| Hans L. Trefousse | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 December 1921 Frankfurt, Germany |
| Died | 8 January 2010 Staten Island, New York |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Known for | Author, Historian, Professor |
| Awards | Bronze Star Medal |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Arm / service | Quartermaster Corps |
| ASN | 01590860 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Rank at Ritchie | Second Lieutenant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 8 (17 May – 16 July 1943) |
| Section | 5A |
| Teams | IPW 33, IPW 24 |
|
| Bronze Star Medal |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Hans L. Trefousse (1921–2010) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 8 and served with IPW Team 33; 24.
Biography
On 16 May 1942, Hans graduated from City College, NY (BA, History). He was a long-time professor (and professor emeritus) at Brooklyn College from 1950 to 1998. He also taught as a distinguished professor of history at Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
He continued to teach at Brooklyn College and published many books on the Reconstruction era, including biographies of previously maligned Radical Republicans Benjamin F.
Hans Louis Trefousse (December 18, 1921–January 8, 2010) was a German-American author and historian of the Reconstruction Era and World War II. Some historians consider his most influential book The Radical Republicans: Lincoln's Vanguard for Racial Justice (1969), which disagreed with the dominant historical narrative of the time regarding Reconstruction, arguing instead that Reconstruction was a failed attempt "to bring racial justice to the South." In total Trefousse authored over twenty books. He later served as OIC with IPW Team 33.
He married Rachelle Friedlander two years later, and they had a son and daughter who survived them. After encountering racist incidents in New York City, he switched focus, publishing a biography, Ben Butler: The South Called Him Beast! He gained media attention during Bill Clinton's impeachment for drawing comparisons to Johnson's impeachment.
Trefousse was a Ritchie Boy.
At he time the article was written, he was semi-retired, and continued to publish on military and political topics.
Research notes
- First Army
- see time line
Gallery
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 89 |
| Class_ASN | 590860 |
| Class_Name | TREFOUSSE, Hans L. |
| match_method | asn_partial_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- Born 18 December 1921 in Frankfurt (Jewish).
- 16 July 1943 — Graduated as Lt. (ASN 01590860) with Class 8 (IPW Ge).
- 30 October 1943 — Promoted to 1st Lt.
- November 1944 — Served at Huertgen Forest; tried to get Germans to surrender (Bronze Star).
- Served with 26th Regiment, 1st Infantry (Col. Canham).
Sources
- Wikipedia: Hans L. Trefousse
- 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 2022-12-25 (1 post)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Hans L. Trefousse for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Trefousse, Hans L. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: HANS L. TREFOUSSE.doc)