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Rene Eugene Menzel
| Rene Eugene Menzel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 November 1919 Netherlands |
| Died | 10 May 2017 |
| Nativity | Netherlands |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Arm / service | Coast Artillery Corps |
| ASN | 01054061 |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 11 (25 August – 23 October 1943) |
| Section | 6B |
| Team | MII 415-G |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Rene Eugene Menzel (22 November 1919 – 10 May 2017) was a Ritchie Boy (from Netherlands; Catholic) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 11.
Biography
High school and university in Belgium. Worked as tabulating machine operator. Menzel also served as an Investigating Officer with the War Crimes Branch. He served as interviewer of people fleeing the continent. . Rene was born November 22nd 1919 in The Hague, Netherlands. Rene and his younger brother Georges spent their formative years growing up in Brussels, Belgium. Rene's father, Jean was an industrialist, art collector, and champion horse owner. Rene graduated from the University of Brussels just as WWII was breaking out in Europe. His family escaped through a perilous car journey to the Pyrenees Mountains in the South of France. While his parents and Georges were evading the Nazis by sleeping out in remote farm houses, Rene enlisted in the Free French Army. Rene immediately enlisted in the US Army and rose to the rank of First Lieutenant. Rene was assigned back to Europe where he was part of military intelligence interviewing people fleeing across the English Channel to insure they were not spies. Rene was part of D-Day and landed in Normandy under extreme conditions. One of Rene's favorite war stories detailed how he and his Sergeant got ahead of the other allied troops and much to their surprise would arrive in their jeep in towns that hadn't been officially liberated yet. Rene was awarded the highest honors for his performance throughout the war. From the provisional French Government under General Charles de Gaulle, Rene was awarded the Croix de Geurre for his contribution to the liberation of the French Republic. From the USA under the orders of General Eisenhower, Rene was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and the Oak Leaf Cluster. At the conclusion of the war, Rene reunited with his family who were already residing in Manhattan, NY. Soon after arriving back in the States, Rene went to work for the IBM Corporation. Rene met his future wife Marjory Diemer at a formal dance at the Anchor and Saber Club in New York City. Rene would rise to become a top executive at IBM World Trade where his linguistic skills came in handy.
Research notes
- See notes
- MII 415
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 98 |
| Class_ASN | 54061 |
| Class_Name | MENZEL, Rene E. |
| match_method | asn_partial_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- 8/1943 Assigned to Camp Ritchie.
- 11.
- Assigned as CO of MII 415 attached to 2nd Infantry Division.
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)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-12-13 (1 post)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Rene E. Menzel for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Menzel, Rene E. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: RENE E. MENZEL.doc)