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.
Stephen Sigmund Mosbacher
| Stephen Sigmund Mosbacher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 October 1923 Nuremberg |
| Died | 1945 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Awards | Silver Star |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 35554027 |
| Rank | Private First Class |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 19 (16 May – 13 July 1944) |
| Section | 5A |
| Enlisted | Toledo, Ohio |
| Team | IPW 149 |
|
| Silver Star |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Stephen Sigmund Mosbacher (14 October 1923 – 1945) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 19 and served with IPW Team 149.
Biography
Stephen, who usually signed as "Sigmund", was born October 14 1923 into a Jewish family in Nuremberg.
In September 1943, Mosbacher attended ASTP, University of Missouri as Pfc. Stephen attended University of Toledo (3 years, Chemical Engineering).
Stephen enlisted in the US Army in his adopted hometown of Toledo, Ohio on June 12, 1943.
He buried in Margraten Cemetery, Netherlands. He was the oldest child and only son of Emil Mosbacher and Rose Wurman. Life in Germany had become unbearable when threats to the Jewish population progressed to a point where his father Dr Mosbacher was forced to discontinue his practice of medicine.
During the attack on the Elbe River, S/Sgt Mosbacher advanced to within ten yards of enemy infantry elements in an effort to rescue a comrade who was pinned down by enemy fire. The rescue was accomplished in the face of direct fire of artillery, mortars and small arms fire Mosbacher was fatally wounded a few minutes later while attempting the rescue of another wounded soldier who was directly in the path of an enemy tank. Stephen was grimly smiling and still had a firm grip on his machine gun.
S/Sgt Mosbacher was awarded the Silver Star Medal posthumously for his actions on the day of his death. He was attached to IPW Team #149, 8th Armored Division. He and the rescued soldier were found dead.
He had received the nickname "Moose", in part because of his size. He was also reputed to have the biggest appetite in the headquarters company and to be always the first man in the mess line.
Research notes
- Silver Star
- Enlisted Reserve or Medical Administrative Corps (MAC) Officer
Gallery
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 22 |
| Nara ASN | 35554027 |
| Nara Name | MOSBACHER STEPHEN S |
| Nara State | 53 |
| Nara County | 95 |
| Nara POE | 5384 |
| Nara DOE | 120643 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | NO |
| Nara Branch Code | 2 |
| Branch | No branch assignment |
| Nara Term or Enlistment | 0 |
| Term of enlistment | Unknown |
| Defer. Date | 0 |
| Nara Source | 5 |
| Nara Nativity | N1 |
| Nara Year of Birth | 23 |
| Nara Race | 1 |
| Nara Race Description | White citizen |
| Nara Education | 7 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 992 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 8 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 128 |
| Class_ASN | 35554027 |
| Class_Name | MOSBACHER, Stephen S. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- Born 14 October 1923 in Nuremberg to Emil and Rose Mosbacher (Jewish).
- 13 July 1944 — Graduated Class 19 as S/Sgt (German-Documents Examiner). DEML.
- Assigned to IPW Team 145 attached to the 8th Armored Division.
- Awarded Silver Star posthumously.
- Buried in Margraten Cemetery, Netherlands.
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 2022-11-11 (1 post)
- Facebook-linked source: fieldsofhonor-database.com
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Stephen S. Mosbacher for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Mosbacher, Stephen S. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: STEPHEN S. MOSBACHER (2020).doc)