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Tuch, Hans N. (37525881): Difference between revisions

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|birth_year=1924
|birth_year=1924
|death_year=1936
|death_year=2020
|rank_final=Col
|rank_final=Technician Third Grade
|birth_date=15 October 1924
|awards=Bronze Star
|awards_grid=Bronze Star
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
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'''[[Tuch, Hans N. (37525881)|Hans N. Tuch]]''' (ASN 37525881) was a Ritchie Boy (born 'Tom'; from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 18 and served with IPW Team 87.
'''Hans N. Tuch''' (15 October 1924&ndash;September 2020), also known as '''Tom Tuch''', was a German-born Ritchie Boy ([[Class 18]]) who served as a paratrooper-interrogator with the 101st Airborne Division and later as a U.S. Foreign Service Career Minister.
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== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Tuch came to the United States from Germany in 1938 as a 14-year- old. Tuch’s career with the U.S Information Service included positions in Germany (where he served as Director of Amerika Haus in Wiesbaden/Frankfurt from 1949-52), Washington, DC, Russia, Bulgaria, and Brazil. Ritchie Boy Hans Tuch was interviewed by Gail Schwartz on behalf of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum at his residence in Bethesda, MD on November 7, 2013.
Hans N. Tuch (known as Tom) was born in Berlin on 15 October 1924. As a secular Jew he attended a Catholic school until he was expelled in 1938; that year he reached relatives in Kansas City on an affidavit and U.S. visa, and his mother joined him about three years later. After high school and early university work he was drafted, became a naturalized citizen following basic training, and entered the Army Specialized Training Program at the University of Illinois before graduating with Camp Ritchie Class 18.


From the World War II History Project site: "Hans “Tom” Tuch and his family fled the Nazis and settled in America. Ritchie Boy Tom Tuch, who passed away in September 2020, served as a career Foreign Service Office. RB Tuch was an early and persistent advocate of public diplomacy as an indispensable element in the conduct of U.S. Foreign affairs.
Shipped to Britain in March 1944, he volunteered for the 101st Airborne Division and parachuted near Carentan, France, early on 6 June 1944, serving as a German-language interrogator in the fighting that followed. He jumped again into Eindhoven during Operation Market Garden on 17 September 1944 and later moved with the 101st to Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. He received the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Bronze Star.


In 1985, Ritchie Boy Tom Tuch returned to the United States from his last Foreign Service post, as Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs in Bonn, Germany. Before his departure, RB Tuch was honored by the President of the German Republic with the award of the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. Army during World War II.
After the war he earned a B.A. from the University of Kansas City and an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, then spent more than thirty-five years in the Foreign Service and U.S. Information Agency—including Director of Amerika Haus in Wiesbaden/Frankfurt (1949–52), posts in Moscow, Sofia, Brasilia, and Bonn, and service as Acting Director of the Voice of America—retiring in 1985 as a Career Minister. He wrote ''Communicating with the World: U.S. Public Diplomacy Overseas'' and other books, received the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, and held an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Missouri. He died in September 2020.
 
He was interviewed in this article (pp 248-251 about his foreign service career after WWII. After training at Camp Ritchie, Tom served in the 101st Airborne Paratroopers and as a translator. After the war, he joined the diplomatic service where he was posted in West Germany and the Soviet Union.
 
His book, "Communicating with the World: U.S. Public Diplomacy Overseas," written in cooperation with Georgetown University, was the first major work written by a practicing public diplomat. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellectual or honorary fields.
 
After the war Tuch returned to the States, earned a BA from the University of Kansas City and a MA degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced Studies. He holds an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Missouri. From 1942 to 1943, Tuch attended Took courses at University of Kansas City (Political Science). Tuch served as a German interrogator for the nine days of combat there, during which the 101st Airborne destroyed a railway bridge and two bridges along the Carentan highway. He tom Tuch also served as an interviewer for the Library of Congress Oral History Project. Tuch worked as a new York Times Letter to the Editor, 2015.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
* Amerika Haus; USIA
* Amerika Haus; USIA
* 10/15/1924-A
* 10/15/1924-A
* USHMM oral history interview by Gail Schwartz, Bethesda, MD, 7 November 2013


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
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== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* Dan Gross research archive (miscellaneous timeline-adjacent documents; not uploaded): ''Hans Tuch - sidebar.doc''
* 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

Revision as of 03:58, 12 September 2026

Hans N. Tuch
Hans N. Tuch
Personal details
Birth nameTom
Born15 October 1924
Died2020
NativityGermany
ReligionJewish
AwardsBronze Star
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
ASN37525881
RankTechnician Third Grade
Rank at RitchiePrivate First Class
Camp RitchieClass 18 (13 April – 10 June 1944)
Section5B
TeamIPW 87
Awards and honors
Bronze Star
Teammates
Team — IPW 87
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.


