| Rolf Bergman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1923 Berlin, Germany |
| Died | 10 April 1981 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32899248 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Rank at Ritchie | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 11 (25 August – 23 October 1943) |
| Section | 5A |
| Enlisted | New York City, New York |
| Team | IPW 79 |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Rolf Bergman (1923 – 10 April 1981) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 11 and served with IPW Team 79.
Biography
He was never a German citizen even though both his father and he were born there because his grandfather had a Nansen passport as a refugee from Odessa (per Wikipedia, a Nansen is an internationally recognized refugee travel document issued between 1922 and 1938 to stateless persons)." This is a photo of Rolf with his parents.
Here are some more details about his getting settled in the United States. "Once they arrived in the US, the Joint Distribution Committee arranged for them to go to Havana and re-enter as immigrants. Immediately, they applied for reunification of the family, helped by another US cousin who worked at the State Department. May 3, 1936, my dad (not yet 14) and his 9 year old sister arrived in NY after traveling alone on the Queen Mary. They had been staying with an aunt and uncle. My father showed up in high school with no records. They placed him by giving him Regents' exams. After he passed the 4 year German, 4 year English, American History, European history, geometry, algebra, they allowed him to be a senior in September. He took German 4 over the summer to polish his English, and graduated Washington Irving High School in June 1937."
He told me that (as) a resident alien he had to wait to be drafted and hounded the draft board, pointing out his usefulness in the European theater as a native German speaker. He was in Fort Dix, having passed his finals, before graduation. He was recruited for Intelligence and went to Fort Ritchie and then for some reason to Louisiana before heading overseas." The description of this photo reads, "Taking a break during a hectic drive in Britagny (sic). Don't I look ferocious? The makeup is only dust on sweat."
Other members of this team: Capt. Loew; S/Sgt Mysior; T/3 Aronson; T/5 Marx. Here are some more photos of RB Rolf Berman in the European Theater of Operations.
RB Bergman enlisted in the US Army in New York City on April 29, 1943 as a PVT. He did his basic training at Camp Pickett, VA, and was transferred to Camp Ritchie in July 1943. He was skillful in German, French and Spanish. Ritchie Boy Bergman started his training in the 11th Class at Ritchie as an Interrogator of Prisoners of War, and obtained his American citizenship on September 8, 1942.
Research notes
Gallery
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The top picture below is with RB Bergman (r) and his commanding officer (l), and in the picture below is RB Bergman and a pal in the motor pool -
The top picture below is with RB Bergman (r) and his commanding officer (l), and in the picture below is RB Bergman and a pal in the motor pool
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 58 |
| Nara ASN | 32899248 |
| Nara Name | BERGMAN ROLF |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 61 |
| Nara POE | 2364 |
| Nara DOE | 290443 |
| 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 | 23 |
| Nara Race | J |
| Nara Race Description | White not yet a citizen |
| Nara Education | 4 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 992 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 54 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 108 |
| Class_ASN | 32899248 |
| Class_Name | BERGMAN, Rolf |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- Born 21 September 1923 in Germany.
- 29 April 1943 — Enlisted at NYC as Pvt (ASN: 32899248).
- 23 October 1943 — Graduated with Class 11. Classified as Asst Interrogator (German).
- 24 May 1944 — Promoted to M/Sgt.
- Assigned to IPW Ge Team 79 attached to XII Corps.
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 2018-11-15 (5 posts)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-02-19 (1 post)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Rolf Bergman for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Bergman, Rolf for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: ROLF BERGMAN.doc)