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Uebel, Martin A. (01184744): Difference between revisions

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|class_section=5B
|class_section=5B
|class_rank=2nd Lt
|class_rank=2nd Lt
|class_branch=FA
|birth_year=1912
|birth_year=1912
|death_year=2008
|death_year=2008
|nativity=US
|nativity=United States
|religion=P
|religion=Protestant
|ipw_ge=38
|ipw_ge=38
|overseas=Y
|overseas=Y
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|class_number=11
|class_number=11
|class_display=11
|class_display=11
|birth_place=East Hampton, Massachusetts
|arm_or_service=Field Artillery
|birth_date=12 April 1912
|teams=MII 423-G
|rank_final=Second Lieutenant
|awards=Purple Heart
|awards_grid=Purple Heart
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Purple_Heart_ribbon.png
}}
}}


<div class="soldier-lead">
<div class="soldier-lead">
'''[[Uebel, Martin A. (01184744)|Martin A. Uebel]]''' (1912–2008) was a Ritchie Boy (from United States; Protestant) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 11 and served with IPW Team 38.
'''[[Uebel, Martin A. (01184744)|Martin A. Uebel]]''' (1912–2008) was a Ritchie Boy (from United States; Protestant) who trained at Camp Ritchie in [[:Category:Class 11|class 11]] and served with [[Team IPW 38|IPW Team 38]].
</div>
</div>


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
[[Uebel, Martin A. (01184744)|Martin Uebel]] was a Ritchie Boy. Born in East Hampton, Massachusetts on April 12, 1912, he was the son of Herman and Marie Uebel. His father and his uncle both came to the USA when they were teenagers. Eventually, the entire family emigrated. They spoke German in the home. Martin was a 1933 graduate of Dartmouth University -- right in the middle of the Great Depression -- he couldn't get a job in the teaching field. He played the clarinet, and for two years made his living as part of a group trying to revive Boston's opera. The winter of 1935 looked promising for musicians when he, out of the blue, got a teaching offer from a small school in Germany. He taught high school English for a year at the Odenwalz Schule in Cologne. Adolf Hitler was beginning to get rambunctious, but der Fuhrer still allowed foreigners to stay in the country to teach languages. Martin learned an American school needed an English teacher for the children of steel and Ford Motor Co. employees, and he taught in their grade school for two years -- up until the war broke out. Back in the States, Martin found a job as a German teacher at Culver Military Academy. For two summers, he took education courses at Indiana University. Drafted in 1942, he went from Fort Benjamin Harrison to Fort Sill, Okla., where, just before graduation as a second lieutenant, he ran into an old friend who questioned his assignment in an artillery battalion. "With your background in German," his pal said, "you shouldn't be in the field. You need to be involved in the language area." He said he would see what he could do. Martin was given a hearing in front of an Army board. One of the reviewing officers said, "sprach ze doosch?" Martin laughed. "The guy thought he was speaking German -- and very poorly, at that! After I figured out what he was trying to say, I was reassigned as an interpreter." Sent to the Intelligence Center at Camp Ritchie, MD., Martin learned about interrogation techniques for POWs and facts about the German army. "I knew more about the German army than I did about our own," he said. After landing in Normandy with the Second Army, part of Martin's job was questioning German prisoners who were captured trying to break out to get back to their country. "At one point, I was sleeping in a French basement when an American officer woke me and took our Jeep. We commandeered a German truck, loaded our prisoners aboard and headed back to our lines." A German mortar exploded, seriously wounding Martin. It was the first of his two Purple Hearts. "My eyes were bloody and my left wrist was broken along with other injuries." He remembered the crossroads and, although unable to see, he was able to direct the truck to a British field hospital. After recuperating from his injuries, Martin rejoined his unit. The American forces were getting ready for a push deep into Germany. One night, while sleeping in the shaft of a German coal mine near Trier, enemy fire burst into the mine, shattering Martin's right knee and injuring the sole of his foot. "I considered myself lucky," he said. "I could've been sleeping with my head where my feet were. In that case, it would have been all over for me." On the operating table, he saw the doctor pick up the blanket, look at his knee and shake his head in disbelief. It didn't look good. Just before being anesthetized, Martin told the nurses, "I'm from Boston." He was in a hospital in Augusta, Ga., when the war ended. Martin was told he couldn't be separated from the service until his knee was operated on in order to restore 90 percent capability. Martin went back to his position at CMA as a language instructor, teaching German, Latin and English. A colonel at the military school, he was a counselor and head of the ROTC. For several summers, he also served as band director. "When they couldn't find anyone else," he said. He retired in 1977, but remained with the band for several more years. Martin passed away April 16, 2008 at the age of 96.
Martin A. Uebel was born on 12 April 1912 in East Hampton, Massachusetts. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1933, worked as a musician, and taught English in Germany before returning to the United States as war approached. He then taught German at Culver Military Academy.
 
