Kraus, Paul Leo (33386646)

Paul Leopold Kraus
Personal details
Born	21 May 1919 Austria
Died	22 September 2014
Nativity	Austria
Religion	Jewish
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	33386646
Rank	Colonel
Rank at Ritchie	Corporal
Camp Ritchie	Class 22 (23 August – 21 October 1944)
Section	5C
Enlisted	Baltimore, Maryland
Teams	IPW 183, MII 501-G

Teammates

Team — IPW 183

Team — MII 501-G

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.

Paul Leo Kraus (1919 – 22 September 2014) was a Ritchie Boy (from Austria; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 22 and served with IPW Team 183.

Biography

Paul Leopold Kraus (born Pavel Leopold Kraus) was born on 21 May 1919 in Austria. A refugee in China before reaching the United States, he joined the Army soon after arrival and trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 22).

Kraus served in Europe as an infantry sergeant and interrogator with IPW/MII Team 501-G. Packet accounts place him in combat alongside Audie Murphy’s unit and credit him with identifying Otto Skorzeny among prisoners; he was among early Allied troops at Berchtesgaden. After the war he worked for Seagram.

Kraus died on 22 September 2014. His story is told in Joanie Schirm’s Adventurers Against Their Will.

Research notes

• Also Class 11 5B IPW Ge
• Packet and obituary support Leopold / Pavel Leopold; enrichment sets middle=Leopold on the live title Kraus, Paul Leo (33386646). A later title move to Kraus, Paul Leopold (33386646) is recommended. Live rank_final Colonel is not reasserted (wartime sources describe a sergeant). Audie Murphy and Otto Skorzeny are not wiki-linked (not Ritchie Boys).

Gallery

• 
  Paul Leopold Kraus portrait (RB Archive)
• 
  Paul Leopold Kraus with laboratory glassware and a Kentucky Gentleman bottle (RB Archive)

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	95
Nara ASN	33386646
Nara Name	KRAUS PAUL L
Nara State	1
Nara County	7
Nara POE	3110
Nara DOE	11242
Nara Grade Alpha	PV0
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	N2
Nara Year of Birth	19
Nara Race	J
Nara Race Description	White not yet a citizen
Nara Education	0
Nara Civilian Occupation	105
Nara Marital Status	6
Nara Height (inches)	67
Nara Weight (lbs)	141
Class_ASN	33386646
Class_Name	KRAUS, Paul L.
match_method	asn_exact_name_exact
row_source	both

Timeline

• 21 May 1919 — Born Pavel Leopold Kraus in Austria.
• World War II — Reached the United States after refuge in China; entered the Army.
• World War II — Trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 22); served as an infantry sergeant and interrogator in Europe (MII 501-G).
• 22 September 2014 — Died.

Sources

• Joanie Schirm, Adventurers Against Their Will (chapter on Pavel/Paul Leopold Kraus)
• Paul Leopold Kraus with laboratory glassware and a Kentucky Gentleman bottle (RB Archive)
• Paul Leopold Kraus portrait (RB Archive)
• Folder identity dates: 21 May 1919 – 22 September 2014
• RB Archive notes on Joanie Schirm, Adventurers Against Their Will (chapter on Pavel/Paul Leopold Kraus)
• 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 2022-09-25 (1 post)
• Facebook-linked source: amazon.com
• Paul Leopold Kraus obituary listing (RB Archive link)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Paul Leo Kraus for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Kraus, Paul Leo for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: PAUL L. KRAUS.docx)