Leon Poteshman

Leon Poteshman
Personal details
Birth name	Potyszman
Died	2021
Nativity	Poland
Religion	Jewish
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	36629611
Rank	Private
Camp Ritchie	Class 7 (15 April – 12 June 1943)
Section	12
Team	MII 416-G

Teammates

Team — MII 416-G

These are other soldiers listed on the same team roster. People moved between teams; overlapping service dates are not always documented.

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.

Leon Poteshman (died 2021) was a Ritchie Boy (born Potyszman; from Poland; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 7.

Biography

Ritchie Boy Leon Poteshman wrote this Summer that he is 94 and residing in Highland Park, IL. Leon was in the 7th Class at Camp Ritchie and served on French Team 416. He served from 1943-45 in Normandy, Northern France and the Rhineland, and was stationed in Paris at the Headquarters of the 1st Army as an Interrogator. He helped establish new mayors in cities along the way to Paris while arresting those who had worked with the Germans.

My invitation to give an online presentation tomorrow at the invitation of the National Museum of Jewish American Military History (NMJAMH) on Camp Ritchie and the Ritchie Boys has generated a response that has far exceeded my expectations. I have been contacted by quite a number of family members of Ritchie Boys with a lot of photos, documents, stories, etc. Too much information to me to share with the Community at this time, but I will try to share snippets as time permits. One important piece of news is that Ritchie Boy Leon Poteshman of Highland Park, IL, is home recovering from a recent hospitalization. He was born in Poland on February 22, 1922, grew up in France, and came to the United States while a teenager. He was stationed in France during his service in WWII due to his French fluency.

Tribute to Ritchie Boy Leon Poteshman. He was born on February 22, 1922, and emigrated to the United States at age 16. Ritchie Boy Poteshman trained in military intelligence at Camp Ritchie and served as a French interpreter during the War interrogating collaborators with the Germans. He also served with the OSS. In his later life, he left a remarkable legacy with two children, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. RB Poteshman is also survived by his wife Esther, to whom he was married 69 years. He was the owner of Western Tool Company, where he worked until age 85.

Gary Poteshman has shared an oral interview of his late Father, Ritchie Boy Leon Poteshman, who passed away August 19, 2021.

Research notes

• Camp Sharpe 11-11-43
• MII 416
• 2/22/1922-A

Gallery

• 
  In the photo below on the left, Ritchie Boy Leon Poteshman is sitting on the lower stoop.
• 
  In the photo below on the left, Ritchie Boy Leon Poteshman is sitting on the lower stoop.

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Class_ASN	36629611
Class_Name	POTESHMAN, Leon
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)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2016-10-11 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2020-05-06 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-08-19 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-08-31 (1 post)
• Facebook-linked source: stream-media.loc.gov