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Bonnitt, Thomas Louis (32009007): Difference between revisions

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RB Archive: Bonnitt memoir bio, Purple Heart, portrait, SO 224 IPW 90
 
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|surname=Bonnitt
|surname=Bonnitt
|first=Thomas
|first=Thomas
|middle=L.
|middle=Louis
|class_section=5A
|class_section=5A
|class_rank=Pfc
|class_rank=Private First Class
|birth_year=1919
|birth_year=1919
|death_year=2015
|death_year=2015
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|class_number=17
|class_number=17
|class_display=17
|class_display=17
|photo=Bonnitt_Thomas_Louis_32009007_field_portrait.png
|rank_final=Master Sergeant
|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">
'''Thomas L. Bonnitt''' (1919&ndash;2015) was a United States Army Private First Class who trained at [[Camp Ritchie]], Maryland, in [[Class 17]]. Thomas enlisted at New York City, New York.
'''Thomas Louis Bonnitt''' (1919–2015) was a German-born U.S. Army master sergeant in [[:Category:Class 17|Class 17]] and [[Team IPW 90|IPW Team 90]], wounded under fire while the team moved toward Paris.
</div>
</div>


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
''Add a biography, family details, and sources. Click Edit to change this page; no account is required.''
Thomas Louis Bonnitt was born in 1919 in Germany and later served in the U.S. Army. Drafted before Pearl Harbor, he trained at Fort Dix and Fort Benning with the 4th (Motorized) Infantry Division, then served with military police and instructor-training assignments before language screening sent him to [[Camp Ritchie]]. He graduated near the top of [[:Category:Class 17|Class 17]], was made a master sergeant, and briefly instructed pending overseas assignment.
 
After landing in Scotland and time at Broadway and a SHAEF refresher in London, Bonnitt crossed to Utah Beach about two months after D-Day with [[Team IPW 90|IPW Team 90]]. On 20 August 1944, MIS ETO Special Orders No. 224 listed him with the team when PW interrogation teams were attached to G-2, Forward Echelon Communications Zone. Soon afterward, while racing toward Paris on the Red Ball route, the jeep he shared with [[Burns, Alfred (32876729)|Alfred Burns]] and [[Scheuer, William S. (0552536)|William Scheuer]] was hit under fire; Bonnitt was wounded in the forehead and evacuated. He later rejoined T-Force / 12th Army Group work through the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge) and into Germany, and he recorded a Purple Heart among his wartime decorations.
 
He died in 2015.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==


== 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="220px">
Bonnitt_Thomas_Louis_32009007_field_portrait.png|M/Sgt Thomas Louis Bonnitt in the field.
Bonnitt_Thomas_Louis_32009007_Tampa_Bay_Times_1998-05-07.jpg|Tampa Bay Times, 7 May 1998.
</gallery>
</div>


== 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">
* 1919 — Born in Germany.
* Drafted before Pearl Harbor; 4th Infantry Division (motorized); later MP / instructor training; ASTP language screen → Camp Ritchie.
* Class 17 — Graduates; made Master Sergeant; instructor pending assignment.
* ETO — Scotland / Broadway; SHAEF refresher (London); Utah Beach ~D+60.
* 20 August 1944 — Listed on MIS ETO Special Orders No. 224 with IPW Team 90.
* Wounded (forehead) when IPW 90 jeep hit under fire toward Paris; Purple Heart.
* Rejoins unit; T-Force / 12th Army Group; Ardennes (Bulge) and advance into Germany.
* 2015 — Died.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
* Alfred Burns memoir excerpts (jeep wounding; via Stephen Goodell / RB Archive IPW 90 notes)
* [[:File:Bonnitt_Thomas_Louis_32009007_Tampa_Bay_Times_1998-05-07.jpg|Tampa Bay Times, 7 May 1998]]
* Thomas Louis Bonnitt, family memoir “Your Grandfather’s War Service” (RB Archive)
* [[:File:SO_224_MIS_ETO_20_August_1944_IPW_teams_88-97.jpg|MIS ETO Special Orders No. 224 (extract), 20 August 1944]] (IPW Teams 88–97; Field Interrogation Detachment → G-2 Fwd Ech Com Z)
* 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)

