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Baer, Ralph H. (32887607): Difference between revisions

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Add short summary linking to The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/Ralph Baer
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|class_display=10
|class_display=10
|overseas=Y
|overseas=Y
|alias=Rudolph Baer
|specialty=Order of battle; weapons instruction
|division=Military intelligence (Tidworth / Normandy MI group)
}}
}}


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'''Ralph H. Baer''' (1922&ndash;2014) was a United States Army Pvt who trained at [[Camp Ritchie]], Maryland, in [[Class 10]].
'''Ralph H. Baer''' (1922&ndash;2014) was a United States Army Pvt who trained at [[Camp Ritchie]], Maryland, in [[Class 10]]. Born Rudolph Baer in Pirmasens; Camp Ritchie order-of-battle specialist who later pioneered home video games.
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'''Ralph H. Baer''' — “Father of Video Games”; Odyssey; Pong. Summary from a Notable Ritchie Boys slide ([https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ij8PP9weF976Lb5_Ic4bFimcuAZzXRn3cHfNCk5nTdM source]).
'''Ralph H. Baer''' — “Father of Video Games”; Odyssey; Pong. Summary from a Notable Ritchie Boys slide ([https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ij8PP9weF976Lb5_Ic4bFimcuAZzXRn3cHfNCk5nTdM source]).


RALPH BAER PIRMASENS, GERMANY Rudolph “Ralph” Baer was born in 1922 in the town of Pirmasens, Germany, a small city in the Rhine-Palatinate region of southwestern Germany, near Strasbourg on the French Alsace-Lorraine border. After arriving in New York, he taught himself electronics through a National Radio Institute correspondence course and then took over two radio repair shops on the East Side of New York City. See the [[The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/Ralph Baer|full story]].
Ralph Baer (born Rudolph Baer in Pirmasens, Germany, in 1922) trained at Camp Ritchie as an order-of-battle specialist and served in England and Normandy with an MI weapons-instruction group. After the war he pioneered console video games and received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2006. He died in 2014. See the [[The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/Ralph Baer|full story]].


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
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== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
''After you are autoconfirmed, [[Special:Upload|upload a photo]] and add <code><nowiki>[[File:Example.jpg|thumb|caption]]</nowiki></code> here, or set <code>|photo=Example.jpg</code> in the infobox.''
[[File:Enemy I Knew Ralph Baer 1.png|thumb|Enemy I Knew Ralph Baer 1.png]]
[[File:Enemy I Knew Ralph Baer 2.png|thumb|Enemy I Knew Ralph Baer 2.png]]


== Technical record ==
== Technical record ==
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* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
* [https://www.theritchieboys.com/the-stories/the-enemy-i-knew-german-jews-in-the-allied-military-in-world-war-ii/ralph-baer theritchieboys.com story]
* [[The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/Ralph Baer|The Stories essay]]

Revision as of 04:20, 22 August 2026

Ralph H. Baer
Ralph H. Baer
Personal details
Birth nameRudolph Baer
Born1922
Died2014
NativityGermany
ReligionJewish
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
ASN32887607
RankPrivate
Camp RitchieClass 10 (23 July – 20 September 1943)
Section5D
EnlistedNew York City, New York
SpecialtyOrder of battle; weapons instruction
Unit / divisionMilitary intelligence (Tidworth / Normandy MI group)
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.


Ralph H. Baer (1922–2014) was a United States Army Pvt who trained at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, in Class 10. Born Rudolph Baer in Pirmasens; Camp Ritchie order-of-battle specialist who later pioneered home video games.

Biography

Ralph H. Baer — “Father of Video Games”; Odyssey; Pong. Summary from a Notable Ritchie Boys slide (source).

Ralph Baer (born Rudolph Baer in Pirmasens, Germany, in 1922) trained at Camp Ritchie as an order-of-battle specialist and served in England and Normandy with an MI weapons-instruction group. After the war he pioneered console video games and received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2006. He died in 2014. See the full story.

Research notes

  • MIS London
  • Tidworth
  • OSS
  • Civil Life
  • “Father of Video Games”; Odyssey; Pong
  • Portrait and summary from Notable Ritchie Boys slides (source).

Gallery

Enemy I Knew Ralph Baer 1.png
Enemy I Knew Ralph Baer 2.png

Technical record

Field Imported value
Approx Age at Death 92
Nara ASN 32887607
Nara Name BAER RALPH H
Nara State 23
Nara County 61
Nara POE 2364
Nara DOE 120443
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 N1
Nara Year of Birth 22
Nara Race J
Nara Race Description White not yet a citizen
Nara Education 4
Nara Civilian Occupation 583
Nara Marital Status 1
Nara Height (inches) 0
Nara Weight (lbs) 124
Class_ASN 32887607
Class_Name BAER, Ralph H.
match_method asn_exact_name_exact
row_source both
Census_HISTID BA90D884-AFC9-48F6-B2E2-D53318E31A25
Census_State NEW YORK
Census_Relate Child
Census_Sex Male
Census_Age 18
Census_BirthYear 1922
Census_Marital Never married/single
Census_Race White
Census_BPL 453
Census_MBPL 0
Census_FBPL 0
Census_Citizen Not a citizen
Census_Educ Grade 11
Census_OCC 226

Sources

  • Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
  • 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
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