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Herbert Alfred Siebert
| Herbert Alfred Siebert | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 August 1916 Vienna, Austria |
| Died | 21 March 1945 Martinshöhe, Germany |
| Nativity | Austria |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Awards | Bronze Star Medal; Purple Heart |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32284566 |
| Rank | Staff Sergeant |
| Rank at Ritchie | Corporal |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 13 (30 October – 23 December 1943) |
| Section | 5E (13); E (13) |
| Unit / division | 6th Armored Division |
| Team | IPW 64 |
|
|
| Bronze Star Medal | Purple Heart |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Herbert Alfred Siebert (25 August 1916 – 21 March 1945) was a Vienna-born chemist and Ritchie Boy who trained at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, in Class 13 and served as a typist-linguist and intelligence NCO with IPW Team 64, attached to the 6th Armored Division; he was killed in action near Landstuhl, Germany, and posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Biography
Herbert Alfred Siebert was born in Vienna on 25 August 1916; he was Protestant, possibly with Jewish roots. After elementary school he graduated from the Theresianum in Vienna and worked as a commercial traveler, and in August 1936 he apparently sailed from Le Havre to Havana, Cuba. In February 1938 he went on from there to the United States. He lived first in St. Louis, Missouri, worked as a factory manager and chemist, and completed a three-year evening course in chemistry at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Siebert was drafted in New York, probably in the spring of 1942, and took basic training with the training battalion of the Chemical Warfare Service at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. In October 1942 he was transferred to Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky, possibly for further Chemical Warfare Service training or duty as a checker, and in May 1943 he became a United States citizen. In August 1943 he moved through the 3556th Service Command Service Unit to Headquarters and Service Company of the 323rd Engineer Combat Battalion, 98th Infantry Division, also at Camp Breckinridge, and took part in maneuvers in Tennessee. In September 1943 he was transferred to the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie, where he trained as a German-language prisoner-of-war interrogator in Class 13 (section 5E, IPW German; certificate 4828), specializing as a document examiner and typist-linguist. From January to April 1944 he was detached with interrogation team No. 184 to the 44th Infantry Division near Leesville and Flora, Louisiana, for interrogation exercises during the Louisiana Maneuvers.
On 29 April 1944 MITC Special Orders No. 103 relieved IPW Team 64, with Siebert as technician third grade and typist-linguist, from duty at Camp Ritchie and sent it to Camp Shanks, New York, on 2 May 1944 for shipment to Europe. In May, Replacement Depot No. 2 assigned the team to Headquarters, Military Intelligence Service, ETOUSA, and it was placed on detached service with the Field Interrogation Detachment. On 2 June 1944 it was attached to the Third U.S. Army for duty with the 6th Armored Division, and Siebert was detached to the intelligence section of the division's forward headquarters at Moreton-in-Marsh, England. As an intelligence NCO with his team at Combat Command B of the 6th Armored Division he interrogated prisoners, trained American soldiers in handling captured documents, and probably worked as a clerk and translator in France, Belgium, and Germany. He was killed in action at Martinshöhe near Landstuhl, Germany, on 21 March 1945, and was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. His last rank was staff sergeant.
Gallery
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Identification tag of Herbert A. Siebert (ASN 32284566), from his Individual Deceased Personnel File (National Archives and Records Administration, National Personnel Records Center)
Timeline
- 25 August 1916 — Born in Vienna, Austria.
- August 1936 — Sailed from Le Havre to Havana, Cuba.
- February 1938 — Went on to the United States; lived in St. Louis, Missouri.
- Spring 1942 — Drafted in New York (ASN 32284566); Chemical Warfare Service training at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland.
- October 1942 — Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky.
- May 1943 — Naturalized.
- August 1943 — 323rd Engineer Combat Battalion, 98th Infantry Division; Tennessee maneuvers.
- September 1943 — Transferred to Camp Ritchie; Class 13 (section 5E, IPW German). Certificate # 4828.
- 29 April 1944 — MITC Special Orders No. 103: Technician Third Grade, Typist Linguist, IPW Team 64; relieved Camp Ritchie, WP Camp Shanks, N.Y., 2 May 1944.
- 22 May 1944 — Replacement Depot No. 2 SO #125: Technician Third Grade with IPW Team 64; assigned Hq MIS ETOUSA for duty with FID; proceed APO 887.
- 23 May 1944 — Hq MIS ETOUSA SO 135: Technician Third Grade on IPW Team 64; placed on DS with FID (eff. 22 May 1944).
- 2 June 1944 — Hq MIS ETOUSA SO 145: IPW Team 64 relieved from FID DS; attached Third U.S. Army for duty with 6th Armored Division (proceed ~5 June 1944).
- 21 March 1945 — Killed in action at Martinshöhe near Landstuhl, Germany; posthumous Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
- January–April 1944 — Interrogation team No. 184 with the 44th Infantry Division, Louisiana Maneuvers.
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 29 |
| Class_ASN | 32284566 |
| Class_Name | SIEBERT, Herbert A.; Siebert, Herbert A. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Research notes
- SO 103 matching note: SO ASN OCR 32234566.
Sources
- Hq MIS ETOUSA Special Orders No. 145 (extract), 2 June 1944 — page 1 / page 2 (relieved FID DS; attached Third U.S. Army units)
- Hq MIS ETOUSA Special Orders No. 135 (extract), 23 May 1944 — page 1 / page 2 (IPW Teams 62–74 placed on DS with FID)
- Replacement Depot No. 2 SO #125 (extract), 22 May 1944 — page 1 / page 2 (IPW teams → Hq MIS ETOUSA / FID, APO 887)
- MITC Special Orders No. 103 (extract), 29 April 1944 — page 1 / page 2 (teams relieved Camp Ritchie; WP Camp Shanks, N.Y., 2 May 1944)
- 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)
- Austriansoldiers biography: Herbert A. Siebert, Austriansoldiers / Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research on Consequences of War (in German; accessed 25 September 2026)
- Identification tag of Herbert A. Siebert (ASN 32284566), from his Individual Deceased Personnel File (National Archives and Records Administration, National Personnel Records Center)
