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.
Murray Zappler
| Murray Zappler | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1924 Germany |
| Died | 1944 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32824267 |
| Rank | Technician Fifth Grade |
| Rank at Ritchie | Private First Class |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 19 (16 May – 13 July 1944) |
| Section | 5D |
| Enlisted | New York City, New York |
| Unit / division | 106th Infantry Division |
| Team | IPW 154 |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Murray Zappler (1924–1944) was a German-born Jewish Ritchie Boy on IPW Team 154 with the 106th Infantry Division; he was murdered as a prisoner of war because he was Jewish.
Biography
Murray Zappler was a German-born Jewish Ritchie Boy (Class 19) who had ASTP German training at the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a clerk-typist before overseas duty. As a technician fifth grade on IPW Team 154, he served with Headquarters, 106th Infantry Division, interrogating German prisoners.
Zappler and teammate Kurt R. Jacobs were taken prisoner and murdered because of their Jewish heritage. Their names appear on the 106th Division Headquarters honor roll (sometimes with typographical errors). The responsible German officer’s case is documented in a Dachau trial transcript.
Research notes
- ASTP; KIA Murdered as POW
- IPW Team 154; murdered as POW (Jewish); with Kurt R. Jacobs
Gallery
After you are autoconfirmed, upload a photo and add [[File:Example.jpg|thumb|caption]] here, or set |photo=Example.jpg in the infobox.
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 20 |
| Nara ASN | 32824267 |
| Nara Name | ZAPPLER MURRAY |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 5 |
| Nara POE | 2364 |
| Nara DOE | 50343 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | NO |
| Nara Branch Code | 2 |
| Branch | No branch assignment |
| 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 | 24 |
| Nara Race | J |
| Nara Race Description | White not yet a citizen |
| Nara Education | 4 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 137 |
| Nara Marital Status | 1 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 44 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 120 |
| Class_ASN | 32824267 |
| Class_Name | ZAPPLER, Murray |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- Born 1 September 1924 in Germany (Jewish).
- 30 June 1943 — Became naturalized U.S. citizen.
- 13 July 1944 — Graduated Class 19 (German Linguist #2).
- 28 November 1944 — Assigned to IPW Team 154 attached to 106th Infantry Division.
- 4 September 1944 — Promoted to T/5; transferred to DEML.
- Buried at the American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle, Belgium.
Sources
- Bruce Henderson, Sons and Soldiers (account of Jacobs and Zappler as POWs)
- Dachau trial transcript — Jacobs/Zappler murder case (Marburg ICWC)
- Dan Gross research archive (miscellaneous timeline-adjacent documents; not uploaded): Jacobs and Zappler.doc
- 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 2017-09-03 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2019-06-06 (4 posts)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-03-08 (1 post)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Murray Zappler for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Zappler, Murray for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: MURRAY ZAPPLER.doc)