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William Nagel

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William Nagel
Personal details
Birth nameNagelberg
Born1914
Died19 September 2001
NativityAustria
ReligionJewish
AwardsAmerican Defense Service Medal
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
ASN32108533
RankStaff Sergeant
Rank at RitchiePrivate First Class
Camp RitchieClass 20 (19 June – 16 August 1944)
Section5A
EnlistedJamaica, New York
TeamMII 474-G
Awards and honors
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one bronze service star
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
Good Conduct Medal
World War II Victory Medal
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.


William Nagel (1914 – 19 September 2001) was a Ritchie Boy (born Nagelberg; from Austria; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 20. The record lists a final rank of Staff Sergeant. Source image

Biography

. William Nagel (formerly Wilhelm Nagelberg) was born the only child of parents Fritz (1883-1960) and Helene Nagelberg (née Licht, 1891 - 1959) in Vienna, Austria, on 10 December 1914. William’s father, Fritz, was the proprietor of his own business and the family resided in Leopoldstatdt, the 2nd municipal district in Vienna. After completing secondary school William went on to study global trade at university and pursued his PhD in Economics. In July 1938 William submitted his dissertation, Über Veränderungen in der Baumwollwirtschaft Großbritanniens vom Weltkrieg bis zur Gegenwart, and became one of the few Jewish students in Austria to be awarded a doctoral degree following the Anschluss. Soon, however, the Nagelberg family decided to flee Austria for Italy. In March 1940 William left Italy for the United States sailing about the SS Vulcania. After his arrival William enlisted with the United States Army. The following year William became a naturalized citizen of the United States and commenced training at Camp Ritchie to become an Army intelligence officer. William would go on to serve in both the Pacific and European theaters of the Second World War. In Late 1945 William was discharged from the Army and returned home. After the war William resumed a career in Economics, working for the Pentagon and in the European Division of the Office of Economic Affairs until his retirement, settling in Washington D.C. William and Gertrude went on to raise a family and later settled in Maryland. Nagelberg's last place of residence was Silver Spring, Maryland. Two days later, William Nagel was buried in the Judean Memorial Gardens near Olney, Maryland, established in 1975 as the Washington metropolitan area's Jewish cemetery. William's certificate of naturalization (and the rear, indicating his name change) His parents, Fritz and Helene, remained in Europe. Several months later he met Gertrude Juris, a young a Jewish refugee also from Vienna.

His gallery includes an honorable-discharge certificate identifying him as a staff sergeant of Headquarters, Military Intelligence Service, European Theater of Operations, dated 22 October 1945. Source image

Research notes

  • born in Poland?
  • 474-G
  • OCR (99%) of `6014047925283745.jpg` (Discharge).
  • OCR (98%) of `6014047935283744.jpg` (DISCHARGE, Camp Ritchie, Good Conduct) — dated 1 November 1944.
  • OCR birth/death cue: 3100.

Gallery

Technical record

Field Imported value
Approx Age at Death 87
Nara ASN 32108533
Nara Name NAGEL WILLIAM
Nara State 23
Nara County 81
Nara POE 2349
Nara DOE 200341
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 9
Term of enlistment Three year enlistment
Defer. Date 0
Nara Source 0
Nara Nativity N2
Nara Year of Birth 14
Nara Race J
Nara Race Description White not yet a citizen
Nara Education 9
Nara Civilian Occupation 245
Nara Marital Status 6
Nara Height (inches) 69
Nara Weight (lbs) 158
Class_ASN 32108533
Class_Name NAGEL, William
match_method asn_exact_name_exact
row_source both

Sources