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Oehmichen, Herbert K. (01166800): Difference between revisions

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Link profile to The Stories essay (|story=)
Fix bio/timeline from Lore Oehmichen WWII bio; Bronze Star; cite daughter photos
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|class_number=15
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|specialty=POW interrogation
|specialty=IPW (interrogation of prisoners of war)
|division=359th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division
|division=359th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division; Third Army
|photo=Herbert K. Oehmichen 1.png
|photo=Herbert K. Oehmichen 1.png
|occupation=Brewmaster, Miller Brewing Company
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|story=The Stories/Herbert K. Oehmichen
|story=The Stories/Herbert K. Oehmichen
|awards=Bronze Star Medal
|awards_grid=Bronze Star
|awards_ribbons=Ribbon_Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.png
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'''Herbert K. Oehmichen''' (1915–1990) was a New York-born Army officer who grew up in Germany and returned to the United States before the war. A Camp Ritchie-trained interrogation officer with the 359th Infantry, 90th Infantry Division, he landed on Utah Beach on D-Day and earned the Bronze Star.
'''Herbert K. Oehmichen''' (1915&ndash;1990) was a New York–born Army captain who grew up in Germany, trained at Camp Ritchie as a POW interrogator, landed on Utah Beach on D-Day with the 90th Infantry Division, and earned the Bronze Star near Amfreville.
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== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Herbert Karl Oehmichen was born in New York City in 1915. His father, Paul Oehmichen, came from Leipzig, and his mother, Erna Israelzik, came from Berlin. The family moved to Germany in 1920, and Oehmichen spent much of his childhood and youth in Naumburg and Gera during the troubled years between the world wars.
Herbert Karl Oehmichen was born in New York City in 1915. His father, Paul Oehmichen, was born in Leipzig and left Germany in 1910 as a conscientious objector; in 1913 he returned to marry Erna Israelzik of Berlin, and the couple settled in New York, where Herbert and his sister Elinor were born. In 1920 the family moved back to Germany, living first in Naumburg and then in Gera from 1928, where Paul and his brother ran a leather-goods and shoe-repair shop.


As Nazi rule tightened its hold on Germany, Oehmichen was sent back to New York City in 1934. His American birth gave him a refuge unavailable to many other members of the family. He rebuilt his life in the United States while his mother remained in Europe and eventually became a prisoner at Theresienstadt.
When Hitler came to power, Herbert’s parents sent him back to New York in 1934, intending to reunite later. After the war began, his parents and Elinor could not leave. Erna was later deported to Theresienstadt; her sister Grete and brother-in-law Georg were deported there as well. Paul went into hiding. Elinor, a U.S. citizen, was held as a foreign worker in a labor camp.


Oehmichen entered the Army at Camp Grant in October 1941. He attended Field Artillery Officer Candidate School and rose to captain. From January through March 1944 he trained at Camp Ritchie, where his German background prepared him for prisoner-of-war interrogation and frontline intelligence duties.
Oehmichen enlisted in the Army on 23 October 1941 at Camp Grant, Illinois, completed basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, on 29 December 1941, and rose through Field Artillery assignments—including the 333rd and 777th Field Artillery Battalions—to captain. Because he had grown up in Germany and spoke the language fluently, he transferred on 4 January 1944 to Camp Ritchie for POW interrogation training, finishing on 3 March 1944, and joined the Military Intelligence Section on 30 April 1944.


Assigned to the 359th Infantry Regiment of the 90th Infantry Division, Oehmichen landed on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944. Six days later, near Amfreville, he exposed himself to enemy fire while aiding wounded American paratroopers, an action for which he received the Bronze Star. He continued with the regiment as it fought through the Normandy campaign and beyond, using interrogation to turn captured information into immediate battlefield intelligence.
He went overseas as a prisoner-of-war interrogation officer attached to the 359th Infantry, 90th Infantry Division, Third Army, landing on Utah Beach on D-Day. He served in the Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns. On 12 June 1944 near Amfreville, France, he organized a patrol that pushed about two miles into hostile territory under fire to reach four wounded paratroopers and evacuate them to friendly lines—an action for which he received the Bronze Star.


Family oral history records that Oehmichen reached Theresienstadt at the end of the war, found his mother alive, and helped secure her liberation and evacuation. The episode gave his military service an intensely personal conclusion after years of separation and uncertainty.
Family oral history records that in late April 1945 he located his mother at Theresienstadt and helped bring her out near death from starvation, reuniting her with remaining family in Gera. Georg had died at Theresienstadt; Grete was later sent to Auschwitz and murdered. Erna recovered, and she and Paul later settled in Milwaukee with Herbert, his wife Bette, and infant daughter Cynthia.


