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Fritz W. Bloch
| Fritz W. Bloch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1911 Grenchen, Switzerland |
| Died | 2003 |
| Nativity | Switzerland |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32967700 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Rank at Ritchie | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 16 (6 February – 5 April 1944) |
| Section | 7C |
| Enlisted | Plymouth, Pennsylvania |
| Team | MII 446-G |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Fritz W. Bloch (1911–2003) was a Ritchie Boy (from Switzerland) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 16.
Biography
Fritz W. Bloch (1911–2003) was born in Grenchen, Switzerland. He emigrated to the United States from France in July 1939. At the outbreak of World War II he was called back to serve in the Swiss Army; after completing that service in 1941 he returned to the United States by non-troop ship via Portugal. Drafted into the U.S. Army in June 1943, he trained at Camps Upton and Lee and at Camp Ritchie. He shipped to England and was attached to the 18th Airborne as a French translator for military intelligence. A special order of 21 October 1944 recognized him as a Qualified Gliderist, authorizing him to wear the Glider Badge; he served in the Glider Corps. His dog tags carried the letter "H" for Hebrew. About six months after the end of the war in Europe, Commanding General George Patton authorized interpreters and interrogators such as Bloch to wear uniforms without rank insignia while on interrogation missions. After the war Bloch requested transfer to the Office of the Military Attaché at the U.S. legation in Bern. On 25 October 1947, Colonel Thoroughman of the European Command Intelligence Center issued travel orders authorizing Bloch and several others to travel to specified cities in Germany for up to one month beginning 1 November to conduct a confidential intelligence mission. Bloch rose to master sergeant.
The timeline research also records 1938 Started college in Geneva (Economics and Law). Member of MII Team 446 attached to XVIII Corps (Airborne).
Research notes
- MII 446
- Enlisted Man, Philippine Scout Or Recall To Ad Of An Enlisted Man Who Had Been Transferred To The Erc
- OCR (90%) of `1646020365419878.jpg` (gallery document).
- OCR (87%) of `1646017645420150.jpg` (gallery document) — dated 21 November 1945; 28 May 1947 — rank mentioned: Brigadier General.
- OCR mentioned officer rank Brigadier General (not auto-filled — verify).
Gallery
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 92 |
| Nara ASN | 32967700 |
| Nara Name | BLOCH FRITZ W |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 81 |
| Nara POE | 3299 |
| Nara DOE | 280646 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | M SG |
| Nara Grade Code | 1 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | NO |
| Nara Branch Code | 2 |
| Branch | No branch assignment |
| Nara Term or Enlistment | 6 |
| Term of enlistment | Enlistment for the Panama Canal Department |
| Defer. Date | 0 |
| Nara Source | 6 |
| Nara Nativity | O2 |
| Nara Year of Birth | 11 |
| Nara Race | 1 |
| Nara Race Description | White citizen |
| Nara Education | 5 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 10 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 3 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 203 |
| Class_ASN | 32967700 |
| Class_Name | BLOCH, Fritz W. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- 5/2/1911 Born in Switzerland. No religious affiliation.
- ?6/28/1943? Enlisted as M/Sgt (ASN: 32967700) in Plymouth, PA (?).
- 2/6/1944 Started Class 16 (French).
- 1940-1942 Served as 1st Lt. in Swiss Army.
- 2nd Lt. Charles E. Pinckney (1913-1998).
- 9/1943 Basic training as Pvt (ASN: 32967700) at Camp Lee, VA.
- S/Sgt Rene G. Capdevert (1920-1992).
- T/3 Henry Z. Leon (1908-2005).
- XVIII Corps Commander was Gen. Matthew Ridgway; G-2 was Col.Whitfield Jack.
Sources
- Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
- Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
- 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 2017-11-07 (3 posts)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2017-11-09 (2 posts)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2017-11-13 (1 post)
- OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 1646020365419878.jpg
- OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 1646017645420150.jpg
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Fritz W. Bloch for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Bloch, Fritz W. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: FRITZ W. BLOCH.doc)