Eric Waldman

Eric Waldman
Personal details
Birth name	Erich Waldmann Erich Augustinus Waldmann
Born	21 September 1914 Vienna, Austria
Died	2007
Nativity	Austria
Religion	Catholic
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Arm / service	Field Artillery
ASN	01182990
Rank	Colonel
Rank at Ritchie	Second Lieutenant
Camp Ritchie	Class 10 (23 July – 20 September 1943)
Section	5A
Specialty	Military intelligence; German tactics; Gehlen Organization liaison
Unit / division	War Department G-2; Fort Hunt / Gehlen group; 7821st Composite Group

Full story Read more about Eric Waldman in Eric Waldman on The Stories.

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Eric Waldman (21 September 1914 – 2007), born Erich Waldmann in Vienna, was an Austrian American artillery officer and military intelligence specialist. After Camp Ritchie Class 10 and War Department G-2 work on German tactics, he helped supervise the U.S. Army’s postwar trusteeship of the Gehlen Organization at Fort Hunt and in occupied Germany until early 1949.

Biography

Eric Waldman was born Erich Augustinus Waldmann on 21 September 1914 at Franzensbrueckenstrasse 19 in Vienna. His father, Leo Waldmann, had served as an Austro-Hungarian officer in the First World War. Waldman studied marine biology at the University of Vienna, completed a doctorate, and worked as an assistant under Prof. J. Versluys before Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938.

After the Anschluss, remaining in Vienna became untenable for the Jewish family. Waldman left in 1938 by train through Yugoslavia to Trieste and sailed on the SS Vulcania, arriving in New York on 13 October 1938. His parents did not survive the Holocaust: the Gestapo killed his father in 1939, and his mother was later murdered at Chełmno.

Waldman enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Dix, New Jersey, on 7 March 1942, graduated from Field Artillery Officer Candidate School, and completed a prisoner-of-war interrogation course. He became a naturalized citizen on 5 February 1943 in San Bernardino, California, changing his name from Erich Augustinus Waldmann to Eric Augustinus Waldman. Assigned to the Military Intelligence Training Center, he graduated with Camp Ritchie Class 10 and remained as an instructor. In 1944–1945 he served in the Military Branch, G-2, War Department, as a specialist in German tactics.

In May 1945 Waldman moved to a G-2 section preparing a handbook on the Soviet Army. In June 1945 his superior, Dimitri Shimpkin, assigned him to take charge of German officer prisoners from Fremde Heere Ost (FHO) arriving at Fort Hunt, Virginia (P.O. Box 1142). There he worked with Reinhard Gehlen and other FHO officers as they produced studies for G-2, alongside Americans including Randolph Zander and with early European contacts including John R. Boker, Jr.

Waldman went to Oberursel in June 1946 ahead of Gehlen’s return and became deputy to Lt. Col. John R. Deane, Jr., in the U.S. element overseeing the German group. He pressed for Gehlen’s leadership over rival Hans Baun; by the end of 1946 Gehlen headed what became known as the Gehlen Organization. Under later U.S. commanders the headquarters moved to Pullach in November 1947 as the 7821st Composite Group. Waldman accompanied the Bossard survey for CIG in 1947 and the Critchfield survey in November–December 1948, and traveled abroad with Gehlen to discuss ties with friendly intelligence services. He left the assignment in February 1949, shortly before CIA assumed responsibility for the organization.

After leaving G-2, Waldman returned to academic life, teaching and writing on European politics, international affairs, and NATO. He died in 2007.

Research notes

No notes were in the source row. Add what you know.