After returning to civilian life, Oehmichen worked as a brewmaster for Miller Brewing Company. He died in 1990. In 2023 a plaque was dedicated in Normandy to preserve the memory of his D-Day service and his valor near Amfreville.
After the war Oehmichen had a long career as a brewmaster with Miller Brewing Company and moved to Southern California in 1967. He died in 1990, two weeks before his seventy-fifth birthday, survived by daughters Cynthia and Lore. On 10 July 2023 the Association Port-Bail sur Mer 1944 unveiled a plaque commemorating his role in their village’s liberation on 4 July 1944.
 
See the [[The Stories/Herbert K. Oehmichen|full story]].
 
His father, Paul Oehmichen, born in Leipzig, Germany, was a conscientious objector and in 1910 left Germany for NYC to avoid being drafted by the German government to fight in WWI. He attended Career (Master Brewer) with Miller Brewing Company. Oehmichen elinor, being a US citizen, was allowed to work in a labor camp as a foreign worker. He erna recovered and she and Paul returned to the US where they settled in Milwaukee along with Herbert, his wife Bette and infant daughter Cynthia. Oehmichen they returned to NYC and had two children, Herbert and Elinor.


See the [[The Stories/Herbert K. Oehmichen|full story]] provided by his daughter Lore Oehmichen.


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
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<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
Herbert K. Oehmichen 2.png
Herbert K. Oehmichen 2.png|Field scene with German POWs (Lore Oehmichen)
Herbert K. Oehmichen 3.png
Herbert K. Oehmichen 3.png|With clipboard in the field (Lore Oehmichen)
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* Born 1915.
* 1915 — Born in New York City to Paul Oehmichen and Erna Israelzik.
* The whole family moved back to Germany in 1920 and settled first in Naumburg and then in Gera in 1928 where Paul and his brother owned a leather goods and shoe repair shop.
* 1920 — Family returned to Germany (Naumburg; from 1928, Gera).
* 23 October 1941 — Enlisted in Army at Chicago as Pvt (ASN: 36303561).
* 1934 — Sent back to New York City as Nazi rule took hold.
* 1 July 1942 — Commissioned as 2nd Lt. (ASN: 01166800).
* 23 October 1941 — Enlisted at Camp Grant, Illinois (enlisted ASN 36303561).
* November 1942 — Regiment Mess Officer with 333rd FA as 1st Lt.
* 29 December 1941 — Completed basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
* 30 November 1943 — Promoted to Captain.
* 5 August 1942 – 13 February 1943 — 2nd Lieutenant, Regimental Mess Officer, 333rd Field Artillery Battalion.
* November 1943 — With 777th Field Artillery Battalion.
* 14 February 1943 – 30 June 1943 — 1st Lieutenant, Battery Officer, 333rd Field Artillery Battalion.
* 12 June 1944 — Rescued wounded paratroopers behind enemy lines. Awarded BS.
* 15 August 1943 – 3 December 1943 — 1st Lieutenant, 777th Field Artillery Battalion (family oral history also places him at Camp Beale, California).
* Assigned to IPW Team 49 attached to 90th Infantry Division.
* 30 November 1943 — Promoted to captain.
* Career (Master Brewer) with Miller Brewing Company.
* 4 January 1944 — Transferred to Camp Ritchie for POW interrogation training ([[Class 15]]).
* They returned to NYC and had two children, Herbert and Elinor.
* 3 March 1944 — Completed Camp Ritchie training.
* 30 April 1944 — Military Intelligence Section; overseas as IPW officer with 359th Infantry, 90th Infantry Division.
* 6 June 1944 — Landed Utah Beach, Normandy.
* 12 June 1944 — Near Amfreville, led rescue of four wounded paratroopers behind enemy lines; awarded Bronze Star.
* 4 July 1944 — Associated with liberation of Port-Bail sur Mer area (commemorated by plaque, 2023).
* Late April 1945 — Family oral history: located and helped evacuate his mother from Theresienstadt.
* Postwar — Brewmaster, Miller Brewing Company; settled in Southern California, 1967.
* 1990 — Died (two weeks before his 75th birthday).
* 10 July 2023 — Plaque unveiled at Hamilton Memorial Park, Saint-Lô d’Ourville, Normandy.
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Revision as of 04:43, 16 September 2026

Herbert Karl Oehmichen
Herbert Karl Oehmichen
Personal details
Born1915
New York City
Died1990
NativityUnited States
ReligionProtestant
AwardsBronze Star Medal
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
Arm / serviceField Artillery
ASN01166800
RankCaptain
Camp RitchieClass 15 (4 January – 3 March 1944)
Section5A
SpecialtyIPW (interrogation of prisoners of war)
Unit / division359th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division; Third Army
TeamIPW 49
Full story Read more about Herbert Karl Oehmichen in Herbert K. Oehmichen on The Stories.
Awards and honors
Bronze Star
Teammates
Team — IPW 49
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.


Herbert K. Oehmichen (1915–1990) was a New York–born Army captain who grew up in Germany, trained at Camp Ritchie as a POW interrogator, landed on Utah Beach on D-Day with the 90th Infantry Division, and earned the Bronze Star near Amfreville.

