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Fred D. Fields
| Fred D. Fields | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Siegfried Dingfelder |
| Born | 1924 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32878282 |
| Rank | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 10 (23 July – 20 September 1943) |
| Section | 5F |
| Enlisted | New York City, New York |
| Specialty | IPW (interrogation of prisoners of war) |
| Unit / division | 69th IPW Team; XX Corps |
| Teams | IPW 69, MII 447-G |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Fred D. Fields, born Siegfried Dingfelder around 1924, was a German-born Jewish refugee and Camp Ritchie interrogator. Serving with the 69th IPW Team under XX Corps, he followed the campaign from Metz through Remagen and into Germany.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Fred D. Fields was born Siegfried Dingfelder around 1924 in Uehlfeld, Germany. He grew up in a Jewish family as Nazi persecution transformed daily life in the small Franconian community. During Kristallnacht his father was arrested and imprisoned at Dachau, making the danger to the family unmistakable.
Dingfelder escaped first to England and then reached the United States with his family in May 1940. They settled in Brooklyn, where the family operated a bakery and rebuilt a livelihood. He worked there before being drafted at about nineteen, only a few years after fleeing the country against which he would now serve.
The Army recognized his fluent German and direct knowledge of German life and sent him to Camp Ritchie for prisoner-interrogation training. Before shipping overseas he became an American citizen and changed his name to Fred Fields. The change protected a German-born soldier headed into combat while also marking his new national identity.
Fields joined the 69th Interrogation of Prisoners of War Team near Metz. Serving under XX Corps, he worked with fellow interrogators including Liethen, Wallach, and Bornstein. Their questioning of prisoners supplied information on enemy units, weapons, morale, and movements as American forces pushed through Luxembourg and Belgium and crossed the Rhine after the breakthrough at Remagen.
After Buchenwald had been liberated, Fields entered the concentration camp and confronted the consequences of the regime his family had escaped. He also returned to Uehlfeld with his cousin Henry Schwab of the 57th IPW Team, bringing two former refugees back in American uniform. By V-E Day, Fields was at Tutzing in Bavaria.
Fields returned to New York after the war. Although he had worked in the family bakery before military service, his later trade was butchering. He eventually retired as a butcher and lived in Riverdale, New York.
Research notes[edit | edit source]
- Was Siegfried Dingfelder
- 5/8/1924-A
Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Nara ASN | 32878282 |
| Nara Name | FIELA FRED D |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 47 |
| Nara POE | 2364 |
| Nara DOE | 300343 |
| 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 | 401 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 85 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 120 |
| Class_ASN | 32878282 |
| Class_Name | FIELDS, Fred D. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Sources[edit | edit source]
- 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 2024-06-17 (1 post)
- Facebook-linked source: YouTube interview
- The Stories essay