert received his secondary education at the Lycée Janson-de-Sailly. According to The New York Times, he changed his surname to Brombert during his military service "in response to a sense in his unit that a German name could be a liability in the event of capture". The couple had two children, Lauren and Marc.
 
Brombert was a visiting professor at many universities in the U.S.
 


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
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* Ritchie Boy
* Ritchie Boy
* 2nd Armd
* 2nd Armd
* Also Class 11
* Fr 423
* Fr 423
* 11/11/1923-a
* Professor Emeritus, Princeton
* Professor Emeritus, Princeton
* Author, "Trains of Thought"
* Author,
* Portrait and summary from Notable Ritchie Boys slides ([https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ij8PP9weF976Lb5_Ic4bFimcuAZzXRn3cHfNCk5nTdM source]).
* Trains of Thought


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
''After you are autoconfirmed, [[Special:Upload|upload a photo]] and add <code><nowiki>[[File:Example.jpg|thumb|caption]]</nowiki></code> here, or set <code>|photo=Example.jpg</code> in the infobox.''
<div class="soldier-gallery">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
Brombert, Victor (32906913).jpg|Earlier profile photograph (retained after press-photo update)
</gallery>
</div>


== Technical record ==
== Technical record ==
Line 134: Line 123:
| row_source || both
| row_source || both
|}
|}
== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* Born 11 November 1923 in Germany. Parents were Jews from Russia (original name Bromberg).
* 1933 — Family moved from Germany to France; Paris became his home.
* 1941 — Emigrated with his parents to New York.
* 15 December 1943 — Promoted from Pvt to M/Sgt.
* 23 August 1943 — Assigned to Company F at Camp Ritchie.
* 23 October 1943 — Graduated with Class 11 (IPW Ge). Certificate No. 3780.
* 18 October 1944 — MII Team 438-G attached to 28th Infantry Division (V Corps, 1st Army) with.
* 30 March 1944 — MII Team 423 attached to HQ, 2nd Armored Division (1st Army) consisted of.
* 30 September 1944 — MII Team 423 placed on 30-day duty with CIC Detachment 417 (Major Wilson).
* Fall 1944 — Assigned to 28th Infantry Division (“The Bloody Bucket”).
* June 1944 — Landed in Normandy about two days after D-Day.
* 25 June 1945 — Brombert is assigned to MII Team 438-G (attached to HQ, 15th Army) for duty.
* Late 1946 — Left the Army and returned to the United States.
* Division) consisted of 2nd Lt. Buteau, 2nd Lt. Marks, M/Sgt Fluchere, S/Sgt.
* S. citizen in Hagerstown.
* with 28th Inf. Division.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Brombert Wikipedia: Victor Brombert]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Brombert Wikipedia: Victor Brombert]
* Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
* 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)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Victor H. Brombert for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Brombert, Victor H. for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: VICTOR BROMBERT (2021).doc)
* [https://ritchieboys.com/EN/boys_brombert.html The Ritchie Boys: Victor Brombert]
* [https://ritchieboys.com/EN/press_photos.html The Ritchie Boys film site — press photos] (© TANGRAM (Harald Stuckmann); high-res https://ritchieboys.com/DL/photos-highq/boys/brombert.jpg)

Latest revision as of 15:00, 16 September 2026

Victor Henri Brombert
Victor Henri Brombert
Personal details
Birth nameVictor Henri Bromberg
Born11 November 1923
Berlin, Germany
Died26 November 2024
Princeton, New Jersey
NativityGermany
ReligionJewish
Known forProfessor
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
ASN32906913
RankMajor
Rank at RitchiePrivate
Camp RitchieClass 11 (25 August – 23 October 1943)
Section5C
EnlistedNew York City, New York
Battles / warsWorld War II
TeamMII 438-G
Interview Watch Victor Henri Brombert on American Veterans Center.
On film Victor Henri Brombert appears in The Ritchie Boys (Christian Bauer, 2004).
Teammates
Team — MII 438-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.