Hans N. Tuch (15 October 1924–September 2020), also known as Tom Tuch, was a German-born Ritchie Boy (Class 18) who served as a paratrooper-interrogator with the 101st Airborne Division and later as a U.S. Foreign Service Career Minister.

Biography

Hans N. Tuch (known as Tom) was born in Berlin on 15 October 1924. As a secular Jew he attended a Catholic school until he was expelled in 1938; that year he reached relatives in Kansas City on an affidavit and U.S. visa, and his mother joined him about three years later. After high school and early university work he was drafted, became a naturalized citizen following basic training, and entered the Army Specialized Training Program at the University of Illinois before graduating with Camp Ritchie Class 18.

Shipped to Britain in March 1944, he volunteered for the 101st Airborne Division and parachuted near Carentan, France, early on 6 June 1944, serving as a German-language interrogator in the fighting that followed. He jumped again into Eindhoven during Operation Market Garden on 17 September 1944 and later moved with the 101st to Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. He received the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Bronze Star.

After the war he earned a B.A. from the University of Kansas City and an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, then spent more than thirty-five years in the Foreign Service and U.S. Information Agency—including Director of Amerika Haus in Wiesbaden/Frankfurt (1949–52), posts in Moscow, Sofia, Brasilia, and Bonn, and service as Acting Director of the Voice of America—retiring in 1985 as a Career Minister. He wrote Communicating with the World: U.S. Public Diplomacy Overseas and other books, received the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, and held an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Missouri. He died in September 2020.

Research notes

  • Amerika Haus; USIA
  • 10/15/1924-A
  • USHMM oral history interview by Gail Schwartz, Bethesda, MD, 7 November 2013

Gallery

Technical record

Field Imported value
Class_ASN 37525881
Class_Name TUCH, Hans N.
match_method asn_exact_name_exact
row_source both

Timeline

  • Born 1924.
  • 1936 — Remembers seeing Jesse Owens win 4 Olympic gold medals.
  • Died 1936.
  • In 1938 — He got an affidavit and U.S. visa and moved to join relatives in Kansas City; three years later his mother was able to join him.
  • 22 October 1943 — Naturalized in New Orleans in order to be accepted into ASTP.
  • 10 June 1944 — Graduated with Class 18. Classified as Linguist #1 IPW.
  • 14 June 1944 — Promoted to T/3.
  • 22 March 1944 — Entered Camp Ritchie as Pfc. Languages: German, French, Spanish.
  • January 1985 — Retired after 35 years of diplomatic service as ‘Career Minister’.
  • January 1985 — Retired after 35 years of diplomatic service.
  • After the war Tuch returned to the States, earned a BA from the University of Kansas City and a MA degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced Studies.
  • Back in Washington, Tuch was assigned to prepare “Atoms for Peace” exhibition in Italy, Japan, Portugal. Studied Russian, then took course at USIA.
  • Following basic training he became a naturalized citizen, so that he could participate in the Army Specialized Training Program at the University of Illinois.
  • International Studies). Joined Chase National Bank for service in Europe. Went to Bad Homburg (Amerika Haus) and had a career as Foreign Service Officer. Assigned first to Wiesbaden, then to Frankfurt (5 years).
  • Joined Chase National Bank for service in Europe. Went to Bad Homburg (Amerika Haus) and had a career as Foreign Service Officer. Assigned first to Wiesbaden, then to Frankfurt (5 years).
  • Then flew back to England. Assigned to jumping regiment.

Sources

  • Dan Gross research archive (miscellaneous timeline-adjacent documents; not uploaded): Hans Tuch - sidebar.doc
  • 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)
  • Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2019-09-02 (3 posts)
  • Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-03-19 (2 posts)
  • Facebook-linked source: bit.ly
  • Facebook-linked source: bit.ly
  • Facebook-linked source: bit.ly
  • Dan Gross, Timeline of Hans N. Tuch for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 4 source documents reviewed)
  • Dan Gross, Timeline of Tuch, Hans N. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 4 source files: HANS (TOM) TUCH (2020).docx, HANS (TOM) TUCH (2020A).docx, HANS (TOM) TUCH.doc, TOM TUCH.doc)
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