Walter H. Lubran

Walter H. Lubran
Personal details
Born	29 July 1912 Sebnitz, Germany
Died	2000
Nativity	Germany
Religion	Jewish
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	33668332
Rank	Sergeant
Rank at Ritchie	Private
Camp Ritchie	Class 16 (6 February – 5 April 1944)
Section	5B
Enlisted	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Team	IPW 141

Teammates

Team — IPW 141

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.

Walter H. Lubran (29 July 1912 – 2000) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 16 and served with IPW Team 141.

Biography

Walter H. Lubran was born on 29 July 1912 in Sebnitz, Germany, to a Jewish family (also recorded as Lubranitsky). He emigrated to the United States aboard the SS Georgic in the autumn of 1939. In civilian life he worked as a retail shoe-store manager.

On 17 March 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a private. Before Camp Ritchie he trained at Camp Ellis, Illinois; Fort George G. Meade, Maryland; and Camp Lee, Virginia. He graduated with Class 16 on 5 April 1944 as a German document examiner and later rose to master sergeant.

Lubran served with IPW Team 141. On Christmas Day 1944, the team was attached to the 84th Infantry Division in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge; a letter he wrote home that day included a holiday menu that survives among family papers. In March 1945, while still near the Rhine, Team 141 was ordered to a new assignment with the 16th Armored Division. The division moved south through Germany into Czechoslovakia and took part in the liberation of Plzeň (Pilsen); Team 141 interrogated German soldiers fleeing westward as Soviet forces approached Prague from the east.

IPW Team 141 included Gerard Pick, Captain Henry Wagner, T/3 Kurt Schimmerl (Curt Shelton), 2nd Lt. Victor Wolff, SSgt Joseph Wertheim, and MSgt Lubran.

Research notes

• Also PG Class 13 GerOB
• CIB
• ASTP
• 16th Armd

Gallery

• 
  Christmas Day 1944 menu from a letter written during the Battle of the Bulge while serving with IPW Team 141, 84th Infantry Division
• 
  IPW Team 141 in Europe, spring 1945. Left to right: Gerard Pick; Capt. Henry Wagner; T/3 Kurt Schimmerl (Curt Shelton); 2nd Lt. Victor Wolff; SSgt Joseph Wertheim; MSgt Walter Lubran

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	88
Nara ASN	33668332
Nara Name	LUBRAN WALTER H
Nara State	-2
Nara County	3
Nara POE	3298
Nara DOE	170343
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	12
Nara Race	1
Nara Race Description	White citizen
Nara Education	4
Nara Civilian Occupation	72
Nara Marital Status	2
Nara Height (inches)	22
Nara Weight (lbs)	120
Class_ASN	33668332
Class_Name	LUBRAN, Walter H.
match_method	asn_exact_name_exact
row_source	both

Timeline

• 29 July 1912 — Born in Sebnitz, Germany (also recorded as Lubranitsky); Jewish.
• 17 March 1943 — Enlisted in the Army at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a private (ASN 33668332).
• 5 April 1944 — Graduated Class 16; classified as German document examiner.
• December 1944 — Served with IPW Team 141 attached to the 84th Infantry Division in the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge).
• March 1945 — Team 141 reassigned to the 16th Armored Division; advanced into Czechoslovakia (Plzeň).
• Promoted to master sergeant.

Sources

• 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)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2014-03-21 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2017-01-16 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2017-01-22 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-01-15 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-02-05 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-03-16 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-04-16 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2020-02-22 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2023-07-23 (1 post)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Walter H. Lubran for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Lubran, Walter H. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: WALTER H. LUBRAN.doc)