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Kellman, William (32826847): Difference between revisions

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'''[[Kellman, William (32826847)|William Kellman]]''' (born 1922) was a Ritchie Boy (from Austria; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 14.
'''[[Kellman, William (32826847)|William Kellman]]''' (born 1922 in Vienna) was a [[Class 14]] Ritchie Boy who interrogated for the 1st Infantry Division and later helped Jewish child survivors reach Palestine.
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== Biography ==
== Biography ==
More on him below. William grew up in Vienna, Austria. He went to study in Nitra Yeshiva in Czechoslovakia in 1937, and when Germany annexed Czechoslovakia he was transferred to Schneider Yeshiva in London. When the situation in Europe became grim, and he started learning English and realized he had to get out of Europe. He left with his brother Herman and traveled through Hungary, Belgium and finally made it to the US in 1940. He was drafted March 8, 1943. Did basic training in Camp Butner, North Carolina then was transferred to Military Intelligence School in Camp Ritchie. A graduate of the 14th class on January 31,1944 and was sent back to Europe March 21, 1944. He was attached to the 1st infantry division and was attached to this unit and traveled with them wherever they went. When they captured a German occupied town, it was his responsibility to search the town for troops and civilians left behind. Often the Germans left members of the Hitler Youth and other soldiers left in safe houses. He would interrogate them in German to see what they knew and how the US Army can use that information. Often they would claim to be “good people", Jews, or innocent allies, but with his German looks and German being his native language he was able to determine whether they truly were. Usually they were German SS officers, and he knew the signs. He looked for sabotage, treason, espionage, found out what they knew and had to relay the information quickly to be effective. As the US infantry advanced, he accumulated more knowledge, SS uniforms, weapons, artillery, documents and used them to gain access to other German hideouts. After the war, he helped with the Jewish survivors of the concentration camps. He vividly remembers finding two young Jewish boys in Czechoslovakia. He asked them about Pesach, Yom Kippur to see if they truly were Jews. These two boys were and he got them into a military DP camp to have them deloused, and fed, and got them bicycles and papers to get them to Germany, France, and then Italy to meet the Hagganah ship to take them to Palestine. His big regret was not asking them their names to see what happened to them and where they ended up.
William Kellman grew up in Vienna, Austria. In 1937 he went to study at the Nitra Yeshiva in Czechoslovakia; after the German annexation he transferred to Schneider Yeshiva in London. With his brother Herman he left Europe via Hungary and Belgium, reaching the United States in 1940.


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Drafted on 8 March 1943, Kellman took basic training at Camp Butner, North Carolina, then trained at [[Camp Ritchie]], graduating with [[Class 14]] on 31 January 1944. He returned to Europe on 21 March 1944 attached to the 1st Infantry Division. As towns fell he searched for bypassed troops and civilians, interrogating in German and identifying SS personnel who posed as innocents; he also used captured uniforms, weapons, and documents to reach further hideouts.
 
After the fighting he aided Jewish concentration-camp survivors. In Czechoslovakia he found two boys he verified as Jewish, got them into a displaced-persons camp for care, and helped arrange papers and travel through Germany, France, and Italy toward a Haganah ship for Palestine— later regretting that he never learned their names.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
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== Timeline ==
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* 1922 — Born; raised in Vienna, Austria.
* 1937 — Studied at Nitra Yeshiva; later Schneider Yeshiva, London.
* 1940 — Reached the United States with brother Herman.
* 8 March 1943 — Drafted; basic training at Camp Butner, North Carolina.
* 31 January 1944 — Graduated Camp Ritchie Class 14.
* 21 March 1944 — Returned to Europe with 1st Infantry Division.
* 1945 — Aided Jewish child survivors toward Palestine.
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== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* RB Archive / Fold3-linked biographical narrative for William Kellman
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* 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
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records

Latest revision as of 02:29, 17 September 2026

William Kellman
William Kellman
Personal details
Born1922
Vienna, Austria
NativityAustria
ReligionJewish
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
ASN32826847
RankPrivate
Camp RitchieClass 14 (2 December 1943 – 31 January 1944)
Section5D
EnlistedNew York City, New York
Unit / division1st Infantry Division
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.


William Kellman (born 1922 in Vienna) was a Class 14 Ritchie Boy who interrogated for the 1st Infantry Division and later helped Jewish child survivors reach Palestine.

Biography[edit | edit source]

William Kellman grew up in Vienna, Austria. In 1937 he went to study at the Nitra Yeshiva in Czechoslovakia; after the German annexation he transferred to Schneider Yeshiva in London. With his brother Herman he left Europe via Hungary and Belgium, reaching the United States in 1940.

Drafted on 8 March 1943, Kellman took basic training at Camp Butner, North Carolina, then trained at Camp Ritchie, graduating with Class 14 on 31 January 1944. He returned to Europe on 21 March 1944 attached to the 1st Infantry Division. As towns fell he searched for bypassed troops and civilians, interrogating in German and identifying SS personnel who posed as innocents; he also used captured uniforms, weapons, and documents to reach further hideouts.

After the fighting he aided Jewish concentration-camp survivors. In Czechoslovakia he found two boys he verified as Jewish, got them into a displaced-persons camp for care, and helped arrange papers and travel through Germany, France, and Italy toward a Haganah ship for Palestine— later regretting that he never learned their names.

Research notes[edit | edit source]

  • Boca Raton

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Technical record[edit | edit source]

Field Imported value
Nara ASN 32826847
Nara Name KELLMAN WILLIAM
Nara State 23
Nara County 47
Nara POE 2364
Nara DOE 80343
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 N2
Nara Year of Birth 22
Nara Race J
Nara Race Description White not yet a citizen
Nara Education 6
Nara Civilian Occupation 170
Nara Marital Status 1
Nara Height (inches) 90
Nara Weight (lbs) 96
Class_ASN 32826847
Class_Name KELLMAN, William
match_method asn_exact_name_exact
row_source both

Timeline[edit | edit source]

  • 1922 — Born; raised in Vienna, Austria.
  • 1937 — Studied at Nitra Yeshiva; later Schneider Yeshiva, London.
  • 1940 — Reached the United States with brother Herman.
  • 8 March 1943 — Drafted; basic training at Camp Butner, North Carolina.
  • 31 January 1944 — Graduated Camp Ritchie Class 14.
  • 21 March 1944 — Returned to Europe with 1st Infantry Division.
  • 1945 — Aided Jewish child survivors toward Palestine.

Sources[edit | edit source]

  • RB Archive / Fold3-linked biographical narrative for William Kellman
  • 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 2022-09-26 (1 post)
  • Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2023-07-23 (1 post)
  • Facebook-linked source: bit.ly
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