Leon Poteshman

Leon Poteshman
Personal details
Birth name	Potyszman
Born	22 February 1922
Died	19 August 2021
Nativity	Poland
Religion	Jewish
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	36629611
Rank	Sergeant
Rank at Ritchie	Private
Camp Ritchie	Class 7 (15 April – 12 June 1943)
Section	12
Team	MII 416-G

Teammates

Team — MII 416-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.

Leon Poteshman (22 February 1922 – 19 August 2021) was a Ritchie Boy (born Potyszman; from Poland; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 7.

Biography

He was born in Poland on February 22, 1922, grew up in France, and came to the United States while a teenager. He was born on February 22, 1922, and emigrated to the United States at age 16.

Leon was in the 7th Class at Camp Ritchie and served on French Team 416. Poteshman trained in military intelligence at Camp Ritchie and served as a French interpreter during the War interrogating collaborators with the Germans. On 20 July 1943, he was naturalized as a United States citizen in District Court in Washington, D.C., in a ceremony for Camp Ritchie soldiers reported the next day in The Washington Post.

From 1941 to 1942, Poteshman student at Illinois Institute of Technology (18 months). He served from 1943-45 in Normandy, Northern France and the Rhineland, and was stationed in Paris at the Headquarters of the 1st Army as an Interrogator. Leon worked as shipping clerk.

Leon Poteshman wrote this Summer that he is 94 and residing in Highland Park, IL. One important piece of news is that Leon Poteshman of Highland Park, IL, is home recovering from a recent hospitalization. Poteshman is also survived by his wife Esther, to whom he was married 69 years.

He helped establish new mayors in cities along the way to Paris while arresting those who had worked with the Germans. He was stationed in France during his service in WWII due to his French fluency. He also served with the OSS.

In his later life, he left a remarkable legacy with two children, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. He was the owner of Western Tool Company, where he worked until age 85.

Research notes

• Camp Sharpe 11-11-43

Gallery

• 
  On the left, Ritchie Boy Leon Poteshman is sitting on the lower stoop
• 
  On the left, Ritchie Boy Leon Poteshman is sitting on the lower stoop
• 
  Washington Post, 21 July 1943 — naturalized 20 July 1943 (Camp Ritchie cohort ceremony, District Court, Washington, D.C.)

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Class_ASN	36629611
Class_Name	POTESHMAN, Leon
match_method	asn_exact_name_exact
row_source	both

Timeline

• 12 June 1943 — Graduated Class 7 (MII French).
• 20 July 1943 — Naturalized as a U.S. citizen in District Court, Washington, D.C. (Camp Ritchie soldiers’ ceremony; reported in The Washington Post, 21 July 1943)
• 1 December 1943 — Promoted to T/3 (later S/Sgt).
• Born 22 February 1922 in Lublin, Poland as Salomon Lejb Potyszman (Hebrew).
• Assigned to MII 416-Fr, First Army HQ.
• Joined OSS ?.

Sources

• Same clipping (PDF)
• The Stories/Camp Ritchie naturalization (July 1943)
• “85 Soldiers Naturalized In Court Here,” The Washington Post, 21 July 1943, p. B6 (ceremony 20 July 1943; almost all from Camp Ritchie)
• 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 2016-10-11 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2020-05-06 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-08-19 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-08-31 (1 post)
• Facebook-linked source: stream-media.loc.gov
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Leon Poteshman for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Poteshman, Leon for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: LEON POTESHMAN.doc)