Walter Kohner

Walter Kohner
Personal details
Born	12 October 1914 Czechoslovakia
Died	1996
Nativity	Czechoslovakia
Religion	Jewish
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	39167571
Rank	Sergeant
Rank at Ritchie	Private
Camp Ritchie	Class 11 (25 August – 23 October 1943)
Section	5C
Enlisted	Los Angeles, California

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.

Walter Kohner (12 October 1914–1996) was a Czechoslovak-born Ritchie Boy (Class 11) who served in Mobile Radio Broadcasting / psychological warfare and later worked as a Hollywood artists’ representative.

Biography

Walter Kohner was born on 12 October 1914 in Czechoslovakia. Before the war he worked as an assistant to theatrical producer Max Reinhardt. He entered the U.S. Army in 1942 and trained at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, in Class 11, later moving into psychological-warfare work at Camp Sharpe near Gettysburg under Captain Hans Habe’s Mobile Radio Broadcasting companies (roster notes place him with the 4th MRBC by 28 March 1944).

After D-Day he deployed to England on the S.S. Aquitania and served in the European theater. On 24 October 1945 he married Hanna Bloch in Luxembourg; they moved to Los Angeles in July 1946. Kohner worked as an artists’ representative in Hollywood. Hanna’s life story was featured on This Is Your Life in May 1953; their daughter Julie was born on 4 July 1955. He died in 1996.

Research notes

• Was ass't to Max Reinhardt
• to 4th MRBC, 3/28/44
• Was assistant to Max Reinhardt (prior research note; retained).
• Roster/research: to 4th MRBC, 28 March 1944.

Gallery

• 
  Walter Kohner, U.S. Army induction, 1942 (memoir illustration).
• 
  Walter Kohner (far right) at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, 1944.
• 
  Walter Kohner memoir photograph (RB Archive).
• 
  Memoir page: Walter’s arrival at Camp Ritchie.
• 
  Memoir page: psychological warfare training at Camp Sharpe under Capt. Hans Habe; 4th Mobile Radio Broadcasting Company path.
• 
  Memoir epilogue: marriage to Hanna (Luxembourg, 24 Oct 1945); Hollywood career.

Technical record

Field	Imported value
MRBC4	4
Approx Age at Death	82
Nara ASN	39167571
Nara Name	KOHNER WALTER
Nara State	91
Nara County	37
Nara POE	9141
Nara DOE	241041
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	0
Term of enlistment	Unknown
Defer. Date	0
Nara Source	0
Nara Nativity	N4
Nara Year of Birth	14
Nara Race	J
Nara Race Description	White not yet a citizen
Nara Education	5
Nara Civilian Occupation	185
Nara Marital Status	6
Nara Height (inches)	66
Nara Weight (lbs)	149
Class_ASN	39167571
Class_Name	KOHNER, Walter
match_method	asn_exact_name_exact
row_source	both

Timeline

• 12 October 1914 — Born in Czechoslovakia.
• Prewar — Assistant to Max Reinhardt.
• 1942 — U.S. Army induction.
• Camp Ritchie Class 11; Camp Sharpe MRBC / psywar training (Capt. Hans Habe); to 4th MRBC by 28 March 1944.
• June 1944 — Recalled from furlough on D-Day; deploys via S.S. Aquitania to England.
• 24 October 1945 — Marries Hanna Bloch in Luxembourg.
• July 1946 — Moves to Los Angeles; Hollywood artists’ representative.
• 1996 — Died.

Sources

• RB Archive memoir excerpts (Camp Ritchie / Camp Sharpe / epilogue pages; family packet)
• 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)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Walter Kohner for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Kohner, Walter for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: WALTER KOHNER.doc)