Eric Frank Gerst

Eric Frank Gerst
Personal details
Born	23 March 1918 Nuremberg, Germany
Died	21 June 2011 Venice, Florida
Nativity	Germany
Religion	Protestant
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	32416739
Rank	Master Sergeant
Rank at Ritchie	Sergeant
Camp Ritchie	Class 21 (21 July – 18 September 1944)
Unit / division	63rd Infantry Division
Team	MII 483-G

Teammates

Team — MII 483-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.

Eric Frank Gerst (23 March 1918 – 21 June 2011) was a Nuremberg-born Ritchie Boy (Class 21) who served as a master sergeant with the 63rd Infantry Division in Europe.

Biography

Eric Frank Gerst was born on 23 March 1918 in Nuremberg, Germany, and attended textile school in Reutlingen. In 1937 he emigrated to the United States and worked in textiles at American Bemberg Corporation in Tennessee. His efforts helped his father Ernst, mother Annie, and sister Lizelot find asylum in the United States as well.

In 1942 a letter of his objecting to Selective Service rules that barred German refugees from Army service was published in the New York Times. He enlisted, trained as a radio operator at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and there married Dawn Idarius of Chicago. Transferred to Camp Ritchie for intelligence training (Class 21), he was assigned in 1944 to the 63rd Infantry Division and served in France and Germany, rising to master sergeant.

After the war Gerst settled in New York with Dawn and joined the menswear division of Burlington Industries in 1949, advancing into managerial roles. They later lived many years in Port Washington, New York, and from 2001 in Venice, Florida. Dawn died in 2002 after 59 years of marriage. Gerst died on 21 June 2011 in Venice.

Research notes

• DEML Also Fr 405
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Farley Funeral Home notice is the principal narrative source; family survivors listed there are not copied into the public biography.

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	93
Class_ASN	32416739
Class_Name	GERST, Eric F.
match_method	asn_exact_name_exact
row_source	both

Timeline

• 23 March 1918 — Born in Nuremberg, Germany; textile school in Reutlingen.
• 1937 — Emigrated to the United States; American Bemberg Corp., Tennessee.
• 1942 — New York Times letter on refugee enlistment; enlisted; radio training, Sioux Falls; married Dawn Idarius.
• Camp Ritchie Class 21 — Intelligence training.
• 1944–1945 — 63rd Infantry Division, France and Germany; master sergeant.
• 1949 onward — Burlington Industries menswear management; lived Port Washington, New York; from 2001 Venice, Florida.
• 2002 — Dawn Gerst died.
• 21 June 2011 — Died in Venice, Florida.

Sources

• Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 10 July 2011 — Eric Frank Gerst obituary (RB Archive ProQuest PDF; private copy, not uploaded)
• 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 2022-12-01 (1 post)