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Karl G Smith
| Karl G Smith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Karl Goldschmidt Karl Goldsmith |
| Born | 1921 |
| Died | 2002 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Known for | Denazification of Eschwege; Karl Goldsmith interview |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32475883 |
| Rank | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 20 (19 June – 16 August 1944) |
| Section | 5A |
| Enlisted | Syracuse, New York |
| Specialty | IPW (interrogation of prisoners of war) |
| Unit / division | IPW Team 143; American Military Government, Eschwege |
| Team | IPW 143 |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Karl G. Smith (1921–2002), born Karl Goldschmidt and also known as Karl Goldsmith, was a German-born Camp Ritchie interrogator. A graduate of Class 20, he served with an IPW team in the European Theater and, after VE Day, directed denazification in his hometown of Eschwege.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Karl G. Smith was born Karl Goldschmidt in 1921 in Eschwege, in the Hesse region of Germany. After Kristallnacht he left for the United States, finishing high school in upstate New York and beginning agricultural studies at Cornell University before he was drafted in 1942. In civilian and later public life he was also known as Karl Goldsmith.
He first served with military police units, including duty along the Alcan Highway, before language skills brought him to military government training and then to Camp Ritchie. He graduated with Class 20 as an interrogator of prisoners of war. In September 1944 his IPW team landed in France; his account of service describes work with Team 142 IPW alongside interrogators such as John Slade. The class roster lists him with IPW 143.
After VE Day he returned to Eschwege with the American Military Government and took charge of denazification in the town where he had grown up. He left Germany for the United States in early 1946, completed his degree at Cornell in 1947, and worked in floriculture before entering the life insurance business in 1957. He remained active in that work until his death in February 2002.
Research notes[edit | edit source]
- About Face
- PI 18
Gallery[edit | edit source]
-
Karl Goldsmith’s German passport, stamped with a red J for Juden. Karl Goldsmith -
Karl Goldsmith’s German passport, stamped with a red J for Juden. Karl Goldsmith -
Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 81 |
| Nara ASN | 32475883 |
| Nara Name | SMITH KARL G |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 109 |
| Nara POE | 2386 |
| Nara DOE | 100942 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | BI |
| Nara Branch Code | 0 |
| Branch | Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA |
| Nara Term or Enlistment | 5 |
| Term of enlistment | Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law |
| Defer. Date | 0 |
| Nara Source | 0 |
| Nara Nativity | N1 |
| Nara Year of Birth | 21 |
| Nara Race | J |
| Nara Race Description | White not yet a citizen |
| Nara Education | 6 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 340 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 67 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 145 |
| Class_ASN | 32475883 |
| Class_Name | SMITH, Karl |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Ritchie Boy Interviews (Karl Goldsmith / About Face interview)
- Steve Karras interview on YouTube
- 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
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2024-03-30 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2024-04-28 (1 post)
- Facebook-linked source: YouTube interview