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Ernest Wachtel
| Ernest Wachtel | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 May 1924 Vienna, Austria |
| Died | 2016 |
| Nativity | Austria |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32776330 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Rank at Ritchie | Technician Fifth Grade |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 12 (27 September – 25 November 1943) |
| Section | 4C |
| Unit / division | Third Army |
| Team | IPW 62 |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Ernest Wachtel (6 May 1924 – 2016) was a Vienna-born Ritchie Boy who served with IPW Team 62 of Patton’s Third Army from Omaha Beach into Germany.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Ernest Wachtel was born on 6 May 1924 in Vienna, Austria, the only child of Sigmund (Shaye) and Sofie (Zusa) Liss Wachtel. After the Anschluss his school friends turned on him; Jews were forced to scrub antisemitic graffiti while mobs jeered. The family fled via France—his father later interned as an enemy alien—and Ernest reached New York alone in July 1938 at fourteen. His parents followed in 1939 to a chicken farm at Stelton, New Jersey, beside Camp Kilmer, whose officers’ mess bought their eggs and chickens.
Eager to serve, Wachtel forged his father’s signature to enlist. After Fort Leonard Wood and University of Kentucky topography training He was sent to Camp Ritchie (Classes 12 and 15). He crossed to Omaha Beach on D+3 (9 June 1944) and joined IPW Team 62 with Third Army, sorting and screening prisoners from Thionville through Trier and the Bulge. After Germany’s surrender He drove to newly liberated Dachau, photographed the dead, and helped three Jewish survivors find housing and supplies in Bad Tölz.
Discharged at Camp Kilmer on 24 December 1945, He married Rose Nussbaum in 1947 and later built businesses in sales, vending, laundry concessions, and apartment management. He died in 2016.
Research notes[edit | edit source]
- Also 15th class/5B, 2/14/44
- Class 12
- Class 15*
- 3rd Army
Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 92 |
| Class_ASN | 32776330 |
| Class_Name | WACHTEL, Ernest; WAGHTEL, Ernest |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact; asn_exact_name_compatible |
| row_source | both |
Timeline[edit | edit source]
- 6 May 1924 — Born in Vienna, Austria.
- 1938 — Anschluss; family fled via France.
- July 1938 — Arrived alone in New York.
- 1939 — Parents joined him on a chicken farm near Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.
- 1943 — Enlisted; topography training at University of Kentucky; Camp Ritchie.
- 24 September 1943 — Arrived Camp Ritchie; Class 12 (later also Class 15).
- 9 June 1944 — Landed Omaha Beach (D+3); IPW Team 62, Third Army.
- May 1945 — Visited liberated Dachau; aided survivors in Bad Tölz.
- 24 December 1945 — Discharged at Camp Kilmer.
- 1947 — Married Rose Nussbaum.
- 2016 — Died.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Zekelman Holocaust Center oral-history index
- Zekelman Holocaust Center oral history, OHV 418
- 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 2024-03-31 (1 post)
- Facebook-linked source: amzn.to
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Ernest Wachtel for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 2 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Wachtel, Ernest for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 2 source files: ERNEST WACHTEL (2020).doc, ERNEST WACHTEL.doc)