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Walter Kann
| Walter Kann | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 May 1923 |
| Died | 1 December 2008 Palm Beach Gardens, Florida |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 42050581 |
| Rank | Technical Sergeant |
| Rank at Ritchie | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 22 (23 August – 21 October 1944) |
| Section | 5C |
| Enlisted | New York City, New York |
| Teams | IPW 180, MII 498-G |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Walter Kann (25 May 1923 – 1 December 2008) was a German-born United States Army interrogator who trained at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, in Class 22.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Walter Kann was born on 25 May 1923 and emigrated from Germany to the United States in June 1938. After Camp Ritchie (Class 22) he served as a military-intelligence interrogator in Germany with team MII 498-G and was honorably discharged as a technical sergeant in 1946 (316th Headquarters Intelligence Army Detachment).
He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from City College of New York in 1948 and began a long commodities-trading career, including executive roles at Philipp Brothers and heading Phibro’s Tokyo operations (1953–1956). In 1985 he helped found Newco AG in Switzerland, serving as chairman through 1999. Kann died on 1 December 2008; he had homes in New Canaan, Connecticut, and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Research notes[edit | edit source]
- Birth place city not established in obituaries—keep nativity Germany only.
Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 85 |
| Nara ASN | 42050581 |
| Nara Name | ANN WALTER |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 61 |
| Nara POE | 2364 |
| Nara DOE | 291043 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | NO |
| Nara Branch Code | 2 |
| Branch | No branch assignment |
| Nara Term or Enlistment | 5 |
| Term of enlistment | Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law |
| Defer. Date | 0 |
| Nara Source | 0 |
| Nara Nativity | N1 |
| Nara Year of Birth | 23 |
| Nara Race | J |
| Nara Race Description | White not yet a citizen |
| Nara Education | 7 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 105 |
| Nara Marital Status | 1 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 0 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 0 |
| Class_ASN | 42050581 |
| Class_Name | KANN, Walter |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline[edit | edit source]
- 25 May 1923 — Born in Germany.
- June 1938 — Emigrated to the United States.
- Class 22 — Trained at Camp Ritchie; MII 498-G interrogator in Germany.
- 1946 — Discharged as technical sergeant.
- 1948 — Graduated Phi Beta Kappa, CCNY.
- 1 December 2008 — Died.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- “Walter Kann,” Palm Beach Daily News, 5 December 2008 (RB Archive ProQuest)
- Paid notice / obituary, Walter Kann, New York Times, 4 December 2008 (RB Archive ProQuest)
- 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 2023-02-07 (1 post)