Latest revision as of 04:32, 19 September 2026

Thomas Louis Bonnitt
Thomas Louis Bonnitt
Personal details
Born1919
Died2015
NativityGermany
ReligionProtestant
AwardsPurple Heart
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
ASN32009007
RankMaster Sergeant
Rank at RitchiePrivate First Class
Camp RitchieClass 17 (11 March – 8 May 1944)
Section5A
EnlistedNew York City, New York
TeamsIPW 83, IPW 90, IPW 150
Awards and honors
Purple Heart
Teammates
Team — IPW 83
Team — IPW 90
Team — IPW 150
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.


Thomas Louis Bonnitt (1919–2015) was a German-born U.S. Army master sergeant in Class 17 and IPW Team 90, wounded under fire while the team moved toward Paris.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Thomas Louis Bonnitt was born in 1919 in Germany and later served in the U.S. Army. Drafted before Pearl Harbor, he trained at Fort Dix and Fort Benning with the 4th (Motorized) Infantry Division, then served with military police and instructor-training assignments before language screening sent him to Camp Ritchie. He graduated near the top of Class 17, was made a master sergeant, and briefly instructed pending overseas assignment.

After landing in Scotland and time at Broadway and a SHAEF refresher in London, Bonnitt crossed to Utah Beach about two months after D-Day with IPW Team 90. On 20 August 1944, MIS ETO Special Orders No. 224 listed him with the team when PW interrogation teams were attached to G-2, Forward Echelon Communications Zone. Soon afterward, while racing toward Paris on the Red Ball route, the jeep he shared with Alfred Burns and William Scheuer was hit under fire; Bonnitt was wounded in the forehead and evacuated. He later rejoined T-Force / 12th Army Group work through the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge) and into Germany, and he recorded a Purple Heart among his wartime decorations.

He died in 2015.

Research notes[edit | edit source]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

  • M/Sgt Thomas Louis Bonnitt in the field.
    M/Sgt Thomas Louis Bonnitt in the field.
  • Tampa Bay Times, 7 May 1998.
    Tampa Bay Times, 7 May 1998.

Technical record[edit | edit source]

Field Imported value
Approx Age at Death 96
Nara ASN 32009007
Nara Name BONNITT THOMAS L
Nara State 23
Nara County 61
Nara POE 2364
Nara DOE 250241
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 0
Term of enlistment Unknown
Defer. Date 0
Nara Source 0
Nara Nativity N1
Nara Year of Birth 19
Nara Race J
Nara Race Description White not yet a citizen
Nara Education 4
Nara Civilian Occupation 133
Nara Marital Status 6
Nara Height (inches) 66
Nara Weight (lbs) 132
Class_ASN 32009007
Class_Name BONNITT, Thomas L.
match_method asn_exact_name_exact
row_source both

Timeline[edit | edit source]

  • 1919 — Born in Germany.
  • Drafted before Pearl Harbor; 4th Infantry Division (motorized); later MP / instructor training; ASTP language screen → Camp Ritchie.
  • Class 17 — Graduates; made Master Sergeant; instructor pending assignment.
  • ETO — Scotland / Broadway; SHAEF refresher (London); Utah Beach ~D+60.
  • 20 August 1944 — Listed on MIS ETO Special Orders No. 224 with IPW Team 90.
  • Wounded (forehead) when IPW 90 jeep hit under fire toward Paris; Purple Heart.
  • Rejoins unit; T-Force / 12th Army Group; Ardennes (Bulge) and advance into Germany.
  • 2015 — Died.

Sources[edit | edit source]

  • Alfred Burns memoir excerpts (jeep wounding; via Stephen Goodell / RB Archive IPW 90 notes)
  • Tampa Bay Times, 7 May 1998
  • Thomas Louis Bonnitt, family memoir “Your Grandfather’s War Service” (RB Archive)
  • MIS ETO Special Orders No. 224 (extract), 20 August 1944 (IPW Teams 88–97; Field Interrogation Detachment → G-2 Fwd Ech Com Z)
  • 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)
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