| Gerald Lieberman | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Jerry Lieberman |
| Born | 2 December 1924 Munich, Germany |
| Died | 24 November 2011 Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Awards | Purple Heart |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32861763 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Rank at Ritchie | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 10 (23 July – 20 September 1943) |
| Section | 5C |
| Enlisted | New York City, New York |
| Unit / division | 3rd Infantry Division |
|
| Purple Heart |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Gerald “Jerry” Lieberman (2 December 1924 – 24 November 2011) was a Munich-born Ritchie Boy (Class 10) who interrogated for the 3rd Infantry Division in North Africa, Italy, and southern France.
Biography
Gerald Lieberman was born Gerhard Lieberman on 2 December 1924 in Munich, Germany, the son of Leo and Bella Lieberman. After He was thrown down stairs at public school for being Jewish, He trained in pastry work. During Kristallnacht his father was arrested and sent to Dachau; a grateful American consul who remembered Leo’s earlier help transporting an American citizen’s body issued short visas that secured Leo’s release. The family reached the United States via the Dominican Republic in 1940.
Drafted about 1942 and naturalized, Lieberman volunteered for German-language intelligence work and trained about a year at Camp Ritchie (Class 10). After a brief California course on capture resistance He went to North Africa and then to the Anzio beachhead with the 3rd Infantry Division, where He was wounded and received the Purple Heart. He estimated interrogating hundreds of prisoners across Italy and into southern France; after illness He later interrogated with the 10th Mountain Division, including an unusual assignment at a camp of German women soldiers.
Discharged in 1946, He studied at New York University while working nights, built B&G Lieberman Co. with his mother, and later moved the firm to Charlotte, North Carolina. Active in Sierra Club leadership, He died at home in Charlotte on 24 November 2011.
Research notes
- 5th Army
- Charlotte Observer obituary and Associated Press / Gastonia Gazette feature (2011) are the principal narrative sources.
Gallery
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Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 87 |
| Nara ASN | 32861763 |
| Nara Name | LIEBERMAN GERALD |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 81 |
| Nara POE | 2364 |
| Nara DOE | 120343 |
| 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 | N1 |
| Nara Year of Birth | 24 |
| Nara Race | J |
| Nara Race Description | White not yet a citizen |
| Nara Education | 4 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 992 |
| Nara Marital Status | 1 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 90 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 124 |
| Class_ASN | 32861763 |
| Class_Name | LIEBERMAN, Gerald |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- 2 December 1924 — Born in Munich.
- November 1938 – spring 1939 — Kristallnacht; father’s Dachau detention; emigration via Dominican Republic to New York.
- c. 1942 — Drafted; cook/baker training; Camp Ritchie Class 10.
- WWII — Interrogator, North Africa; 3rd Infantry Division, Italy and southern France; Purple Heart (strafing near Anzio/Rome).
- December 1945 — Returned to New York.
- 1949 onward — B&G Lieberman Co.; later Charlotte; Sierra Club / civic leadership.
- 24 November 2011 — Died in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Sources
- Zekelman Holocaust Center oral-history index
- Zekelman Holocaust Center oral history, OHV 415
- Associated Press / Gastonia Gazette, 28 August 2011 — “Jewish man recalls revenge on Nazis” (RB Archive transcript)
- Legacy — Gerald Lieberman
- Charlotte Observer, 27 November 2011 — Gerald “Jerry” Lieberman obituary (RB Archive transcript)
- 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)