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Mendel, Leon E. (0524140): Difference between revisions
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RB Archive: Mendel Normandy bio, portrait, Bangor clips, SO 224 IPW 90 |
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|arm_or_service=Field Artillery | |arm_or_service=Field Artillery | ||
|photo=Mendel_Leon_E_0524140_officer_portrait.png | |||
|rank_final=Second Lieutenant | |||
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<div class="soldier-lead"> | <div class="soldier-lead"> | ||
'''Leon E. Mendel''' ( | '''Leon E. Mendel''' (1918–1993) was a U.S. Army second lieutenant and interrogator in [[:Category:Class 12|Class 12]] who served with the 82nd Airborne (IPW 33/40) and later led [[Team IPW 90|IPW Team 90]]. | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
== Biography == | == Biography == | ||
Leon E. Mendel was born in 1918 in the United States. He trained at [[Camp Ritchie]] with [[:Category:Class 12|Class 12]] and became an interrogator who spoke multiple languages, including French, German, and Russian. | |||
Before joining [[Team IPW 90|IPW Team 90]], Mendel served as chief interrogator of IPW Team 33 with the 1st Infantry Division and later transferred to IPW Team 40 with the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. On Mission Galveston he rode a glider, lost half of his six-man team in crash landings, and interrogated prisoners near Les Forges south of Sainte-Mère-Église—first Russians from an Ost battalion. On 8 June 1944, called to persuade Germans in a house at Fauville to surrender, he shouted for them to lay down their arms; four men outside complied and more than forty others emerged, along with a haul of small German vehicles. He was photographed for newsreels that his parents later saw in a theater at home. | |||
As a second lieutenant he later led IPW Team 90. On 20 August 1944, MIS ETO Special Orders No. 224 listed him with that team when PW interrogation teams were attached to G-2, Forward Echelon Communications Zone. He died in 1993. | |||
== Research notes == | == Research notes == | ||
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== Gallery == | == Gallery == | ||
<div class="soldier-gallery"> | |||
<gallery mode="packed" heights="220px"> | |||
Mendel_Leon_E_0524140_officer_portrait.png|Lt. Leon E. Mendel. | |||
Mendel_Leon_E_0524140_Bangor_Daily_News_1944-08-18_1.jpg|Bangor Daily News, 18 August 1944 (page 1). | |||
Mendel_Leon_E_0524140_Bangor_Daily_News_1944-08-18_2.jpg|Bangor Daily News, 18 August 1944 (page 2). | |||
</gallery> | |||
</div> | |||
== Technical record == | == Technical record == | ||
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<div class="soldier-timeline-body"> | <div class="soldier-timeline-body"> | ||
* Assigned to attached to 82nd Airborne. | * Assigned to attached to 82nd Airborne. | ||
* Class 12. | * 1918 — Born in the United States. | ||
* Camp Ritchie Class 12. | |||
* Chief interrogator, IPW Team 33 (1st Infantry Division); later IPW Team 40 with 325th GIR / 82nd Airborne. | |||
* June 1944 — Mission Galveston glider landing; interrogations near Sainte-Mère-Église; Fauville surrender episode (Bangor Daily News / Kaufmann narrative). | |||
* 20 August 1944 — Listed as 2nd Lt on MIS ETO Special Orders No. 224 with IPW Team 90. | |||
* 1993 — Died. | |||
</div> | </div> | ||
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div> | </div><div style="clear: both;"></div> | ||
== Sources == | == Sources == | ||
* J. E. Kaufmann, ''The American GI in Europe in World War II: The March to D-Day'' (IPW Team 40 / Mendel Normandy episode; via Dan Gross / Stephen Goodell notes) | |||
* Bangor Daily News, 18 August 1944 (Mendel Normandy / vehicle photographs) | |||
* [[: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 | * 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 | * Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records | ||
Latest revision as of 04:32, 19 September 2026
| Leon E. Mendel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1918 |
| Died | 1993 |
| Nativity | United States |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Arm / service | Field Artillery |
| ASN | 0524140 |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 12 (27 September – 25 November 1943) |
| Teams | IPW 47, IPW 33, IPW 90 |
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.
Leon E. Mendel (1918–1993) was a U.S. Army second lieutenant and interrogator in Class 12 who served with the 82nd Airborne (IPW 33/40) and later led IPW Team 90.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Leon E. Mendel was born in 1918 in the United States. He trained at Camp Ritchie with Class 12 and became an interrogator who spoke multiple languages, including French, German, and Russian.
Before joining IPW Team 90, Mendel served as chief interrogator of IPW Team 33 with the 1st Infantry Division and later transferred to IPW Team 40 with the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. On Mission Galveston he rode a glider, lost half of his six-man team in crash landings, and interrogated prisoners near Les Forges south of Sainte-Mère-Église—first Russians from an Ost battalion. On 8 June 1944, called to persuade Germans in a house at Fauville to surrender, he shouted for them to lay down their arms; four men outside complied and more than forty others emerged, along with a haul of small German vehicles. He was photographed for newsreels that his parents later saw in a theater at home.
As a second lieutenant he later led IPW Team 90. On 20 August 1944, MIS ETO Special Orders No. 224 listed him with that team when PW interrogation teams were attached to G-2, Forward Echelon Communications Zone. He died in 1993.
Research notes[edit | edit source]
No notes were in the source row. Add what you know.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
-
Lt. Leon E. Mendel. -
Bangor Daily News, 18 August 1944 (page 1). -
Bangor Daily News, 18 August 1944 (page 2).
Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 75 |
| Class_ASN | 524140 |
| Class_Name | MENDEL, Leon E. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline[edit | edit source]
- Assigned to attached to 82nd Airborne.
- 1918 — Born in the United States.
- Camp Ritchie Class 12.
- Chief interrogator, IPW Team 33 (1st Infantry Division); later IPW Team 40 with 325th GIR / 82nd Airborne.
- June 1944 — Mission Galveston glider landing; interrogations near Sainte-Mère-Église; Fauville surrender episode (Bangor Daily News / Kaufmann narrative).
- 20 August 1944 — Listed as 2nd Lt on MIS ETO Special Orders No. 224 with IPW Team 90.
- 1993 — Died.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- J. E. Kaufmann, The American GI in Europe in World War II: The March to D-Day (IPW Team 40 / Mendel Normandy episode; via Dan Gross / Stephen Goodell notes)
- Bangor Daily News, 18 August 1944 (Mendel Normandy / vehicle photographs)
- 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)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Leon E. Mendel for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Mendel, Leon E. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: LEON E. MENDEL.doc)
