Camp Ritchie: Difference between revisions

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== Overview ==

Located in Washington County, Maryland near the Pennsylvania border, the site began as a resort area in the late 1800s before becoming a Maryland National Guard training site in 1926. In 1942, during World War II, it was transformed into the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence Training Center (MITC), ~~where soldiers were~~ trained in interrogation, counterintelligence, investigation, and psychological warfare.

Located in Washington County, Maryland near the Pennsylvania border, the site began as a resort area in the late 1800s before becoming a Maryland National Guard training site in 1926. In 1942, during World War II, it was transformed into the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence Training Center (MITC), formally activated on '''19 June 1942''' (cadre had begun arriving earlier). Soldiers trained there in interrogation, counterintelligence, investigation, and psychological warfare.

Camp Ritchie is best known as the training ground for the “Ritchie Boys,” a specialized group of intelligence soldiers—many of them European immigrants and refugees—whose language skills and cultural knowledge made them invaluable in gathering intelligence and supporting Allied operations. The camp’s mission, reflected in its motto “Fas es ab hoste doceri” (“It is a duty to study the enemy”), centered on understanding and defeating enemy forces through intelligence.

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== Sources ==

* John Whiteclay Chambers II, “OSS Training Areas in the National Park Service” (footnote 121) — MITC formally activated 19 June 1942; cites trainee accounts including Richard Warren Seltzer, Sr., and Lewis Bloom

Overview figures and field roles above draw in part on the English Wikipedia article [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritchie_Boys Ritchie Boys] and the sources cited there (including Army intelligence histories and secondary works such as Bruce Henderson, ''Sons and Soldiers''). Roster counts and class structure on this wiki follow the Camp Ritchie class data described on [[About the data]] and [[By The Numbers]].

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 == Overview ==
-Located in Washington County, Maryland near the Pennsylvania border, the site began as a resort area in the late 1800s before becoming a Maryland National Guard training site in 1926. In 1942, during World War II, it was transformed into the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence Training Center (MITC), where soldiers were trained in interrogation, counterintelligence, investigation, and psychological warfare.
+Located in Washington County, Maryland near the Pennsylvania border, the site began as a resort area in the late 1800s before becoming a Maryland National Guard training site in 1926. In 1942, during World War II, it was transformed into the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence Training Center (MITC), formally activated on '''19 June 1942''' (cadre had begun arriving earlier). Soldiers trained there in interrogation, counterintelligence, investigation, and psychological warfare.
 Camp Ritchie is best known as the training ground for the “Ritchie Boys,” a specialized group of intelligence soldiers—many of them European immigrants and refugees—whose language skills and cultural knowledge made them invaluable in gathering intelligence and supporting Allied operations. The camp’s mission, reflected in its motto “Fas es ab hoste doceri” (“It is a duty to study the enemy”), centered on understanding and defeating enemy forces through intelligence.
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 == Sources ==
+* John Whiteclay Chambers II, “OSS Training Areas in the National Park Service” (footnote 121) — MITC formally activated 19 June 1942; cites trainee accounts including Richard Warren Seltzer, Sr., and Lewis Bloom
 Overview figures and field roles above draw in part on the English Wikipedia article [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritchie_Boys Ritchie Boys] and the sources cited there (including Army intelligence histories and secondary works such as Bruce Henderson, ''Sons and Soldiers''). Roster counts and class structure on this wiki follow the Camp Ritchie class data described on [[About the data]] and [[By The Numbers]].