Gallery

• 
  Building where the Waldmann family home was located in Vienna. The building is still standing
• 
  Jakob Lewi Leo Waldmann
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  Signum Laudis with swords, Military Merit Medal (Austria Hungary)
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  Eric Waldman in the Mohave Dessert with some of his Army buddies
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  Eric Waldman attending military training
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  Captain Eric Waldman and his Dachhund, Peter
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  Lieutenant Eric Waldman, Military Intelligence Division, 22 November 1944 to 2 September 1945
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  Colonel Philips, Commanding Officer Camp King, then in Pullach with Jo Ann and Eric Waldman, 1949
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  Captain Eric Waldman with his co-pilot, Peter
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  Captain Eric Waldman in Germany
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  Captain Eric Waldman on assignment in Rome
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  Jo Ann & Eric Waldman in Esslingen, Germany
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  War Department Citation, 1946
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• 
  Eric Waldman Max-Engels Plaza East Berlin, Soviet Sector July 1961
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  Maz-Engals Plaza East Berlin, Soviet Sector, July 1961
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  Jo Ann Waldman at Check Point Charlie
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  Berlin Wall
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  Brandenburg Gate 1961
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  No man’s land between East and West Germany
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  Eric Waldman, Doctor of Philosophy, October 15, 1955
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  Eric Waldman North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) presentation in Germany
• 
  Eric Waldman North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) presentation in Germany
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  Dr. Eric Waldman
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  A Testimonial Dinner
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  Verdienstkreuz Zweiter Klasse, Order of Merit Second Class, November 20, 1948
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  Elie Wiesel Award, May 2nd, 2022
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• 
• 
  Debriefing of Eric Waldman, 30 September 1969 (page image); full PDF: Debriefing PDF

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	93
Class_ASN	182990
Class_Name	WALDMAN, Eric
match_method	asn_partial_name_exact
row_source	both

Timeline

• 21 September 1914 — Born Erich Augustinus Waldmann in Vienna, Austria.
• September 1933 – March 1938 — University of Vienna; doctorate in marine biology; assistant to Prof. J. Versluys.
• 13 March 1938 — Anschluss; remains briefly in Vienna as German troops enter.
• 29 September 1938 — Sails from Trieste on SS Vulcania; arrives New York 13 October 1938.
• 7 March 1942 — Enlists, Fort Dix, New Jersey; later Field Artillery OCS and POW interrogation course.
• 5 February 1943 — Naturalized, U.S. District Court, San Bernardino, California; name becomes Eric Augustinus Waldman.
• 1943 — Camp Ritchie Class 10; remains as instructor (assigned to Faculty, Section V, 3 December 1943).
• 1944–1945 — Military Branch, G-2, War Department; specialist in German tactics.
• May 1945 — Transferred to G-2 section preparing a handbook on the Soviet Army.
• June 1945 — Assigned by Dimitri Shimpkin to take charge of FHO officer POWs at Fort Hunt (P.O. Box 1142), including Reinhard Gehlen’s group.
• February 1946 — Col. Heinz Herre joins the Fort Hunt group.
• June 1946 — Arrives Oberursel ahead of Gehlen’s return; becomes deputy to Lt. Col. John R. Deane, Jr., in the U.S. element.
• August 1946 — Gehlen group arrives at Oberursel; by end of 1946 Gehlen is appointed chief of the German element.
• 1947 — Expansion of field stations; accompanies Bossard (CIG) survey; travels abroad with Gehlen on liaison trips.
• November 1947 — Headquarters moves to Pullach; U.S. element becomes 7821st Composite Group.
• 20 November 1948 — Awarded Verdienstkreuz Zweiter Klasse (Order of Merit, Second Class) — date as on certificate in Gallery.
• November–December 1948 — Accompanies Critchfield survey of the Gehlen Organization.
• February 1949 — Departs the Gehlen assignment (CIA assumes responsibility about four months later).
• 15 October 1955 — Doctor of Philosophy (see Gallery).
• 30 September 1969 — Debriefed on the U.S. Army’s 1945–1949 trusteeship of the Gehlen Organization.
• 2007 — Died.

Sources

• 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)
• The Stories essay (family narrative from Chris Waldmann and Heidi Kolstad)
• Debriefing of Eric Waldman on the U.S. Army's trusteeship of the Gehlen Organization, 30 September 1969
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Eric Waldman for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Waldman, Eric for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: ERIC WALDMAN.doc)