Kurt Klein
Kurt Klein
Personal details
Born1920
Died2002
NativityGermany
ReligionJewish
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
ASN32554510
RankPrivate
Camp RitchieClass 5 (8 February – 9 April 1943)
Section9
EnlistedBuffalo, New York
SpecialtyMilitary intelligence
Unit / division5th Infantry Division
TeamIPW 3
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.


Kurt Klein (1920–2002) was a United States Army Private who trained at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, in Class 5. Kurt enlisted at Buffalo, New York. From Walldorf, Germany; intelligence officer in the 5th Infantry Division who later married Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissmann.

Biography

Kurt Klein immigrated alone to the United States in 1937 from Walldorf, Germany. Inducted in 1942, he became an intelligence officer in the 5th Infantry Division after Camp Ritchie. After the war he married Gerda Weissmann, whose liberation story was told in the Academy Award–winning documentary One Survivor Remembers. He died in 2002 while on a lecture tour in Guatemala. See the full story.

Research notes

  • To 2nd Lt About Face
  • Civil Life

Gallery

 
Enemy I Knew Kurt Klein 1.png
 
Enemy I Knew Kurt Klein 2.png
 
Enemy I Knew Kurt Klein 3.png

Technical record

Field Imported value
Approx Age at Death 82
Nara ASN 32554510
Nara Name KLEIN KURT
Nara State 23
Nara County 29
Nara POE 2309
Nara DOE 281042
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 20
Nara Race J
Nara Race Description White not yet a citizen
Nara Education 4
Nara Civilian Occupation 444
Nara Marital Status 6
Nara Height (inches) 66
Nara Weight (lbs) 128
Class_ASN 32554510
Class_Name KLEIN, Kurt
match_method asn_exact_name_exact
row_source both

Sources

  • Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
  • NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
  • 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
  • The Stories essay