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Klein, Kurt (32554510): Difference between revisions
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== Biography == | == Biography == | ||
Kurt | Kurt Klein grew up in Walldorf, Germany, in a Jewish family threatened by the Nazi regime. In 1937 he left for the United States alone. Like many young refugees, he had to establish himself in a new country while trying to help family members still trapped in Europe. | ||
Klein entered the U.S. Army and was selected for military intelligence training at Camp Ritchie. His native German, knowledge of German customs, and experience as a refugee were transformed into military skills. He was assigned to the intelligence section of the 5th Infantry Division for its campaign into Germany. | |||
With the division, Klein questioned Germans and interpreted the people, documents, and circumstances encountered by the advancing American forces. His wartime journey carried him back into the country he had escaped, now as a member of the U.S. Army helping defeat the regime that had persecuted his family. | |||
Near the end of the war Klein met Gerda Weissmann, a Jewish survivor of Nazi camps and a death march, shortly after her liberation. Their meeting became the beginning of a lasting partnership, and they married after the war. Together they devoted substantial effort to Holocaust education and to telling the story of persecution, survival, liberation, and renewal. | |||
Gerda's wartime experience and liberation were later presented in the Academy Award-winning documentary ''One Survivor Remembers'', in which Klein's role in her liberation story was preserved for a wide audience. Kurt Klein died in April 2002 while on a lecture tour in Guatemala. | |||
See the [[The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/Kurt Klein|full story]]. | |||
== Research notes == | == Research notes == | ||
Revision as of 03:23, 1 September 2026
| Kurt Klein | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1920 |
| Died | 2002 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32554510 |
| Rank | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 5 (8 February – 9 April 1943) |
| Section | 9 |
| Enlisted | Buffalo, New York |
| Specialty | Military intelligence |
| Unit / division | 5th Infantry Division |
| Team | IPW 3 |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Kurt Klein (died 2002) was a German-born refugee from Walldorf and a military intelligence soldier with the 5th Infantry Division. After returning to Germany in American uniform, he met and later married Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissmann.
Biography
Kurt Klein grew up in Walldorf, Germany, in a Jewish family threatened by the Nazi regime. In 1937 he left for the United States alone. Like many young refugees, he had to establish himself in a new country while trying to help family members still trapped in Europe.
Klein entered the U.S. Army and was selected for military intelligence training at Camp Ritchie. His native German, knowledge of German customs, and experience as a refugee were transformed into military skills. He was assigned to the intelligence section of the 5th Infantry Division for its campaign into Germany.
With the division, Klein questioned Germans and interpreted the people, documents, and circumstances encountered by the advancing American forces. His wartime journey carried him back into the country he had escaped, now as a member of the U.S. Army helping defeat the regime that had persecuted his family.
Near the end of the war Klein met Gerda Weissmann, a Jewish survivor of Nazi camps and a death march, shortly after her liberation. Their meeting became the beginning of a lasting partnership, and they married after the war. Together they devoted substantial effort to Holocaust education and to telling the story of persecution, survival, liberation, and renewal.
Gerda's wartime experience and liberation were later presented in the Academy Award-winning documentary One Survivor Remembers, in which Klein's role in her liberation story was preserved for a wide audience. Kurt Klein died in April 2002 while on a lecture tour in Guatemala.
See the full story.
Research notes
- To 2nd Lt About Face
Gallery
-
Kurt Klein on a mountaintop near Oberammergau, Bavaria, in 1933 Kurt Klein -
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 82 |
| Nara ASN | 32554510 |
| Nara Name | KLEIN KURT |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 29 |
| Nara POE | 2309 |
| Nara DOE | 281042 |
| 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 | 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 | 20 |
| Nara Race | J |
| Nara Race Description | White not yet a citizen |
| Nara Education | 4 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 444 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 66 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 128 |
| Class_ASN | 32554510 |
| Class_Name | KLEIN, Kurt |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Sources
- 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)
- The Stories essay