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| == Biography == | | == Biography == |
| William B. Katzenstein grew up in Schenklengsfeld, Germany, as Nazi persecution made continued Jewish life increasingly dangerous. He left Germany in 1937 and settled in New York, beginning again in the United States several years before America entered the war. | | William attended college CCNY (AB and graduate work). He graduated George Washington University. He worked as Dental Laboratory technician. On 6 June 1944, he served as Pathfinder during D-Day invasion. He sent to Algiers where he provided weekly news program for the United Nations radio. |
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| After joining the U.S. Army, Katzenstein was selected for military intelligence training at Camp Ritchie. His German fluency and personal knowledge of the country prepared him to interpret enemy documents, question prisoners, and evaluate information about German forces.
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| Katzenstein volunteered for the paratroops and was assigned to the S-2 intelligence section of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. The assignment placed a refugee from Germany in one of the Army's most mobile combat formations, where reliable intelligence had to be collected and communicated quickly.
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| With the 505th, Katzenstein served in the Normandy campaign and later in Holland. He supported airborne operations by helping the regiment understand the enemy troops and material it encountered. His training connected German language and cultural knowledge directly to the needs of regimental headquarters in combat.
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| Katzenstein continued his intelligence career after the war. He worked for U.S. Army Intelligence in Washington, D.C., carrying the specialized skills developed at Camp Ritchie and in the 82nd Airborne into postwar government service.
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| See the [[The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/William Katzenstein|full story]].
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| == Research notes == | | == Research notes == |