Soft launch: Soldier biographies and research notes vary in completeness. Prefer class-roster, NARA, newspapers, and other cited sources for contested facts — treat Research notes as leads, not settled history. Anyone can correct a page; contact us with questions.
Otto R. Kundert
| Otto R. Kundert | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1918 |
| Died | 10 December 2006 |
| Nativity | United States |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 16034933 |
| Rank | Staff Sergeant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 21 (21 July – 18 September 1944), 22 (23 August – 21 October 1944) |
| Section | 5A (21); 6F (22) |
| Enlisted | Chicago, Illinois |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Otto R. Kundert (1918 – 10 December 2006) was a Ritchie Boy (from United States; Protestant) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 21; 22.
Biography
Kundert was born on a farm in Java, S.D., to ethnic German immigrants from Russia.
He received an undergraduate degree years later, in 1954, and a law degree from American University in 1955. He entered the University of South Dakota at age 16 to become qualified to teach elementary school. As an elementary school teacher, he taught piano and conducted numerous children’s choruses, and then moved to Chicago to pursue his own music dreams.
Kundert, who was fluent in German, was transferred to the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie, Md., where he studied and taught courses on prisoner interrogation, aerial photo interpretation and German order of battle.
He was sent to Wiesbaden, Germany, in 1945 to work as chief of a War Crimes Branch translation section, which contributed 70 documents to the Nuremberg war crimes trials. Returning to South Dakota in 1950 to see his dying father, he spent a year making speeches about postwar Europe, America’s role in the world and the Soviet threat. Kundert also gave psychic readings.
A member of the Army Air Corps, he was an Army instructor in Denver, where he continued to study voice and perform. Transferred to New Haven, Conn., he performed with Yale glee clubs and appeared on war bond shows with such celebrities as Tony Martin and Glenn Miller. He also appeared on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour.
After his discharge, he became chief of a political intelligence section at the 7707 European Command Intelligence Center at Oberursel, Germany, where he and his staff interrogated refugees and German prisoners of war.
Otto passed away December 10 2006 at the age of 88. , and retired analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency. An operatic tenor, he studied voice and was a featured soloist at churches, until his plans were interrupted by World War II.
Research notes
- Ger OB Nuremberg CIA
- memory.loc.gov — transcript
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 88 |
| Nara ASN | 16034933 |
| Nara Name | KUNDERT OTTO R |
| Nara State | 78 |
| Nara County | 129 |
| Nara POE | 6120 |
| Nara DOE | 31041 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | AC |
| Nara Branch Code | 20 |
| Branch | Air Corps |
| Nara Term or Enlistment | 0 |
| Term of enlistment | Unknown |
| Defer. Date | 0 |
| Nara Source | 0 |
| Nara Nativity | 78 |
| Nativity.1 | SOUTH DAKOTA |
| Nara Year of Birth | 18 |
| Nara Race | 1 |
| Nara Race Description | White citizen |
| Nara Education | 6 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 30 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 68 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 190 |
| Class_ASN | 16034933 |
| Class_Name | KUNDERT, Otto R. |
| match_method | asn_exact_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 2022-12-10 (1 post)