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Goodwin, Alfred (39094012): Difference between revisions

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|first=Alfred
|first=Alfred
|class_section=5
|class_section=5
|class_rank=Cpl
|class_rank=Corporal
|birth_year=1914
|birth_year=1914
|death_year=1993
|death_year=1993
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|class_display=4
|class_display=4
|photo=5962048167150388.jpg
|photo=5962048167150388.jpg
|birth_date=4 August 1914
|death_date=28 May 1993
|birth_place=Karlsruhe, Germany
|rank_final=Master Sergeant
|division=409th Infantry
|awards=Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster
|awards_grid=Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
|awards_ribbon_rows=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
}}
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'''[[Goodwin, Alfred (39094012)|Alfred Goodwin]]''' (1914–1993) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 4 and served with IPW Team 33.
'''[[Goodwin, Alfred (39094012)|Alfred Goodwin]]''' (4 August 1914 – 28 May 1993) was a Karlsruhe-born Jewish refugee and Ritchie Boy who served as a master sergeant interrogator in Europe and later worked in the Bissinger & Company hide and wool business in Oregon and Utah.
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== Biography ==
== Biography ==
[[Goodwin, Alfred (39094012)|Alfred Goodwin]] was a Ritchie Boy. [[Goodwin, Alfred (39094012)|Alfred Goodwin]] was born Alfred Gutmann in Karlsruhe Baden Germany, on August 4, 1914. Alfred immigrated to the United States from Hamburg, Germany on May 20, 1936. The destination was San Francisco, CA. From there, he traveled to Portland, Oregon, where he was employed by Bissinger and Company, a family-owned business. Alfred’s brother, Maximillan (Max), immigrated to the United States in December 1936 and his parents followed in 1938. Max made his home first in Portland, Oregon and later in Vancouver, Canada where he worked for Bissinger and Company and became a Canadian citizen. Alfred served in the Army of the United States during Second World War. The highest rank he held was that of Master Sergeant, Company F, 409th Infantry. Alfred was a member of an elite corps of soldiers known as the Richie Boys. Trained in military intelligence at Camp Richie in Maryland, the Richie Boys included former German or Austrian citizens who went to work on the front lines, interrogated prisoners and analyzed German forces and plans. Alfred fought at Normandy Beach and the Battle of Bulge. For his bravery, he was awarded a bronze star and a bronze star with an oak leaf cluster. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army at Fort Lewis, Washington on September 26, 1945. On January 10, 1947, Alfred married Lottie Hirsch, whom he had known in Germany, in the Rabbi’s study at Temple Beth Israel in Portland, Oregon. They lived in Portland, Oregon and Salt Lake City, Utah, returning to Portland in 1966. They had one daughter, Helen. Alfred’s passion was collecting art, specifically works on paper. For his service to the Salt Lake City Art Barn, Alfred was elected its first lifetime trustee on May 6, 1963 in recognition of ten years of dedicated service. A lover of the outdoors, Alfred was an avid hiker, skier, camper and river rafter. He was a member of the Wasatch Mountain Club in Salt Lake City, Utah and the Mazama Hiking Club in Portland, Oregon, earning the Guardian Peaks Award on December 7, 1946 for climbing Mt. Photo is of Alfred in 1936, the year he immigrated to the US. Alfred passed away in 1993. Information courtesy of the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education The link is to an oral interview conducted in 1986 about his story of his family, and life in Germany, his work, military service, etc. There is also a transcript of said interview.
Alfred Goodwin was born Alfred Gutmann on 4 August 1914 in Karlsruhe, Baden, Germany, the younger son of David and Anna (Bissinger) Gutmann. He immigrated from Hamburg aboard the SS ''Tacoma'' on 20 May 1936, landing in San Francisco and settling in Portland, Oregon, where he worked for the family firm Bissinger & Company. His brother Max followed later in 1936; their parents arrived in 1938 and became U.S. citizens with Alfred.
 
Inducted on 16 March 1942 at the Presidio of Monterey, he completed infantry training at Camp Roberts, California, then graduated from the Fourth Course at Camp Ritchie on 6 March 1943 as an Intelligence NCO (MOS 631; Class 4 / IPW Team 33). Naturalized in Maryland on 8 September 1943, he formally took the name Goodwin. He served in the European Theater from December 1943 to September 1945 with Company F, 409th Infantry, landing at Colleville-sur-Mer and serving through Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge as a POW interrogator. His friend and fellow Ritchie Boy [[Trefousse, Hans L. (01590860)|Hans L. Trefousse]] inscribed a Jefferson reader Goodwin carried ashore. He received the Bronze Star and a Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster (citation dated 6 May 1945 for interrogation service in Germany, 9 February–14 April 1945). He was honorably discharged at Fort Lewis, Washington, on 26 September 1945 as a master sergeant.
 
Goodwin married Lottie Hirsch, whom he had known in Germany, on 10 January 1947 at Temple Beth Israel in Portland. He returned to Bissinger & Company, managing Intermountain West operations from Salt Lake City and later the Oregon branch. An outdoorsman and collector of works on paper, he was elected the Salt Lake City Art Barn’s first lifetime trustee on 6 May 1963. He died on 28 May 1993.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
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== Timeline ==
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* 4 August 1914 — Born Alfred Gutmann in Karlsruhe, Germany.
* 20 May 1936 — Immigrated via Hamburg (SS Tacoma) to San Francisco; settled in Portland, Oregon (Bissinger & Company).
* 16 March 1942 — Inducted at Presidio of Monterey, California.
* 7 April–6 July 1942 — Infantry training, Camp Roberts, California.
* 6 March 1943 — Graduated Fourth Course, Camp Ritchie (Intelligence NCO).
* 8 September 1943 — Naturalized in Maryland; name changed to Goodwin.
* 14 December 1943–10 September 1945 — European Theater service; Normandy and Battle of the Bulge; Bronze Star and Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster.
* 26 September 1945 — Honorably discharged at Fort Lewis, Washington, as master sergeant (Company F, 409th Infantry).
* 10 January 1947 — Married Lottie Hirsch in Portland, Oregon.
* 6 May 1963 — First lifetime trustee, Salt Lake City Art Barn.
* 28 May 1993 — Died.
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== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* 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)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-12-16 (1 post)
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-12-16 (1 post)
* Facebook-linked source: [https://www.ojmche.org/oral-history-people/alfred-goodwin/ ojmche.org]
* [https://www.ojmche.org/oral-history-people/alfred-goodwin/ Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education — Alfred Goodwin oral history biography and interview (1986)]
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