Dombroff, Sidney (32863592)

Sidney Dombroff
Personal details
Born	1922 Brooklyn. Parents From Russia, Poland
Died	2012
Nativity	United States
Religion	Jewish
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	32863592
Rank	Sergeant
Camp Ritchie	Class 29 (13 April – 12 June 1945)
Section	7C
Enlisted	New York City, New York
Specialty	Russian-language military intelligence
Unit / division	Camp Ritchie Russian section

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.

Sidney Dombroff was a U.S. Army staff sergeant who trained in the Russian-language section at Camp Ritchie late in the Second World War. His memoir preserves a detailed enlisted man's view of the camp's field exercises and intelligence curriculum.

Biography

Sidney Dombroff entered the Camp Ritchie story after military service and training in Texas. Holding the rank of staff sergeant, he traveled from Texas to Baltimore and then into the mountains of western Maryland. His memoir records the transition from an ordinary Army journey to the specialized and secretive world of the Military Intelligence Training Center.

At Camp Ritchie, Dombroff was assigned to the Russian-language section. The curriculum combined classroom study with practical military problems meant to test observation, judgment, and the ability to report clearly under pressure. Language ability was treated as an operational skill rather than an academic exercise.

Dombroff described map-and-compass problems conducted in the Blue Ridge terrain around the camp. Students had to orient themselves across unfamiliar ground and solve tasks without the conveniences of a normal classroom. The landscape itself became part of the course, teaching trainees to gather and communicate information while tired, uncertain, and away from fixed landmarks.

Other exercises began with students placed in sealed trucks so they could not see where they were being taken. Released at night, they faced practical problems designed to reproduce the confusion of intelligence work in the field. The exercises demanded teamwork, careful use of clues, and disciplined reconstruction of routes and locations.

Germany surrendered while Dombroff's group was still preparing for further service. V-E Day changed the immediate purpose of the European-oriented training but did not end the Army's plans for the men. Dombroff and others were sent to the Midwest for additional schooling, carrying forward the language and intelligence preparation they had received at Camp Ritchie.

See the full story.

Sidney graduated Brooklyn College (AB Chemistry).

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	90
Nara ASN	32863592
Nara Name	DOMBROFF SIDNEY
Nara State	23
Nara County	47
Nara POE	2364
Nara DOE	150343
Nara Grade Alpha	PVT
Nara Grade Code	8
Nara Branch Alpha	NO
Nara Branch Code	2
Branch	No branch assignment
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	23
Nativity.1	NEW YORK
Nara Year of Birth	22
Nara Race	1
Nara Race Description	White citizen
Nara Education	8
Nara Civilian Occupation	7
Nara Marital Status	6
Nara Height (inches)	34
Nara Weight (lbs)	143
Class_ASN	32863592
Class_Name	DOLBROFF, Sidney
match_method	asn_exact_name_compatible
row_source	both

Timeline

• January 1945 — Engineer (Sgt) with 1480th Engineer Maintenance Company.
• Assigned to Class 29 (Russian).
• Brooklyn. Parents from Russia, Poland.

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
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Sidney Dombroff for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Dombroff, Sidney for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: SIDNEY DOMBROFF.doc)