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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
Rene was born November 22nd 1919 in The Hague, Netherlands. While his parents and Georges were evading the Nazis by sleeping out in remote farm houses, Rene enlisted in the Free French Army. From Morocco he made his way to the US through a ship that was going to Guadeloupe where he was reunited with his parents who had previously escaped war torn Europe and were living in New York City.
Rene attended high school and university in Belgium. Rene graduated from the University of Brussels just as WWII was breaking out in Europe.
Rene immediately enlisted in the US Army and rose to the rank of First Lieutenant.
He became a naturalized US citizen while stationed at the Military Intelligence Training Center in Camp Ritchie, Maryland.
He worked as tabulating machine operator. He also served as an Investigating Officer with the War Crimes Branch. He served as interviewer of people fleeing the continent.
Rene Eugene Menzel was a Ritchie Boy. Rene's father, Jean was an industrialist, art collector, and champion horse owner. He and his family were forced to flee Belgium during the Nazi blitzkrieg.
He was subsequently injured during a skirmish by shrapnel and convalesced in a hospital in Nazi occupied France. He escaped through falsifying a pass that allowed him to travel freely throughout German occupied France. He eventually made his way to Casablanca Morocco which at that time was not under Vichy government control.
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. He participated in the liberation of France where his detachment assisted in the freeing of over 50,000 Prisoners of War.
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. It was a fascinating period in their lives as they traveled frequently throughout the Orient.
On the volunteer side, Rene became very involved in the local town government; heading up the Planning and Zoning Committee as well as becoming a Power Squadron instructor. Rene was awarded the SCORE Connecticut Chapter executive of the year award. He was very fond of helping small business succeed.
Rene Eugene Menzel died May 10th, 2017 at the age of 97.
Research notes
- See notes
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
- Born 22 November 1919 in Netherlands.
- August 1943 — Assigned to Camp Ritchie.
- Assigned as CO of MII 415 attached to 2nd Infantry Division.
- Graduated as 2nd Lt. (ASN 01054061) with Class 11 PI and SC 1 Fr.
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)