| Fritz Francis Goldarbeiter | |
|---|---|
 Fritz Francis Goldarbeiter, 1944. Photo © Glenn Godart. | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 September 1917 Vienna, Austria |
| Died | 3 July 1986 New York City |
| Nativity | Austria |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Awards | Bronze Star Medal |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32001874 |
| Rank | Technical Sergeant |
| Rank at Ritchie | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 9 (21 June – 18 August 1943) |
| Section | 5D |
| Enlisted | New York City, New York |
|
| Bronze Star Medal |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Fritz Francis Goldarbeiter (later Fritz Francis Godart; 22 September 1917 – 3 July 1986) was a Vienna-born Ritchie Boy who trained with Class 9 and OB Team 6, then served as an order-of-battle analyst and interrogator with Fifth Army and IV Corps in the Italian Campaign. He received the Bronze Star Medal.
Biography
Fritz Francis Goldarbeiter (later Fritz Francis Godart) was born on 22 September 1917 in Vienna to a Jewish family. After the Handelsakademie he worked as an intern at the Bank Brüll and Kalmus with his uncles and as an amateur photographer. Hired in January 1938 to prepare for taking over the bank, he fled to France after the Anschluss, studying at universities in Grenoble and Paris. In July 1939 he sailed from Le Havre to the United States and worked in New York as a sandal seller and for a family friend.
Goldarbeiter entered the U.S. Army in January 1941 in New York and trained with the 174th Infantry Regiment at Fort Dix, New Jersey. After basic training he specialized as a field scout in the S-2 section of the regiment’s 2nd Battalion, took part in a maneuver with the 44th Infantry Division, and later served as a clerk-typist in the battalion and personnel section. Stations included Camp Claiborne, Louisiana; Fort Lewis, Washington — where he became a U.S. Citizen in December 1942 — and Ojai, California.
In May 1943 he volunteered for the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie. With Class 9 he trained as a German prisoner-of-war interrogator (IPW) and as a clerk, linguist, document examiner, and Order of Battle specialist on the structure of the Wehrmacht; he also completed Order of Battle work associated with Class 6. In November 1943, as a German analyst with Order of Battle Team No. 6, he shipped from Hampton Roads, Virginia, to the Mediterranean Theater and joined the 2680th Headquarters Company of the Military Intelligence Service. He was detached to Fifth Army headquarters and, from May 1944, to the intelligence service of IV Corps near Lago d’Averno outside Naples. His son Glenn Godart later recalled that after finishing Ritchie training in October 1943 his father deployed on 23 November 1943 to North Africa and then fought for some twenty-three months with Fifth Army and IV Corps in Italy as an Order of Battle, interrogation, and translation specialist.
As chief clerk of the Order of Battle section at IV Corps and assistant to his superior officer, Goldarbeiter did analytical enemy intelligence work and also interrogated prisoners. He was in Rome around the city’s liberation in June 1944 (and again that August). In April 1945, as a German translator, he took part in the bloodless surrender and disarmament of the SS garrison in Milan, a Wehrmacht mountain unit, and the questioning of high-ranking German officers — service for which he received the Bronze Star Medal. After the war in Europe ended he served at 15th Army Group headquarters and with the 6695th Headquarters & Headquarters Company / MIS in the U.S. Occupation of Vienna. Separated in October 1945 at Fort Dix as a Technical Sergeant (ASN 32001874), he settled in the New York area, anglicized his surname to Godart (also spelled Godardt in some records), worked as a toy importer/exporter, and with his wife Suzanne raised four children — Jill, Glenn, and twins Jeffrey and Thomas. He died on 3 July 1986 in New York City.
Research notes
- Also completed Class 6 Order of Battle training (roster / timeline research).
- Later surname Godart (family); Austrian Soldiers project also includes spelling Godardt.
- Unrelated Facebook gallery images and an unlabeled Bronze Star duplicate were removed during 2026 cleanup.
Gallery
-
Sgt. Goldarbeiter posing in 1943 prior to being shipped to Italy (earlier Facebook copy of the portrait). -
Goldarbeiter being decorated with the Bronze Star.
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Nara ASN | 32001874 |
| Nara Name | GOLDARBEITER FRITZ F |
| Nara State | 3 |
| Nara County | 61 |
| Nara POE | 2364 |
| Nara DOE | 150141 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | BI |
| Nara Branch Code | 0 |
| Branch | Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA |
| Nara Term or Enlistment | 0 |
| Term of enlistment | Unknown |
| Defer. Date | 0 |
| Nara Source | 0 |
| Nara Nativity | N2 |
| Nara Year of Birth | 17 |
| Nara Race | J |
| Nara Race Description | White not yet a citizen |
| Nara Education | 8 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 106 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 69 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 157 |
| Class_ASN | 32001874 |
| Class_Name | GOLDARBEITER, Fritz F. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- 22 September 1917 — Born in Vienna, Austria.
- January 1938 — Hired at Bank Brüll and Kalmus in Vienna to prepare for bank succession.
- August 1938 — Fled to France after the Anschluss; studied in Grenoble and Paris.
- July 1939 — Sailed from Le Havre to the United States; worked in New York.
- 15 January 1941 — Entered the U.S. Army in New York City (ASN 32001874); 174th Infantry Regiment, Fort Dix, New Jersey.
- August 1942 — Scout (Pfc), S-2 staff, 2nd Battalion, 174th Infantry Regiment.
- December 1942 — Naturalized as a U.S. citizen at Fort Lewis, Washington.
- February 1943 — Clerk-typist with the same battalion.
- May 1943 — Volunteered for transfer to Camp Ritchie, Maryland.
- 18 August 1943 — Graduated Class 9; classified Document Examiner / IPW (German) and Order of Battle training.
- 23 September 1943 — Graduated Class 6 (Order of Battle).
- October 1943 — Completed Camp Ritchie training (family account).
- 13 November 1943 — Released from Camp Ritchie as T/3.
- 23 November 1943 — Deployed via Hampton Roads / Newport News toward North Africa and the Mediterranean as German analyst, OB Team 6, 2680th Headquarters Company, MIS; attached to Fifth Army.
- May 1944 — Assigned to IV Corps intelligence near Lago d’Averno (Naples).
- June 1944 — In Rome at the liberation of the city.
- April 1945 — German translator in the surrender/disarmament of the SS garrison in Milan and related high-level interrogations; awarded Bronze Star Medal.
- May 1945 — After VE Day, service with 15th Army Group headquarters and 6695th HQ & HQ Company / MIS in occupied Vienna.
- October 1945 — Separated at Fort Dix as Technical Sergeant.
- 3 July 1986 — Died in New York City.
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 2021-10-17 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2026-07-06 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2026-07-20 (1 post)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Fritz F. Goldarbeiter for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Goldarbeiter, Fritz F. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: FRITZ F. GOLDARBEITER.doc)
- Austrian Soldiers / Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft — Fritz F. Goldarbeiter biography
- Glenn Godart (son), family account of Fritz Francis Goldarbeiter / Godart’s Camp Ritchie training, Fifth Army / IV Corps Italian service, Bronze Star, and postwar occupation duty in Austria
- Portrait — © Glenn Godart (higher-resolution copy via Austrian Soldiers biography)