Soft launch: Soldier biographies and research notes vary in completeness. Prefer class-roster, NARA, newspapers, and other cited sources for contested facts — treat Research notes as leads, not settled history. Anyone can correct a page; contact us with questions.
Walter H. Lubran
| Walter H. Lubran | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Lubranitsky |
| Born | 29 July 1912 Sebnitz, Germany |
| Died | 2000 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 33668332 |
| Rank | Master Sergeant |
| Rank at Ritchie | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 16 (6 February – 5 April 1944) |
| Section | 5B |
| Enlisted | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Team | IPW 141 |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Walter H. Lubran (29 July 1912 – 2000) was a German-born United States Army interrogator who trained at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, in Class 16 and served with IPW Team 141.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Walter H. Lubran was born on 29 July 1912 in Sebnitz, Germany, to a Jewish family (also recorded as Lubranitsky). He emigrated to the United States aboard the SS Georgic in the autumn of 1939 and worked as a retail shoe-store manager.
Enlisting at Pittsburgh on 17 March 1943, he trained at Camp Ellis, Fort Meade, and Camp Lee before graduating Camp Ritchie Class 16 on 5 April 1944 as a German document examiner, later rising to master sergeant. With IPW Team 141 he was attached to the 84th Infantry Division in Belgium on Christmas Day 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge, then in March 1945 moved with the 16th Armored Division into Germany and Czechoslovakia, including the liberation of Plzeň. Teammates included Gerard Pick, Henry Wagner, Kurt Schimmerl, Victor Wolff, and Joseph Wertheim. Lubran died in 2000.
Research notes[edit | edit source]
- Also PG Class 13 GerOB
- CIB
- ASTP
- 16th Armd
- Prior bio already strong; regenerate to keep Christmas 1944 fact and teammate links.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
-
Christmas Day 1944 menu from a letter written during the Battle of the Bulge while serving with IPW Team 141, 84th Infantry Division -
IPW Team 141 in Europe, spring 1945. Left to right: Gerard Pick; Capt. Henry Wagner; T/3 Kurt Schimmerl (Curt Shelton); 2nd Lt. Victor Wolff; SSgt Joseph Wertheim; MSgt Walter Lubran
Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 88 |
| Nara ASN | 33668332 |
| Nara Name | LUBRAN WALTER H |
| Nara State | -2 |
| Nara County | 3 |
| Nara POE | 3298 |
| Nara DOE | 170343 |
| 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 | 12 |
| Nara Race | 1 |
| Nara Race Description | White citizen |
| Nara Education | 4 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 72 |
| Nara Marital Status | 2 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 22 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 120 |
| Class_ASN | 33668332 |
| Class_Name | LUBRAN, Walter H. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline[edit | edit source]
- 29 July 1912 — Born in Sebnitz, Germany.
- Autumn 1939 — Emigrated to the United States on SS Georgic.
- 17 March 1943 — Enlisted at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- 5 April 1944 — Graduated Camp Ritchie Class 16.
- 25 December 1944 — IPW Team 141 with 84th Infantry Division, Battle of the Bulge.
- March 1945 — Team 141 attached to 16th Armored Division (Germany / Czechoslovakia).
- 2000 — Died.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Existing profile Sources / teammate documentation for IPW Team 141
- RB Archive photograph caption: Walter Lubran with IPW Team 141, 84th Infantry Division, 25 December 1944
- 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 2014-03-21 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2017-01-16 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2017-01-22 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-01-15 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-02-05 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-03-16 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2018-04-16 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2020-02-22 (1 post)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2023-07-23 (1 post)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Walter H. Lubran for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Lubran, Walter H. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: WALTER H. LUBRAN.doc)