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Herbert Karl Oehmichen
| Herbert Karl Oehmichen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1915 New York City |
| Died | 1990 |
| Nativity | United States |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Arm / service | Field Artillery |
| ASN | 01166800 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 15 (4 January – 3 March 1944) |
| Section | 5A |
| Specialty | POW interrogation |
| Unit / division | 359th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division |
| Team | IPW 49 |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Herbert Karl Oehmichen (1915–1990) was a New York-born Army officer who grew up in Germany and returned to the United States before the war. A Camp Ritchie-trained interrogation officer with the 359th Infantry, 90th Infantry Division, he landed on Utah Beach on D-Day and earned the Bronze Star.
Biography
His father, Paul Oehmichen, born in Leipzig, Germany, was a conscientious objector and in 1910 left Germany for NYC to avoid being drafted by the German government to fight in WWI. Herbert Karl Oehmichen was born in New York City in 1915. He the whole family moved back to Germany in 1920 and settled first in Naumburg and then in Gera in 1928 where Paul and his brother owned a leather goods and shoe repair shop. As Nazi rule tightened its hold on Germany, Oehmichen was sent back to New York City in 1934. He attended Career (Master Brewer) with Miller Brewing Company. He worked as beer fermentation technician. He elinor, being a US citizen, was allowed to work in a labor camp as a foreign worker. He erna recovered and she and Paul returned to the US where they settled in Milwaukee along with Herbert, his wife Bette and infant daughter Cynthia. He they returned to NYC and had two children, Herbert and Elinor. He rebuilt his life in the United States while his mother remained in Europe and eventually became a prisoner at Theresienstadt. Oehmichen entered the Army at Camp Grant in October 1941. He attended Field Artillery Officer Candidate School and rose to captain. From January through March 1944 he trained at Camp Ritchie, where his German background prepared him for prisoner-of-war interrogation and frontline intelligence duties. Six days later, near Amfreville, he exposed himself to enemy fire while aiding wounded American paratroopers, an action for which he received the Bronze Star. He continued with the regiment as it fought through the Normandy campaign and beyond, using interrogation to turn captured information into immediate battlefield intelligence. After returning to civilian life, Oehmichen worked as a brewmaster for Miller Brewing Company. He died in 1990. In 2023 a plaque was dedicated in Normandy to preserve the memory of his D-Day service and his valor near Amfreville.
Research notes
- 359th Infantry
Gallery
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 75 |
| Class_ASN | 166800 |
| Class_Name | OEHMICHEN, Herbert K. |
| match_method | asn_partial_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
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 2020-05-16 (1 post)
- The Stories essay