Victor Henri Brombert (né Bromberg; November 11, 1923 – November 26, 2024) was an American scholar of 19th and 20th century literature. He taught at Yale University and Princeton University, becoming Princeton's Henry Putnam University Professor.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Victor Brombert was born Victor Bromberg in Berlin on 11 November 1923 into a Russian-Jewish family that had fled the Russian Revolution and settled in Germany. After Hitler came to power in 1933, the family moved to France, and Paris became his home. In 1941 he and his parents left for New York.

Drafted into the U.S. Army, he trained at Camp Ritchie as an interrogator in French and German. He landed in Normandy about two days after D-Day, fought in France, and was present for the liberation of Paris. He later served in the Hürtgen Forest fighting. After Germany’s surrender he worked as an interpreter and interrogator in denazification work before leaving the army at the end of 1946.

After the war Brombert studied at Yale University and became a scholar of nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature, teaching at Yale and Princeton and serving as Princeton’s Henry Putnam University Professor.

Research notes[edit | edit source]

  • Also 28th Inf Div (MII 438-G)
  • Ritchie Boy
  • 2nd Armd
  • Fr 423
  • Professor Emeritus, Princeton
  • Author,
  • Trains of Thought

Gallery[edit | edit source]

  • Earlier profile photograph (retained after press-photo update)
    Earlier profile photograph (retained after press-photo update)

Technical record[edit | edit source]

Field Imported value
Nara ASN 32906913
Nara Name BROMBERT VICTOR H
Nara State 23
Nara County 61
Nara POE 2364
Nara DOE 130543
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 N1
Nara Year of Birth 23
Nara Race J
Nara Race Description White not yet a citizen
Nara Education 5
Nara Civilian Occupation 50
Nara Marital Status 6
Nara Height (inches) 0
Nara Weight (lbs) 117
Class_ASN 32906913
Class_Name Brombert, Victor H.
match_method asn_exact_name_exact
row_source both

Timeline[edit | edit source]

  • Born 11 November 1923 in Germany. Parents were Jews from Russia (original name Bromberg).
  • 1933 — Family moved from Germany to France; Paris became his home.
  • 1941 — Emigrated with his parents to New York.
  • 15 December 1943 — Promoted from Pvt to M/Sgt.
  • 23 August 1943 — Assigned to Company F at Camp Ritchie.
  • 23 October 1943 — Graduated with Class 11 (IPW Ge). Certificate No. 3780.
  • 18 October 1944 — MII Team 438-G attached to 28th Infantry Division (V Corps, 1st Army) with.
  • 30 March 1944 — MII Team 423 attached to HQ, 2nd Armored Division (1st Army) consisted of.
  • 30 September 1944 — MII Team 423 placed on 30-day duty with CIC Detachment 417 (Major Wilson).
  • Fall 1944 — Assigned to 28th Infantry Division (“The Bloody Bucket”).
  • June 1944 — Landed in Normandy about two days after D-Day.
  • 25 June 1945 — Brombert is assigned to MII Team 438-G (attached to HQ, 15th Army) for duty.
  • Late 1946 — Left the Army and returned to the United States.
  • Division) consisted of 2nd Lt. Buteau, 2nd Lt. Marks, M/Sgt Fluchere, S/Sgt.
  • S. citizen in Hagerstown.
  • with 28th Inf. Division.


Sources[edit | edit source]

  • Wikipedia: Victor Brombert
  • 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 Victor H. Brombert for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
  • Dan Gross, Timeline of Brombert, Victor H. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: VICTOR BROMBERT (2021).doc)
  • The Ritchie Boys: Victor Brombert
  • The Ritchie Boys film site — press photos (© TANGRAM (Harald Stuckmann); high-res https://ritchieboys.com/DL/photos-highq/boys/brombert.jpg)
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