Drafted in 1942, Uebel trained at Fort Sill and was commissioned a second lieutenant. His German fluency led to reassignment to Camp Ritchie ([[:Category:Class 11|Class 11]]), where he learned prisoner interrogation and German order of battle. Serving as an interpreter in Europe, he landed in Normandy and questioned German prisoners. A mortar attack seriously wounded him during the Normandy campaign; after returning to duty, enemy fire struck him again near Trier. He received two Purple Hearts.
 
Uebel married Ruth in 1945 and resumed teaching German, Latin, and English at Culver Military Academy, where he also worked in ROTC and music programs until retiring in 1977. He remained active in veterans, church, and community organizations and died in 2008.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
* 423-G
* The article explicitly identifies two Purple Hearts. The awards tuple uses one canonical Purple Heart ribbon rather than duplicating the ribbon.
 


== Technical record ==
== Technical record ==
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| row_source || both
| row_source || both
|}
|}
== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 12 April 1912 — Born in East Hampton, Massachusetts.
* 1933 — Graduated from Dartmouth College.
* 1935–1939 — Taught English in Germany.
* 1942 — Drafted into the Army; trained at Fort Sill and Camp Ritchie (Class 11).
* 1944 — Landed in Normandy as an interpreter and prisoner interrogator; wounded by a mortar attack.
* 1944–1945 — Returned to duty and was wounded a second time near Trier.
* 1945 — Married Ruth and resumed teaching at Culver Military Academy.
* 1977 — Retired from Culver Military Academy.
* 2008 — Died.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
* [https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/southbendtribune/name/martin-uebel-obituary?id=35291792 South Bend Tribune — Martin Uebel obituary]
* ''South Bend Tribune'', 8 November 2006 — “Memories of war; German heritage came in handy as Martin Uebel served as translator” (RB Archive ProQuest copy)
* 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)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2023-01-13 (1 post)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2023-01-13 (1 post)

Latest revision as of 00:22, 19 September 2026

Martin A. Uebel
Personal details
Born12 April 1912
East Hampton, Massachusetts
Died2008
NativityUnited States
ReligionProtestant
AwardsPurple Heart
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
Arm / serviceField Artillery
ASN01184744
RankSecond Lieutenant
Camp RitchieClass 11 (25 August – 23 October 1943)
Section5B
TeamsIPW 38, MII 423-G
Awards and honors
Purple Heart
Teammates
Team — IPW 38
Team — MII 423-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.


Martin A. Uebel (1912–2008) was a Ritchie Boy (from United States; Protestant) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 11 and served with IPW Team 38.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Martin A. Uebel was born on 12 April 1912 in East Hampton, Massachusetts. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1933, worked as a musician, and taught English in Germany before returning to the United States as war approached. He then taught German at Culver Military Academy.

Drafted in 1942, Uebel trained at Fort Sill and was commissioned a second lieutenant. His German fluency led to reassignment to Camp Ritchie (Class 11), where he learned prisoner interrogation and German order of battle. Serving as an interpreter in Europe, he landed in Normandy and questioned German prisoners. A mortar attack seriously wounded him during the Normandy campaign; after returning to duty, enemy fire struck him again near Trier. He received two Purple Hearts.

Uebel married Ruth in 1945 and resumed teaching German, Latin, and English at Culver Military Academy, where he also worked in ROTC and music programs until retiring in 1977. He remained active in veterans, church, and community organizations and died in 2008.

Research notes[edit | edit source]

  • The article explicitly identifies two Purple Hearts. The awards tuple uses one canonical Purple Heart ribbon rather than duplicating the ribbon.


Technical record[edit | edit source]

Field Imported value
Approx Age at Death 96
Class_ASN 184744
Class_Name UEBEL, Martin A.
match_method asn_partial_name_exact
row_source both

Timeline[edit | edit source]

  • 12 April 1912 — Born in East Hampton, Massachusetts.
  • 1933 — Graduated from Dartmouth College.
  • 1935–1939 — Taught English in Germany.
  • 1942 — Drafted into the Army; trained at Fort Sill and Camp Ritchie (Class 11).
  • 1944 — Landed in Normandy as an interpreter and prisoner interrogator; wounded by a mortar attack.
  • 1944–1945 — Returned to duty and was wounded a second time near Trier.
  • 1945 — Married Ruth and resumed teaching at Culver Military Academy.
  • 1977 — Retired from Culver Military Academy.
  • 2008 — Died.

Sources[edit | edit source]

  • South Bend Tribune — Martin Uebel obituary
  • South Bend Tribune, 8 November 2006 — “Memories of war; German heritage came in handy as Martin Uebel served as translator” (RB Archive ProQuest copy)
  • 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)
  • Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2023-01-13 (1 post)
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