Fritz W. Bloch

Fritz W. Bloch
Personal details
Born	2 May 1911 Grenchen, Switzerland
Died	2003
Nativity	Switzerland
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	32967700
Rank	Master Sergeant
Rank at Ritchie	Private
Camp Ritchie	Class 16 (6 February – 5 April 1944)
Section	7C
Enlisted	Plymouth, Pennsylvania
Team	MII 446-G

Teammates

Team — MII 446-G

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.

Fritz W. Bloch (2 May 1911 – 2003) was a Switzerland-born Ritchie Boy (Class 16) who served as a French translator with airborne forces in Europe and later worked as a research chemist on Long Island.

Biography

Fritz W. Bloch was born on 2 May 1911 in Grenchen, Switzerland. He began college studies in economics and law in Geneva in 1938, emigrated from France to the United States in July 1939, and at the outbreak of World War II was called back into the Swiss Army, serving as a first lieutenant about 1940–42 before returning to the United States.

Drafted into the U.S. Army in June 1943, he trained at Camps Upton and Lee and at Camp Ritchie (Class 16, graduated 5 April 1944 as a French translator / assistant interpreter). Assigned to MII Team 446 with XVIII Corps (Airborne), he shipped to England as a French-language military intelligence translator, qualified as a gliderist, and served in Europe. He became a U.S. citizen in connection with his Army service.

After the war Bloch settled on Long Island, New York, worked as a research chemist, and raised a family. He died in 2003.

Research notes

• Enlisted Man, Philippine Scout Or Recall To Ad Of An Enlisted Man Who Had Been Transferred To The Erc
• OCR (90%) of `1646020365419878.jpg` (gallery document)
• OCR (87%) of `1646017645420150.jpg` (gallery document) — dated 21 November 1945
• 28 May 1947 — rank mentioned: Brigadier General
• OCR mentioned officer rank Brigadier General (not auto-filled — verify)
• Infobox previously said colonel; wartime evidence supports master sergeant / glider qualification — officer grade not verified for public rank_final.
• Family Fold3 memorial note confirms Camp Ritchie translator service and postwar chemistry career.
• Also named on the 25 October 1947 EUCOM Intelligence Center travel orders (no matching Classes 1–31 soldier page under these ASNs / names): T/5 Ernest Barth (RA42210253); T/5 Lucian W. Kempner (RA43061477); T/5 Hans Schmid (RA33786028); Mr Walter Rapp; Mr Charles Goldner; Mr Ralph H. Joseph. Walter Rapp may be one of the two roster Walters (01577723 / 0454231) — identity not confirmed from this document alone.

Gallery

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  Travel orders, HQ 7707 European Command Intelligence Center, 25 October 1947 — temporary duty for a confidential intelligence mission in Germany (Bloch and nine others listed)
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  Fritz W. Bloch in uniform, 1940s studio portrait (Epernay) (RB Archive)

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	92
Nara ASN	32967700
Nara Name	BLOCH FRITZ W
Nara State	23
Nara County	81
Nara POE	3299
Nara DOE	280646
Nara Grade Alpha	M SG
Nara Grade Code	1
Nara Branch Alpha	NO
Nara Branch Code	2
Branch	No branch assignment
Nara Term or Enlistment	6
Term of enlistment	Enlistment for the Panama Canal Department
Defer. Date	0
Nara Source	6
Nara Nativity	O2
Nara Year of Birth	11
Nara Race	1
Nara Race Description	White citizen
Nara Education	5
Nara Civilian Occupation	10
Nara Marital Status	6
Nara Height (inches)	3
Nara Weight (lbs)	203
Class_ASN	32967700
Class_Name	BLOCH, Fritz W.
match_method	asn_exact_name_exact
row_source	both

Timeline

• 2 May 1911 — Born in Grenchen, Switzerland.
• 1938 — Began college (economics and law), Geneva.
• July 1939 — Emigrated to the United States from France.
• c. 1940–1942 — Swiss Army first lieutenant; returned to U.S.
• June 1943 — Drafted, U.S. Army; Camps Upton and Lee.
• 5 April 1944 — Graduated Camp Ritchie Class 16 (French translator).
• WWII — MII Team 446, XVIII Corps (Airborne); glider-qualified; Europe.
• Postwar — Research chemist, Long Island, New York.
• 2003 — Died.

Sources

• EUCOM Intelligence Center travel orders, 25 October 1947
• Fritz W. Bloch wartime studio portrait
• Dan Gross timeline research for Fritz W. Bloch (private notes)
• RB Archive folder “Fritz W Bloch” — wartime portrait (curated upload)
• Fold3 memorial — Fritz W. Bloch (family note)
• 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 2017-11-07 (3 posts)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2017-11-09 (2 posts)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2017-11-13 (1 post)
• OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 1646020365419878.jpg
• OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 1646017645420150.jpg
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Fritz W. Bloch for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Bloch, Fritz W. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: FRITZ W. BLOCH.doc)