Klein, Kurt (32554510): Difference between revisions

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'''Kurt Klein''' (~~1920–~~2002) was a ~~United States Army Private who trained at [[Camp Ritchie]], Maryland, in [[Class 5]]. Kurt enlisted at Buffalo, New York. From~~ Walldorf~~, Germany;~~ intelligence ~~officer in~~ the 5th Infantry Division ~~who~~ later married Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissmann.

'''Kurt Klein''' (died 2002) was a German-born refugee from Walldorf and a military intelligence soldier with the 5th Infantry Division. After returning to Germany in American uniform, he met and later married Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissmann.

</div>

== Biography ==

Kurt Klein ~~immigrated alone to the United States~~ in ~~1937 from~~ Walldorf, Germany. ~~Inducted~~ in ~~1942~~, ~~he became an~~ intelligence ~~officer in~~ the 5th Infantry Division ~~after Camp Ritchie~~. ~~After~~ the war ~~he married~~ Gerda Weissmann, ~~whose~~ liberation story ~~was told~~ in the Academy ~~Award–winning~~ documentary ''One Survivor Remembers''. He died in 2002 while on a lecture tour in Guatemala. See the [[The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/Kurt Klein|full story]].

Kurt Klein grew up in Walldorf, Germany, in a Jewish family threatened by the Nazi regime. In 1937 he left for the United States alone. Like many young refugees, he had to establish himself in a new country while trying to help family members still trapped in Europe.

Klein entered the U.S. Army and was selected for military intelligence training at Camp Ritchie. His native German, knowledge of German customs, and experience as a refugee were transformed into military skills. He was assigned to the intelligence section of the 5th Infantry Division for its campaign into Germany.

With the division, Klein questioned Germans and interpreted the people, documents, and circumstances encountered by the advancing American forces. His wartime journey carried him back into the country he had escaped, now as a member of the U.S. Army helping defeat the regime that had persecuted his family.

Near the end of the war Klein met Gerda Weissmann, a Jewish survivor of Nazi camps and a death march, shortly after her liberation. Their meeting became the beginning of a lasting partnership, and they married after the war. Together they devoted substantial effort to Holocaust education and to telling the story of persecution, survival, liberation, and renewal.

Gerda's wartime experience and liberation were later presented in the Academy Award-winning documentary ''One Survivor Remembers'', in which Klein's role in her liberation story was preserved for a wide audience. Kurt Klein died in April 2002 while on a lecture tour in Guatemala.

See the [[The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/Kurt Klein|full story]].

== Research notes ==

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 <div class="soldier-lead">
-'''Kurt Klein''' (1920&ndash;2002) was a United States Army Private who trained at [[Camp Ritchie]], Maryland, in [[Class 5]]. Kurt enlisted at Buffalo, New York. From Walldorf, Germany; intelligence officer in the 5th Infantry Division who later married Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissmann.
+'''Kurt Klein''' (died 2002) was a German-born refugee from Walldorf and a military intelligence soldier with the 5th Infantry Division. After returning to Germany in American uniform, he met and later married Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissmann.
 </div>
 == Biography ==
-Kurt Klein immigrated alone to the United States in 1937 from Walldorf, Germany. Inducted in 1942, he became an intelligence officer in the 5th Infantry Division after Camp Ritchie. After the war he married Gerda Weissmann, whose liberation story was told in the Academy Award–winning documentary ''One Survivor Remembers''. He died in 2002 while on a lecture tour in Guatemala. See the [[The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/Kurt Klein|full story]].
+Kurt Klein grew up in Walldorf, Germany, in a Jewish family threatened by the Nazi regime. In 1937 he left for the United States alone. Like many young refugees, he had to establish himself in a new country while trying to help family members still trapped in Europe.
+Klein entered the U.S. Army and was selected for military intelligence training at Camp Ritchie. His native German, knowledge of German customs, and experience as a refugee were transformed into military skills. He was assigned to the intelligence section of the 5th Infantry Division for its campaign into Germany.
+With the division, Klein questioned Germans and interpreted the people, documents, and circumstances encountered by the advancing American forces. His wartime journey carried him back into the country he had escaped, now as a member of the U.S. Army helping defeat the regime that had persecuted his family.
+Near the end of the war Klein met Gerda Weissmann, a Jewish survivor of Nazi camps and a death march, shortly after her liberation. Their meeting became the beginning of a lasting partnership, and they married after the war. Together they devoted substantial effort to Holocaust education and to telling the story of persecution, survival, liberation, and renewal.
+Gerda's wartime experience and liberation were later presented in the Academy Award-winning documentary ''One Survivor Remembers'', in which Klein's role in her liberation story was preserved for a wide audience. Kurt Klein died in April 2002 while on a lecture tour in Guatemala.
+See the [[The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/Kurt Klein|full story]].
 == Research notes ==