Bernard J. Gittelman

Bernard J. Gittelman
Personal details
Born	3 February 1925 Brooklyn, New York
Died	13 April 2003
Nativity	United States
Religion	Jewish
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	32993790
Rank	Major
Rank at Ritchie	Private First Class
Camp Ritchie	Class 18 (13 April – 10 June 1944)
Section	6D
Unit / division	17th Airborne Division

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Bernard J. Gittelman (3 February 1925 – 13 April 2003) was a Brooklyn-born Ritchie Boy who served as a photo intelligence specialist with the 17th Airborne Division and later as a Los Angeles schools teacher and assistant principal.

Biography

Bernard J. Gittelman was born on 3 February 1925 in Brooklyn, New York. He entered the Army in 1943, trained at Fort Benning, Georgia, and attended the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie (Class 18). In Chiseldon, England, he trained in aerial photo interpretation.

Serving mostly as a technician third grade with a photo intelligence team of the 17th Airborne Division, he saw action in Normandy, France, Holland, the Ardennes, the Rhineland, and central Europe. His team’s missions included flying from England in support of the relief of Bastogne and leading patrols behind the Siegfried Line with the Division Reconnaissance Company. He received the Combat Infantryman Badge and glider and parachutist wings with the 17th Airborne. He left the service in 1946.

Gittelman married Gloria Silver in 1947. He studied at the College of the City of New York and the University of Southern California, earning a bachelor’s degree in French and Spanish in 1951 and a master’s degree in 1964. In the Los Angeles schools he worked as an elementary teacher, master training teacher, and assistant principal, including Developmental Reading Program work in five schools, and retired in 1980. He died on 13 April 2003.

Research notes

• ASTP
• PI 105

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	78
Class_ASN	32993790
Class_Name	GITTELMAN, Bernard J.
match_method	asn_exact_name_exact
row_source	both

Timeline

• 3 February 1925 — Born in Brooklyn, New York.
• 1943 — Entered U.S. Army; Fort Benning training; Camp Ritchie Class 18.
• Aerial photo interpretation training at Chiseldon, England.
• 13 June 1944 — Promoted to T/3.
• 1944–1945 — Photo intelligence with 17th Airborne Division (ETO: Normandy, Holland, Ardennes, Rhineland, central Europe).
• 20 February 1945 — PI Team 105 attached to 13th Airborne Division (roster note).
• 1946 — Left active service.
• 1947 — Married Gloria Silver.
• 1951 — B.A., French and Spanish (CCNY/USC studies).
• 1964 — Master’s degree.
• Through 1980 — Los Angeles schools teacher, master training teacher, assistant principal.
• 13 April 2003 — Died.

Sources

• Veterans / district biographical sketch “Bernard J. Gittelman” (RB Archive PDF: bernard 01.pdf) — wartime photo-intelligence service and postwar education career
• 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 2023-02-17 (1 post)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Bernard J. Gittelman for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Gittelman, Bernard J. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: BERNARD J. GITTELMAN.doc)