Elmer Carl Edward Haertel

Elmer Carl Edward Haertel
Personal details
Born	19 January 1908 Fairmont, Minnesota
Died	18 December 1994
Nativity	United States
Awards	Bronze Star; Good Conduct Medal
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	37043686
Rank	Staff Sergeant
Rank at Ritchie	Corporal
Camp Ritchie	Class 4 (6 January – 6 March 1943)
Section	5
Team	MII 499-G

Awards and honors

Bronze Star	Good Conduct Medal

Teammates

Team — MII 499-G

These are other soldiers listed on the same team roster. People moved between teams; overlapping service dates are not always documented.

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.

Elmer Carl Edward Haertel (19 January 1908 – 18 December 1994) was a Minnesota-born Ritchie Boy (Class 4) who served as a staff sergeant in military intelligence in the European Theater.

Biography

Elmer Carl Edward Haertel was born on 19 January 1908 in Fairmont, Minnesota. He entered the Army on 26 April 1941 and trained at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana; Camp Hood, Texas; Camp Bullis, Texas; Camp Ritchie, Maryland (Class 4); and Camp Pickett, Virginia.

Haertel went overseas on 8 June 1943 to the European Theater. His engagements included Sicily, Naples–Foggia, Rome–Arno, Southern France, the Rhineland, and Central Europe. A family account records that while on leave after Anzio he unexpectedly met his cousin Paul Nolte in Naples. He earned the Bronze Star and Good Conduct Medal, returned to the United States on 9 October 1945, and was discharged as a staff sergeant on 18 October 1945 at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, after about fifty-three months of service.

Haertel died on 18 December 1994 at age 86.

Gallery

• 
  Portrait of Elmer C. Haertel (RB Archive)
• 
  Service summary for Elmer C. Haertel — MIS training and ETO campaigns (RB Archive FL3453915)

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	86
Class_ASN	37043686
Class_Name	Haertel, Elmer C.
match_method	asn_exact_name_exact
row_source	both

Timeline

• 19 January 1908 — Born in Fairmont, Minnesota.
• 26 April 1941 — Entered U.S. Army.
• Training — Camp Claiborne, LA; Camp Hood, TX; Camp Bullis, TX; Camp Ritchie, MD (Class 4); Camp Pickett, VA.
• 8 June 1943 — Overseas to European Theater.
• Campaigns — Sicily, Naples–Foggia, Rome–Arno, Southern France, Rhineland, Central Europe; Bronze Star; Good Conduct Medal.
• Anzio aftermath — Met cousin Paul Nolte while on leave in Naples (family account).
• 9 October 1945 — Returned to the United States.
• 18 October 1945 — Discharged staff sergeant, Camp McCoy, Wisconsin (~53 months).
• 18 December 1994 — Died, age 86.

Sources

• RB Archive “Elmer C. Haertel” — portrait and service summary scan
• Destination Small Town — Nolte cousins / Haertel Anzio–Naples anecdote
• Contemporary service summary / yearbook-style entry for Elmer C. Haertel (RB Archive DOCX/JPG FL3453915_2325919_000503; private copy)
• 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 2022-12-17 (1 post)