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Koehl, Robert Lewis (31233497): Difference between revisions

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Robert Lewis Koehl (6 March 1922 – 6 July 2015) was an American US Army Intelligence surveyor in Nazi German-occupied Europe during World War II, author, and a Professor Emeritus of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
'''Robert Lewis Koehl''' (6 March 1922 &ndash; 6 July 2015) was an American Ritchie Boy who trained at [[Camp Ritchie]] in [[:Category:Class 18|Class 18]] and served as an interpreter with U.S. Army intelligence in Europe during World War II, and who became a historian of Nazi Germany and professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
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== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Robert Lewis Koehl was born on 6 March 1922 in Chicago, Illinois.
Robert Lewis Koehl was born on 6 March 1922 in Chicago, Illinois. He studied history at Harvard University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. In 1943 he married Lieselotte Franziska Eisenhardt, who had emigrated from Nazi Germany in 1939.


Robert Lewis Koehl (6 March 1922 – 6 July 2015) was an American US Army Intelligence surveyor in Nazi German-occupied Europe during World War II, author, and a Professor Emeritus of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He subsequently taught at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and from 1964 until his retirement 1997 in the Department of Educational Policy Studies of University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, a department of which he was an early founder. Robert attended college at Harvard (History major).
Koehl interrupted his studies for war service and was drafted into the Army as a private in Boston, Massachusetts, on 16 November 1942; he also passed through the Army Specialized Training Program. He trained at Camp Ritchie and graduated with [[:Category:Class 18|Class 18]] on 10 June 1944 as a linguist (IPW), was promoted to technician fifth grade on 14 June 1944, and on 8 September 1944 became a member of [[Team IPW 108|IPW Team 108]], serving as a surveyor and interpreter for Army intelligence in German-occupied Europe.


He studied in at Harvard University, where he was admitted as member of Phi Beta Kappa society.
Back at Harvard, Koehl earned his Master of Arts in 1947 with the thesis "A Prelude to the Third Reich" and in 1950 his doctorate with a study of Heinrich Himmler as Reich Commissioner for the Consolidation of German Nationhood, published in revised form in 1957 and long one of the few works on Nazi settlement and population policy in occupied Poland. He taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Nebraska, and from 1964 until his retirement in 1997 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he was an early founder of the Department of Educational Policy Studies and became professor emeritus of history. Koehl coined the term "neofeudalism" to describe Nazi rule and in 1983 published a comprehensive history of the SS. He died on 6 July 2015.
 
On 16 November 1942, Drafted into Army in Boston, MA as Pvt (ASN: 31233497).
 
He was trained at Camp Ritchie and was one of the Ritchie Boys.
 
On 8 September 1944, Became a member of [[Team IPW 108|IPW Team 108]] assigned to Headquarters of the. Back in Harvard he acquired his Master of Arts in 1947 with the work A Prelude to the Third Reich. Koehl coined the term "neofeudalism" for the characterization of the national socialist rule, and completed an account of the history of the SS in 1983.
 
During World War II he interrupted his studies for the war service, serving as surveyor and interpreter for the U.S.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
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* Born 4 March 1922 in Chicago.
* 6 March 1922 — Born in Chicago, Illinois.
* 16 November 1942 — Drafted into Army in Boston, MA as Pvt (ASN: 31233497).
* 16 November 1942 — Drafted into Army in Boston, MA as Pvt (ASN: 31233497).
* 1943 — Married Lieselotte Franziska Eisenhardt.
* 10 June 1944 — Graduated with Class 18. Specialty: Linguist #2 IPW.
* 10 June 1944 — Graduated with Class 18. Specialty: Linguist #2 IPW.
* 14 June 1944 — Promoted to T/5.
* 14 June 1944 — Promoted to T/5.
* 8 September 1944 — Became a member of IPW Team 108 assigned to Headquarters of the.
* 8 September 1944 — Became a member of IPW Team 108 (Military Intelligence Service).
* Military Intelligence Service.
* 1947 — MA, Harvard University.
* 1950 — PhD, Harvard University.
* 1964–1997 — Taught at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
* 1983 — Published a history of the SS.
* 6 July 2015 — Died.
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Revision as of 03:38, 25 September 2026

