Mosbacher, Stephen S. (35554027)

Stephen S. Mosbacher
Personal details
Born	14 October 1923
Died	1945
Nativity	Germany
Religion	Jewish
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	35554027
Rank	Private First Class
Camp Ritchie	Class 19 (16 May – 13 July 1944)
Section	5A
Enlisted	Toledo, Ohio
Team	IPW 149

Teammates

Team — IPW 149

These are other soldiers listed on the same team roster. People moved between teams; overlapping service dates are not always documented.

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.

Stephen S. Mosbacher (14 October 1923 – 1945) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 19 and served with IPW Team 149.

Biography

Stephen Sigmund Mosbacher. Stephen, who usually signed as "Sigmund", was born October 14 1923 into a Jewish family in Nuremberg. He was the oldest child and only son of Emil Mosbacher and Rose Wurman. Life in Germany had become unbearable when threats to the Jewish population progressed to a point where his father Dr Mosbacher was forced to discontinue his practice of medicine. Stephen enlisted in the US Army in his adopted hometown of Toledo, Ohio on June 12, 1943. During the attack on the Elbe River, S/Sgt Mosbacher advanced to within ten yards of enemy infantry elements in an effort to rescue a comrade who was pinned down by enemy fire. The rescue was accomplished in the face of direct fire of artillery, mortars and small arms fire Mosbacher was fatally wounded a few minutes later while attempting the rescue of another wounded soldier who was directly in the path of an enemy tank. Stephen was grimly smiling and still had a firm grip on his machine gun. Stephen Sigmund Mosbacher is buried at Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Margraten, Plot I, Row 11, Grave 19. S/Sgt Mosbacher was awarded the Silver Star Medal posthumously for his actions on the day of his death. October 14 1923 - April 2 1945. He was attached to IPW Team #149, 8th Armored Division. They also had a daughter named Marianne. His parents left Germany in 1938 to escape persecution and pursue happiness. They chose America as their new home. He and the rescued soldier were found dead. He had received the nickname "Moose", in part because of his size. He was also reputed to have the biggest appetite in the headquarters company and to be always the first man in the mess line. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location. In addition, he has a Purple Heart among his other awards and commendations.

Research notes

• Silver Star
• Enlisted Reserve or Medical Administrative Corps (MAC) Officer

Gallery

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Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	22
Nara ASN	35554027
Nara Name	MOSBACHER STEPHEN S
Nara State	53
Nara County	95
Nara POE	5384
Nara DOE	120643
Nara Grade Alpha	PVT
Nara Grade Code	8
Nara Branch Alpha	NO
Nara Branch Code	2
Branch	No branch assignment
Nara Term or Enlistment	0
Term of enlistment	Unknown
Defer. Date	0
Nara Source	5
Nara Nativity	N1
Nara Year of Birth	23
Nara Race	1
Nara Race Description	White citizen
Nara Education	7
Nara Civilian Occupation	992
Nara Marital Status	6
Nara Height (inches)	8
Nara Weight (lbs)	128
Class_ASN	35554027
Class_Name	MOSBACHER, Stephen S.
match_method	asn_exact_name_exact
row_source	both

Sources

• Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
• 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 2022-11-11 (1 post)
• Facebook-linked source: fieldsofhonor-database.com