| John Lewis Kay | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1919 Germany |
| Died | 2015 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Arm / service | Quartermaster Corps |
| ASN | 01584444 |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Rank at Ritchie | Second Lieutenant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 7 (15 April – 12 June 1943) |
| Section | 15 |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
John Lewis Kay (1919–2015) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 7. The record lists a final rank of First Lieutenant. Source image
Biography
John Kay (birth name Hans Kaumheimer), was born in Germany, and went to high school in Italy. He served in the US Army during WWII and later worked as a Civil Affairs Officer (CAO). He fought in the campaigns to liberate Italy where he served as CAO with the following Divisions since the initial landing at Salerno: 56 Div (Brit), 7th Armored Div (Brit), 5 Div (Brit), 45th Div (US), all Divs in X Corps except 45th. Officer also served as CAO for the Communes of Mondragone, Carolina-Falciano, and Francolise. Lt John Kay was awarded the Bronze Star medal by Gen. Mark Clark for "heroic achievement in action" on October 31, 1944, in recognition for his actions that resulted in saving the lives of more than 1,000 civilians during the Italian campaign.
A Bronze Star citation identifies him as a first lieutenant of the Quartermaster Corps and credits his work organizing the evacuation of Italian civilians during combat operations. Source image
Research notes
- IV Corps (to Major)
- OCR (97%) of `3332775190077712.jpg` (Bronze Star) — dated 2 March 1944 — rank mentioned: First Lieutenant.
- OCR mentioned officer rank First Lieutenant (not auto-filled — verify).
Gallery
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 96 |
| Class_ASN | 584444 |
| Class_Name | KAY, John L. |
| match_method | asn_partial_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 2020-07-18 (1 post)
- OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 3332775190077712.jpg