Record status: unconfirmed. Class-roster match confidence is medium-high. Correct the infobox if you have a source, and note it on talk.
Robert Lewis Koehl
Personal details
Born6 March 1922
Chicago, Illinois
Died6 July 2015
NativityUnited States
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
ASN32233497
RankMajor
Rank at RitchiePrivate First Class
Camp RitchieClass 18 (13 April – 10 June 1944)
Section5B
EnlistedFt Niagara Youngstown, New York
TeamsIPW 108, IPW 175
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.


Robert Lewis Koehl (6 March 1922 – 6 July 2015) was an American Ritchie Boy who trained at Camp Ritchie in Class 18 and served as an interpreter with U.S. Army intelligence in Europe during World War II, and who became a historian of Nazi Germany and professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Biography

Robert Lewis Koehl was born on 6 March 1922 in Chicago, Illinois. He studied history at Harvard University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. In 1943 he married Lieselotte Franziska Eisenhardt, who had emigrated from Nazi Germany in 1939.

Koehl interrupted his studies for war service and was drafted into the Army as a private in Boston, Massachusetts, on 16 November 1942; he also passed through the Army Specialized Training Program. He trained at Camp Ritchie and graduated with Class 18 on 10 June 1944 as a linguist (IPW), was promoted to technician fifth grade on 14 June 1944, and on 8 September 1944 became a member of IPW Team 108, serving as a surveyor and interpreter for Army intelligence in German-occupied Europe.

Back at Harvard, Koehl earned his Master of Arts in 1947 with the thesis "A Prelude to the Third Reich" and in 1950 his doctorate with a study of Heinrich Himmler as Reich Commissioner for the Consolidation of German Nationhood, published in revised form in 1957 and long one of the few works on Nazi settlement and population policy in occupied Poland. He taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Nebraska, and from 1964 until his retirement in 1997 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he was an early founder of the Department of Educational Policy Studies and became professor emeritus of history. Koehl coined the term "neofeudalism" to describe Nazi rule and in 1983 published a comprehensive history of the SS. He died on 6 July 2015.

Research notes

  • 31233497 ASTP

Gallery

After you are autoconfirmed, upload a photo and add [[File:Example.jpg|thumb|caption]] here, or set |photo=Example.jpg in the infobox.

Technical record

Field Imported value
Approx Age at Death 93
Nara ASN 32233497
Nara Name WYDER MATTHEW J
Nara State 23
Nara County 37
Nara POE 2329
Nara DOE 100242
Nara Grade Alpha PVT
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 23
Nativity.1 NEW YORK
Nara Year of Birth 18
Nara Race 1
Nara Race Description White citizen
Nara Education 4
Nara Civilian Occupation 480
Nara Marital Status 6
Nara Height (inches) 66
Nara Weight (lbs) 141
Class_ASN 31233497
Class_Name KOEHL, Robert L.
match_method asn_near_name_exact
row_source both

Timeline

  • 6 March 1922 — Born in Chicago, Illinois.
  • 16 November 1942 — Drafted into Army in Boston, MA as Pvt (ASN: 31233497).
  • 1943 — Married Lieselotte Franziska Eisenhardt.
  • 10 June 1944 — Graduated with Class 18. Specialty: Linguist #2 IPW.
  • 14 June 1944 — Promoted to T/5.
  • 8 September 1944 — Became a member of IPW Team 108 (Military Intelligence Service).
  • 1947 — MA, Harvard University.
  • 1950 — PhD, Harvard University.
  • 1964–1997 — Taught at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
  • 1983 — Published a history of the SS.
  • 6 July 2015 — Died.

Sources

  • Wikipedia: Robert Lewis Koehl
  • 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)
  • Dan Gross, Timeline of Robert L. Koehl for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
  • Dan Gross, Timeline of Koehl, Robert L. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: ROBERT L. KOEHL.doc)