Frederick Biel

Frederick Biel
Personal details
Birth name	Fritz Biel
Born	15 January 1909
Died	15 June 1990
Nativity	Austria
Religion	Jewish
Awards	American Campaign Medal
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	32526380
Rank	Second Lieutenant
Rank at Ritchie	Technician Fourth Grade
Camp Ritchie	Class 14 (2 December 1943 – 31 January 1944)
Section	7B
Enlisted	New York City, New York
Specialty	Military Intelligence Officer; military interpreter
Team	MII 457-G

Awards and honors

American Campaign Medal	European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four bronze service stars	World War II Victory Medal

Teammates

Team — MII 457-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.

Frederick Biel (15 January 1909 – 15 June 1990), also called Fritz, was an Austria-born Ritchie Boy (Class 14) who led MII Team 457-G in northwest Europe and later served as a second lieutenant.

Biography

Frederick Biel, known in the family as Fritz, was born on 15 January 1909 in Austria. He completed a one-year business college certificate in Vienna and later worked as a production manager in New York City (1941–42). Early wartime papers also place him briefly with a French foreign military formation under the name Fritz Biel before his U.S. Army service.

Inducted in October 1942, he trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 14, certificate dated 31 January 1944) and rose to master sergeant before receiving a commission. As a military intelligence officer heading MII Team 457-G he served thirteen months overseas in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, supervising interpreters, collecting intelligence from civilians and prisoners, and supporting military-government security in districts that included Braunschweig, Bielefeld, and Bad Salzuflen. He separated as a second lieutenant at Fort Dix on 5 May 1946.

His decorations included the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with stars for Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, and Central Europe, and the World War II Victory Medal. He died on 15 June 1990.

Research notes

• OCR (100%) of `5781899001831973.jpg` (CAMP RITCHIE, MILITARY INTELLIGENCE TRAINING CENTER, Camp Ritchie)
• Center for Jewish History finding aid (Leo Baeck Institute — Biel family papers) describes MII 457 reports and French foreign-unit papers; bulk LBI PDF packets not re-uploaded (Gallery already holds separation and team docs).
• Also held officer ASN 02009262 (shown on War Department ID card).

Gallery

• 
  War Department identification card, front.
• 
  War Department identification card, reverse.
• 
  Certificate authorizing Frederick Biel to retain captured enemy equipment.
• 
  Separation Qualification Record: service dates, grade, specialty, and military occupational summary.
• 
  Separation Qualification Record: military education, civilian education and occupation, decorations, battle stars, and prior enlisted service.
• 
  Commendation from XIII Corps headquarters, dated 9 April 1945.
• 
  Continuation of XIII Corps commendation.
• 
  Recommendation for promotion from second lieutenant to first lieutenant, dated 15 August 1945.
• 
  MII 457G memorandum listing arrests, dated 27 June 1945, page 1.
• 
  MII 457G memorandum listing arrests, dated 27 June 1945, page 2.
• 
  MII 457G memorandum listing arrests, dated 27 June 1945, page 3.
• 
  Camp Ritchie certificate: Frederick Biel completed the 14th class at the Military Intelligence Training Center, dated 31 January 1944.
• 
  Frederick Biel on a jeep in Europe (RB Archive)
• 
  Portrait cropped from War Department identification card

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	81
Nara ASN	32526380
Nara Name	BIEL FREDERICK
Nara State	23
Nara County	61
Nara POE	2364
Nara DOE	121042
Nara Grade Alpha	PVT
Nara Grade Code	8
Nara Branch Alpha	BI
Nara Branch Code	0
Branch	Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
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	N4
Nara Year of Birth	9
Nara Race	J
Nara Race Description	White not yet a citizen
Nara Education	5
Nara Civilian Occupation	97
Nara Marital Status	9
Nara Height (inches)	65
Nara Weight (lbs)	172
Class_ASN	32526380
Class_Name	BIEL, Frederick
match_method	asn_exact_name_exact
row_source	both

Timeline

• 15 January 1909 — Born in Austria (family nickname Fritz).
• Vienna business college; 1941–42 production manager, New York City.
• October 1942 — Entered U.S. Army; later Camp Ritchie Class 14 (certificate 31 January 1944).
• Enlisted service to March 1945 — rose to master sergeant; then commissioned.
• 25 March 1945 – 5 May 1946 — Officer service; MII 457-G in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany; separated 2LT, Fort Dix.
• 15 June 1990 — Died.

Sources

• ID portrait crop from War Department ID card
• Frederick Biel on a jeep in Europe
• RB Archive folder “Frederick Biel” — selected wartime images (curated uploads where not already on Gallery)
• Center for Jewish History / Leo Baeck Institute — Biel family papers (Series II, Frederick / Fritz Biel)
• 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 2022-10-18 (1 post)
• Camp Ritchie certificate: Frederick Biel completed the 14th class at the Military Intelligence Training Center, dated 31 January 1944.
• War Department identification card, front.
• War Department identification card, reverse.
• Certificate authorizing Frederick Biel to retain captured enemy equipment.
• Separation Qualification Record: service dates, grade, specialty, and military occupational summary.
• Separation Qualification Record: military education, civilian education and occupation, decorations, battle stars, and prior enlisted service.
• Commendation from XIII Corps headquarters, dated 9 April 1945.
• Continuation of XIII Corps commendation.
• Recommendation for promotion from second lieutenant to first lieutenant, dated 15 August 1945.
• MII 457G memorandum listing arrests, dated 27 June 1945, page 1.
• MII 457G memorandum listing arrests, dated 27 June 1945, page 2.
• MII 457G memorandum listing arrests, dated 27 June 1945, page 3.
• Photograph of Frederick Biel in uniform.