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Kurt R. Jacobs
| Kurt R. Jacobs | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1909 Germany |
| Died | 1944 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Awards | Purple Heart |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 12207399 |
| Rank | Staff Sergeant |
| Rank at Ritchie | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 19 (16 May – 13 July 1944), 20 (19 June – 16 August 1944) |
| Section | 5E (19); 5D (20) |
| Enlisted | Buffalo, New York |
| Unit / division | 106th Infantry Division |
| Team | IPW 154 |
|
| Purple Heart |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Kurt R. Jacobs (1909–1944) was a German-born Jewish Ritchie Boy on IPW Team 154 with the 106th Infantry Division; he was murdered as a prisoner of war because he was Jewish.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Kurt R. Jacobs was a German-born Jewish Ritchie Boy who trained at Camp Ritchie (Classes 19–20) and served as a staff sergeant on IPW Team 154. The six-man team was attached to Headquarters, 106th Infantry Division, for interrogation of German prisoners.
Jacobs and teammate Murray Zappler were taken prisoner and murdered because of their Jewish heritage. Their names appear on the 106th Division Headquarters honor roll (sometimes with typographical errors). The responsible German officer’s case is documented in a Dachau trial transcript.
Research notes[edit | edit source]
- KIA Murdered as POW
- IPW Team 154; murdered as POW (Jewish); with Murray Zappler
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 35 |
| Nara ASN | 12207399 |
| Nara Name | JACOBS KURT R |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 29 |
| Nara POE | 2309 |
| Nara DOE | 131142 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | SC |
| Nara Branch Code | 90 |
| Branch | Signal Corps |
| Nara Term or Enlistment | 0 |
| Term of enlistment | Unknown |
| Defer. Date | 3 |
| Nara Source | 0 |
| Nara Nativity | N1 |
| Nara Year of Birth | 9 |
| Nara Race | 1 |
| Nara Race Description | White citizen |
| Nara Education | 8 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 46 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 69 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 191 |
| Class_ASN | 12207399 |
| Class_Name | JACOBS, Kurt R.; JACOBS, Kurt |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline[edit | edit source]
- Born 17 November 1909 in Germany.
- 1943 — Enlisted as Pvt (ASN: 12207399).
- 31 July 1944 — Entered Class 20 (IPW Ge).
- 16 August 1944 — Graduated Class 20 (German Documents Examiner).
- 4 September 1944 — Assigned to DEML. Promoted to S/Sgt.
- 28 November 1944 — Assigned to IPW Team 154 attached to 106th Infantry Division.
- 28 November 1944 — Assigned to IPW Team 154 attached to 106th Infantry.
- May 1944 — Assigned to Class 19 Section 5E.
- Buried at the American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle, Belgium.
- Division.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Bruce Henderson, Sons and Soldiers (account of Jacobs and Zappler as POWs)
- Dachau trial transcript — Jacobs/Zappler murder case (Marburg ICWC)
- Dan Gross research archive (miscellaneous timeline-adjacent documents; not uploaded): Jacobs and Zappler.doc
- 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 2017-09-03 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2019-06-06 (3 posts)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-03-08 (1 post)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Kurt R. Jacobs for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 2 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Jacobs, Kurt R. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 2 source files: KURT R. JACOBS (2021).doc, KURT R. JACOBS.doc)