| Maximilian Lerner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1924 Vienna, Austria |
| Died | 2022 Manhattan, New York City, United States |
| Nativity | Austria |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32908439 |
| Rank | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 11 (25 August – 23 October 1943) |
| Section | 5C |
| Enlisted | New York City, New York |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Maximilian Lerner (1924–2022) was a Ritchie Boy (from Austria; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 11.
Biography
There are many good non-fiction books and short stories that describe the experiences of Ritchie Boys during their training at Camp Ritchie and their service in WWII. Books by such authors as Nina Wolff Feld, Bruce Henderson, Beverley Eddy, and K. Lang Slattery are just a few that come to mind. I especially enjoy the first-hand stories written by Ritchie Boys, only a few of which I have read. Recently I read and wrote about The Visitable Past written by Pulitzer Prize winning author Leon Edel. Today, I finished a book by Max Lerner, Flight and Return, A Memoir of World War II. Also an excellent book and easy read.
Back on February 9, I wrote the following: "There are many good non-fiction books and short stories that describe the experiences of Ritchie Boys during their training at Camp Ritchie and their service in WWII. Books by such authors as Nina Wolff Feld, Bruce Henderson, Beverley Eddy, and K. Lang Slattery are just a few that come to mind. I especially enjoy the first-hand stories written by Ritchie Boys, only a few of which I have read. Recently I read and wrote about The Visitable Past written by Pulitzer Prize winning author Leon Edel. Today, I finished a book by Max Lerner, Flight and Return, A Memoir of World War II. Also an excellent book and easy read." Today, I finished a novel by Ritchie Boy Maximilian, The Expendable Spy. Here is an excerpt from the review on Amazon: From the deserts of Libya and Egypt to the icy lakes of Scotland, from London under the Blitz to German occupied France, from Alpine glaciers to the stately homes of Britain, the book ranges over the landscapes of World War II.
Ritchie Boy Max Lerner authored a novel about a little known part of World War II, Germany's effort to build a large submarine that would be capable of launching rockets on to U.S. coastal cities. His book, The Improbable Spy, was published in 2012, and I finished reading it today. Ritchie Boy Lerner also published another World War II novel, The Expendable Spy, and a non-fiction book, Flight and Return: A Memoir of World War II.
The cover of the June 2020 issue of the National Geographic magazine has a feature story entitled "The Last Voices of World War II/Seventy Five years after the end of history's deadliest war, survivors share their stories." Below are two photos. The one on the left is from the cover of the magazine and is of Lawrence Brooks, 110, America's oldest known WWII veteran. To the right is a collage of photos of WWII survivors, including that of RITCHIE BOY MAXIMILIAN LERNER. RB LERNER, who was born in Austria and served in the Counter Intelligence Corps of the OSS, is 96. This photo montage can be found on page 43 of the June issue., and RB Lerner is on the bottom row in the white turtleneck.
The Veterans Breakfast Club has posted this event coming up on Monday, Oct 4, 2021 on their website - Join us for a discussion with two World War II “Ritchie Boys,” German-Austrian Jewish immigrants recruited by US Military Intelligence for counter-intelligence operations in Europe. Maximilian Lerner immigrated from Vienna to New York in 1941, then enlisted in the US Army and went back to Europe as an American soldier in 1944. He was recruited into the Office of Strategic Services as a special agent for secret missions in Germany. He also served in Europe overseeing interrogations and review of captured German documents. Beverley Eddy is a historian and author of Ritchie Boy Secrets: How a Force of Immigrants and Refugees Helped Win World War II. She will guide the conversation with our veterans about this fascinating story.
More on Ritchie Boy Maximilian Lerner's October 19, 2021 YouTube Interview. Ritchie Boy Maximilian Lerner arrived at Camp Ritchie the same month as Glenn Godart's father in 1943. Max Lerner followed the same footsteps as Glenn's Father's family - being born in Vienna, Austria, fleeing to United States after the Anschluss, joining the US Army, training together at Camp Ritchie, and serving heroically in the European Theater of Operations in WWII. Below is a photo of Glenn Godart's Father receiving his Bronze Star from Gen. Crittenberg in May 1945 in Milan.
Ritchie Boy Maximilian Lerner turned 99 on September 4, 2022. He was one of the Ritchie Boys interviewed on the 60 Minutes program on January 2, 2022.
Ritchie Boy Maximilian Lerner passed away just two weeks after turning 98. Our condolences to his family. From his obituary - "His was truly an American story. Born in Vienna, Austria, Max, his parents Isak and Bertha, and sister Susi, fled the Nazis in May 1938, arriving in the United States in 1941. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on his 18th birthday and became an American citizen soon after. He was assigned to Camp Ritchie (part of the Ritchie Boys) for training as a counterintelligence officer. As part of his service he gathered intelligence and arrested war criminals during the first stages of deNazification."
Ritchie Boy Maximilian Lerner, who passed away September 10, 2022, has been honored on the grounds of Camp Ritchie.
Research notes
- Camp Sharpe (2 mos)
- OSS; CIC
- 9/4/1924-A
Gallery
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Nara ASN | 32908439 |
| Nara Name | LERNER MAXIMILIAN |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 61 |
| Nara POE | 2364 |
| Nara DOE | 170543 |
| 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 | N2 |
| Nara Year of Birth | 24 |
| Nara Race | J |
| Nara Race Description | White not yet a citizen |
| Nara Education | 4 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 134 |
| Nara Marital Status | 1 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 48 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 148 |
| Class_ASN | 32908439 |
| Class_Name | LERNER, Maximilian |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Sources
- Wikipedia: Maximilian Lerner
- Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
- 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 2020-02-09 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2020-03-23 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2020-04-01 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2020-05-29 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-09-24 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-12-22 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-09-13 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-09-18 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-09-19 (1 post)
- Facebook-linked source: bit.ly
- Facebook-linked source: Veterans interview / article
- Facebook-linked source: legcy.co