Biography

Herbert Karl Oehmichen was born in New York City in 1915. His father, Paul Oehmichen, was born in Leipzig and left Germany in 1910 as a conscientious objector; in 1913 he returned to marry Erna Israelzik of Berlin, and the couple settled in New York, where Herbert and his sister Elinor were born. In 1920 the family moved back to Germany, living first in Naumburg and then in Gera from 1928, where Paul and his brother ran a leather-goods and shoe-repair shop.

When Hitler came to power, Herbert’s parents sent him back to New York in 1934, intending to reunite later. After the war began, his parents and Elinor could not leave. Erna was later deported to Theresienstadt; her sister Grete and brother-in-law Georg were deported there as well. Paul went into hiding. Elinor, a U.S. citizen, was held as a foreign worker in a labor camp.

Oehmichen enlisted in the Army on 23 October 1941 at Camp Grant, Illinois, completed basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, on 29 December 1941, and rose through Field Artillery assignments—including the 333rd and 777th Field Artillery Battalions—to captain. Because he had grown up in Germany and spoke the language fluently, he transferred on 4 January 1944 to Camp Ritchie for POW interrogation training, finishing on 3 March 1944, and joined the Military Intelligence Section on 30 April 1944.

He went overseas as a prisoner-of-war interrogation officer attached to the 359th Infantry, 90th Infantry Division, Third Army, landing on Utah Beach on D-Day. He served in the Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns. On 12 June 1944 near Amfreville, France, he organized a patrol that pushed about two miles into hostile territory under fire to reach four wounded paratroopers and evacuate them to friendly lines—an action for which he received the Bronze Star.

Family oral history records that in late April 1945 he located his mother at Theresienstadt and helped bring her out near death from starvation, reuniting her with remaining family in Gera. Georg had died at Theresienstadt; Grete was later sent to Auschwitz and murdered. Erna recovered, and she and Paul later settled in Milwaukee with Herbert, his wife Bette, and infant daughter Cynthia.

After the war Oehmichen had a long career as a brewmaster with Miller Brewing Company and moved to Southern California in 1967. He died in 1990, two weeks before his seventy-fifth birthday, survived by daughters Cynthia and Lore. On 10 July 2023 the Association Port-Bail sur Mer 1944 unveiled a plaque commemorating his role in their village’s liberation on 4 July 1944.

See the full story provided by his daughter Lore Oehmichen.

Gallery

  • Field scene with German POWs (Lore Oehmichen)
    Field scene with German POWs (Lore Oehmichen)
  • With clipboard in the field (Lore Oehmichen)
    With clipboard in the field (Lore Oehmichen)

Technical record

Field Imported value
Approx Age at Death 75
Class_ASN 166800
Class_Name OEHMICHEN, Herbert K.
match_method asn_partial_name_exact
row_source both

Timeline

  • 1915 — Born in New York City to Paul Oehmichen and Erna Israelzik.
  • 1920 — Family returned to Germany (Naumburg; from 1928, Gera).
  • 1934 — Sent back to New York City as Nazi rule took hold.
  • 23 October 1941 — Enlisted at Camp Grant, Illinois (enlisted ASN 36303561).
  • 29 December 1941 — Completed basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
  • 5 August 1942 – 13 February 1943 — 2nd Lieutenant, Regimental Mess Officer, 333rd Field Artillery Battalion.
  • 14 February 1943 – 30 June 1943 — 1st Lieutenant, Battery Officer, 333rd Field Artillery Battalion.
  • 15 August 1943 – 3 December 1943 — 1st Lieutenant, 777th Field Artillery Battalion (family oral history also places him at Camp Beale, California).
  • 30 November 1943 — Promoted to captain.
  • 4 January 1944 — Transferred to Camp Ritchie for POW interrogation training (Class 15).
  • 3 March 1944 — Completed Camp Ritchie training.
  • 30 April 1944 — Military Intelligence Section; overseas as IPW officer with 359th Infantry, 90th Infantry Division.
  • 6 June 1944 — Landed Utah Beach, Normandy.
  • 12 June 1944 — Near Amfreville, led rescue of four wounded paratroopers behind enemy lines; awarded Bronze Star.
  • 4 July 1944 — Associated with liberation of Port-Bail sur Mer area (commemorated by plaque, 2023).
  • Late April 1945 — Family oral history: located and helped evacuate his mother from Theresienstadt.
  • Postwar — Brewmaster, Miller Brewing Company; settled in Southern California, 1967.
  • 1990 — Died (two weeks before his 75th birthday).
  • 10 July 2023 — Plaque unveiled at Hamilton Memorial Park, Saint-Lô d’Ourville, Normandy.

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)
  • Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2020-05-16 (1 post)
  • The Stories essay
  • Dan Gross, Timeline of Herbert K. Oehmichen for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 2 source documents reviewed)
  • Dan Gross, Timeline of Oehmichen, Herbert K. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 2 source files: HERBERT K. OEHMICHEN (2020).doc, HERBERT K. OEHMICHEN.doc)
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