| George A. Sakheim | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Ruben Gabriel Sakheim |
| Born | 12 June 1923 Hamburg, Germany |
| Died | 5 December 2019 Lansdale, Pennsylvania |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32861841 |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Rank at Ritchie | Private First Class |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 16 (6 February – 5 April 1944) |
| Section | 5D |
| Enlisted | New York City, New York |
| Unit / division | 104th Infantry Division |
| Team | IPW 13 |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
George A. Sakheim (12 June 1923 – 5 December 2019), born Ruben Gabriel Sakheim, was a Hamburg-born Ritchie Boy (Class 16) who interrogated in northwest Europe and interpreted at the Nuremberg trials.
Biography
Ruben Gabriel Sakheim was born on 12 June 1923 in Hamburg, Germany. After his father’s death the family moved to Berlin, then fled to Palestine in 1933; he reached New York in 1938, took the name George A. Sakheim, and enrolled at Columbia before the Army drafted him in March 1943.
Naturalized in November 1943, he trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 16) and served with IPW Team 13 / the 104th Infantry Division, landing in Normandy about a week after D-Day and interrogating prisoners as the division moved east. In April 1945 he was among U.S. troops at the Dora-Mittelbau camp at Nordhausen. After VE-Day he volunteered as a German–English interpreter at Nuremberg, working interrogations and courtroom translation for about seven months, including sessions involving Hermann Göring and Rudolf Höss.
He later earned psychology degrees at Columbia and a Ph.D. at Florida State University, practiced as a clinical psychologist, and wrote on firesetting children. He died on 5 December 2019 near Gwynedd / Lansdale, Pennsylvania.
Research notes
- ASTP Nuremberg
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 96 |
| Nara ASN | 32861841 |
| Nara Name | SAKHEIM GEORGE A |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 61 |
| Nara POE | 2364 |
| Nara DOE | 120343 |
| 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 | 1 |
| Nara Race Description | White citizen |
| Nara Education | 5 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 992 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 88 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 120 |
| Class_ASN | 32861841 |
| Class_Name | SAKHEIM, George A. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- 12 June 1923 — Born Ruben Gabriel Sakheim in Hamburg.
- 1933 — Family fled Berlin for Palestine; to New York 1938 as George A. Sakheim.
- March 1943 — Drafted; Columbia interrupted.
- November 1943 — Naturalized U.S. citizen.
- 5 April 1944 — Graduated Camp Ritchie Class 16; IPW Team 13 / 104th Infantry Division.
- June 1944 onward — Normandy (D+7); northwest Europe interrogations; Dora-Mittelbau, April 1945.
- 1945–1946 — Interpreter / translator, Nuremberg trials (~seven months).
- Postwar — Columbia degrees; Ph.D., Florida State (1954); clinical psychology career.
- 5 December 2019 — Died, Lansdale / Gwynedd, Pennsylvania area.
Sources
- Jewish Exponent — 2015 Nuremberg anniversary interview (as cited in secondary coverage)
- Philadelphia Inquirer — George Sakheim obituary
- New York Times — George Sakheim, Interpreter at Nuremberg Trials, Dies at 96 (27 December 2019)
- Jerusalem Post — The Nuremberg Diary
- 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 2023-01-12 (1 post)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of George A. Sakheim for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 2 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Sakheim, George A. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 2 source files: GEORGE A. SAKHEIM (2021).doc, GEORGE A. SAKHEIM.doc)