Meyer Krakowski

Meyer Krakowski
Personal details
Born	1901 Poland
Died	1978
Nativity	Poland
Religion	Jewish
Awards	Army Commendation
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Arm / service	Air Corps
ASN	0582821
Rank	First Lieutenant
Rank at Ritchie	Second Lieutenant
Camp Ritchie	Class 21 (21 July – 18 September 1944)
Section	5D

Awards and honors

Army Commendation

Research notes on this page are compiled from the source file and later edits. They may be unverified, incomplete, or incorrect, and should not be treated as established fact. Please correct the article or add sources on the talk page. For class-roster terms, see About the data.

Sources & confidence: Treat Research notes as leads, not settled fact. Prefer NARA, the class roster, newspapers, Find a Grave, or published histories for contested claims. Mark unsourced claims with {{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.

Meyer Krakowski (1901–1978) was a Ritchie Boy (from Poland; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 21. The record lists a final rank of First Lieutenant.

Biography

Meyer Krakowski was born in Poland in 1901. A Jewish language teacher at Los Angeles City College, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and, after an initial discharge, reenlisted as an officer for military-intelligence training.

Krakowski graduated from Camp Ritchie (Class 21) on 18 September 1944. He followed Patton's forces into Germany and was attached to a forward P-47 fighter squadron in France, interrogating captured Luftwaffe pilots and other German officers. After Germany surrendered, he helped place German orphans in homes so that they would not be raised under Nazi influence. West German officials later commended that work.

Krakowski returned to Los Angeles City College and eventually retired as head of its language department. He died in 1978.

Research notes

• OCR (100%) of `5707496559272218.jpg` (CAMP RITCHIE, MILITARY INTELLIGENCE TRAINING CENTER, Camp Ritchie) — dated 18 Sept 1944.
• OCR (83%) of `5707496525938888.jpg` (gallery document).
• The packet calls the West German recognition a civilian Iron Cross, an unusual and insufficiently documented label; the biography says only that officials commended his work. The existing Army Commendation display is retained from its certificate.

Gallery

• 
  Meyer Krakowski in Third Army service uniform (RB Archive)
• 
  Camp Ritchie MITC certificate for Meyer Krakowski, Class 21, 18 September 1944 (RB Archive)
• 
  Army Commendation certificate for First Lieutenant Meyer Krakowski (RB Archive)

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	77
Class_ASN	582821
Class_Name	KRAKOWSKI, Meyer
match_method	asn_exact_name_exact
row_source	both

Timeline

• 1901 — Born in Poland.
• World War II — Reenlisted as an officer for military-intelligence training.
• 18 September 1944 — Graduated from Camp Ritchie (Class 21).
• 1944–1945 — Interrogated Luftwaffe pilots and German officers while attached to a forward P-47 squadron.
• 1945 — Helped place German orphans in homes after the German surrender.
• Postwar — Returned to Los Angeles City College and later headed its language department.
• 1978 — Died.

Sources

• Army Commendation certificate for First Lieutenant Meyer Krakowski
• Meyer Krakowski in Third Army service uniform
• RB Archive biographical account for Meyer Krakowski
• 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 2022-09-24 (1 post)
• Camp Ritchie MITC certificate for Meyer Krakowski, 18 September 1944
• OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 5707496525938888.jpg
• Camp Ritchie Military Intelligence Training Center certificate for Meyer Krakowski, class 21, 18 September 1944
• Camp Ritchie class certificate, associated gallery scan
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 24 September 2022 (biographical account and gallery documents)
• Photograph of Meyer Krakowski in uniform
• Commendation certificate identifying Krakowski as a first lieutenant, associated gallery scan