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Stephan Heinz Lewy
| Stephan Heinz Lewy | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1925 Germany, Of Jewish Faith |
| Died | 9 November 2021 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 31371862 |
| Rank | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 15 (4 January – 3 March 1944) |
| Section | 7A |
| Enlisted | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Specialty | Military intelligence |
| Unit / division | 6th Armored Division |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Stephan Heinz Lewy (1925 – 9 November 2021), also known as Stephen/Heinz Stephan Lewy, was a Berlin-born Jewish orphan, Kindertransport refugee, and Ritchie Boy of Camp Ritchie Class 15. Drafted in 1943 at Boston, he trained for military intelligence and served with the 6th Armored Division, including the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of Buchenwald.
Biography
Stephan Heinz Lewy (ASN 31371862) was born in 1925 in Germany, of Jewish faith, with Camp Ritchie Class 15 (section 7A, private), overseas service, and enlistment at Boston, Massachusetts. Records list one year of high school and a general office clerk occupation. Facebook posts report that he died on November 9, 2021—the anniversary of Kristallnacht—at age 96.
He was born in Berlin and raised in an orphanage. In 1939 he was sent with other orphanage children to France on a Kindertransport; a Kindertransport identification paper for the German-Jewish refugee child Heinz Stephan Lewy, issued for children coming from Germany and Central Europe to Paris, survives in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and was shared on the Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page. He emigrated to the United States in 1942 and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943 at age 18.
Because of his language skills he was sent to Camp Ritchie for military intelligence training. He served with the 6th Armored Division—described in page posts as a favorite of Gen. Patton—which landed at Utah Beach shortly after D-Day. As a German refugee in American uniform he was warned of the danger of capture by Nazi forces. Facebook material states that he fought in the Battle of the Bulge and participated in the liberation of Buchenwald.
After the war Lewy lived in Buffalo, New York. He was featured among the Ritchie Boys discussed in Bruce Henderson's Sons and Soldiers, appeared in local Holocaust-education resources (including the Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo and later the Buffalo Jewish Federation), and attended related public events.
Research notes
- Also Class 11 OB
- OB 35
- 3/11/1925-A
Gallery
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Nara ASN | 31371862 |
| Nara Name | LEWY S/EPHAN A |
| Nara State | 13 |
| Nara County | 25 |
| Nara POE | 1306 |
| Nara DOE | 200843 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | NO |
| Nara Branch Code | 2 |
| Branch | No branch assignment |
| 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 Nativity | N1 |
| Nara Year of Birth | 25 |
| Nara Race Description | Unknown |
| Nara Education | 1 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 105 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 0 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 0 |
| Class_ASN | 31371862 |
| Class_Name | LEWY, Heinz S. |
| match_method | pass2_asn_last |
| 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 2018-01-26 (2 posts)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-07-26 (4 posts)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-08-30 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2024-09-25 (1 post)
- Facebook-linked source: jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com
- Facebook-linked source: hrcbuffalo.org
- Facebook-linked source: buffalonews.com
- Facebook-linked source: bit.ly
- Facebook-linked source: buffalojewishfederation.org