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Oskar Seidlin
| Oskar Seidlin | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Salo Oskar Koplowitz |
| Born | 17 February 1911 Königshütte, Germany |
| Died | 11 December 1984 Bloomington, Indiana |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Known for | Germanist; Ohio State / Indiana University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 31050474 |
| Rank | Technician Third Grade |
| Rank at Ritchie | Technician Fourth Grade |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 8 (17 May – 16 July 1943) |
| Section | 5A |
| Enlisted | Springfield, Massachusetts |
| Specialty | Military intelligence; German media reconstruction |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Oskar Seidlin (17 February 1911 – 11 December 1984), born Salo Oskar Koplowitz, was a German-Jewish literary scholar and Camp Ritchie Class 8 graduate who helped rebuild German newspapers and radio after serving in the European invasion.
Biography
Oskar Seidlin was born Salo Oskar Koplowitz in Königshütte, Germany, on 17 February 1911. After Hitler’s seizure of power he continued studies in Basel, earning a Ph.D. summa cum laude in 1935, then emigrated to the United States (1938) and began teaching German literature at Smith College in 1939.
Inducted in 1942, he trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 8) and served nearly four years in Army intelligence, taking part in the early stages of the European invasion and later working on teams that revived German newspapers and radio stations. After the war he taught at Middlebury’s German Summer School, joined Ohio State University in 1946 (assistant to full professor; Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award, 1960), and in 1972 moved to Indiana University as a distinguished professor of Germanic languages, retiring in 1979. He wrote widely on Goethe, Eichendorff, and Thomas Mann and received Guggenheim fellowships and the Goethe Medal. He died in Bloomington, Indiana, on 11 December 1984.
Research notes
- Ohio State biographical PDF is largely a scanned personnel form (image OCR unreliable); career facts below follow OSU/IU secondary summaries that quote that file and Seidlin’s own departmental history.
Gallery
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Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| MRBC2 | 2 |
| MRBC3 | 3 |
| Approx Age at Death | 73 |
| Nara ASN | 31050474 |
| Nara Name | SEIDLIN OSKAR |
| Nara State | 13 |
| Nara County | 15 |
| Nara POE | 1375 |
| Nara DOE | 170342 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | BI |
| Nara Branch Code | 0 |
| Branch | Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA |
| 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 | 11 |
| Nara Race | J |
| Nara Race Description | White not yet a citizen |
| Nara Education | 8 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 31 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 67 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 119 |
| Class_ASN | 31050474 |
| Class_Name | SEIDLIN, Oskar |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- 17 February 1911 — Born Salo Oskar Koplowitz in Königshütte, Germany.
- 1935 — Ph.D., University of Basel.
- 1938–1939 — Emigrates to the U.S.; teaches at Smith College.
- 1942–1946 — U.S. Army; Camp Ritchie Class 8; European invasion; German press/radio reconstruction.
- 1946–1972 — Ohio State University German Department.
- 1972–1979 — Indiana University (distinguished professor).
- 11 December 1984 — Died in Bloomington, Indiana.
Sources
- Ohio State University Archives — Seidlin, Oskar biographical file (PDF)
- Indiana University Alliance — Oskar Seidlin
- English Wikipedia — Oskar Seidlin
- 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)