| William R. Perl | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 September 1906 Prague, Austro-hungarian Empire |
| Died | 24 December 1998 Beltsville, Maryland, United States |
| Nativity | Austria |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Known for | Chief interrogator during the Malmedy massacre trial |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 0555149 |
| Rank | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 6 (13 March – 11 May 1943) |
| Section | 4 |
| Teams | IPW 175, IPW 177 |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
William R. Perl (September 21, 1906 – December 24, 1998) was a Prague-born American lawyer and psychologist who was the chief interrogator during the Malmedy massacre trial.
Biography
William R. Perl (September 21, 1906 – December 24, 1998) was a Prague-born American lawyer and psychologist who was the chief interrogator during the Malmedy massacre trial.
William R. Perl was born to a textile merchant in Prague on September 21, 1906, in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He spent much of his youth and early adulthood in Vienna. Perl attended the University of Vienna, where he earned a Ph.D. in law and a master's degree in international business. He joined Ivria, one of several Jewish fraternities, as a student and soon became deeply immersed in the growing Zionist movement. Perl established a successful law firm in Vienna after graduating and practiced law there until the Nazi take-over in 1938.
Perl was a chief interrogator during the Malmedy massacre trial, where Col. Joachim Peiper and other members of the Waffen-SS were prosecuted for the murder of American prisoners of war at Malmedy, Belgium in December 1944. Together with Raphael Shumacker, Robert E. Byrne, Morris Ellowitz, Harry Thon and Joseph Kirschbaum, Perl was criticized for alleged torture at the interrogations.
The Perls settled in the United States with their two sons, Raphael and Solomon. Perl continued his study of psychology at Columbia University and then served as an army psychologist until his retirement with the rank of Lt. Colonel in 1966.
Perl remained active in Jewish affairs until his death, despite suffering from Parkinson's disease. He died at his home on December 24, 1998.
The timeline research also records 1950 PhD in Clinical Psychology, Columbia University. College, University of Vienna (Psychology & Law, PhD, LLD). (handwriting expert and personnel consultant). Practiced law in Vienna. 1958 Retired from Army as Lt. 8/17/1943 Served as instructor, Section V. 1954-5 President, Society of Correctional Psychologists. 4/17/1938 Married Lore Rollig (who secretly converted to Judaism). 5/20/1943 Became naturalized citizen (Certificate No. Returned to Vienna to locate and rescue wife.
Research notes
- Malmedy Trials; Retired 58 Lt.Col.
- Rescued an estimated 40,000 Jews
- Author, "Operation Action"
- Portrait and summary from Notable Ritchie Boys slides (source).
Gallery
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Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 92 |
| Class_ASN | 32712884 |
| Class_Name | PERL, William |
| match_method | pass2_unique_name |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- 9/21/1906 Born in Prague, son of Rudolf and Camilla (Fischer) Perl.
- 3/13/1943 Began Class 6 Section 4 (IPW-Ge). [This class/section of 37 officers.
- 6/18/1944 Received direct commission as 2nd Lt. (ASN 0555149) AUS.
- 1/1943 Inducted in U.S. Army (Pvt ASN 32712884).
- 1958 Retired from Army as Lt. Col.
- ?/1944 Transferred to forward intelligence unit (IPW Team 177) on the.
- ?/1945 Assigned to War Crimes Branch as interrogator.
- Promoted to Staff Sergeant (T/3) and assigned to DEML Section.
- T/3 Naiman, T/5 Koehl; [designation 175T signifies that this team.
- and enlisted men included Lt. Frank “Brandy” Brandstetter; Cpl.
- of IPW Team 175T were: Lt. Schultz, S/Sgt Madison, T/3 Lewenz,.
Sources
- Wikipedia: William R. Perl
- 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)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of William R. Perl for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Perl, William R. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: WILLIAM R. PERL - TIME LINE.doc)