Ernst Graf

Ernst Graf
Personal details
Born	12 November 1905 Berlin, Germany
Died	15 June 1966
Nativity	Germany
Religion	Jewish
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	32908365
Rank	Master Sergeant
Rank at Ritchie	Private
Camp Ritchie	Class 11 (25 August – 23 October 1943)
Section	5B
Enlisted	New York City, New York
Specialty	Intelligence NCO

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.

Ernst Graf (12 November 1905 – 15 June 1966) was a Berlin-born Ritchie Boy (Class 11) who served as an intelligence NCO with Ninth Army forces in northwest Europe.

Biography

Ernst Graf was born on 12 November 1905 in Berlin to Joachim and Maria Graf. He married Dorothea Reichenthal in 1933. In the summer of 1938 the couple immigrated to the United States via the Netherlands. After becoming an American citizen he was drafted and trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 11).

Graf’s separation record identifies him as a master sergeant and Intelligence NCO. On a three-man team he compiled, recorded, and reported enemy information to the G-2 of the Ninth Army, serving in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany and interrogating prisoners. His documented military education included eight weeks of Military Intelligence German I and four weeks of Order of Battle training. A 6 April 1944 War Department letter commended Graf and other Camp Ritchie men for research work, and a Certificate of Merit recognized his maintenance of enemy-unit records from 20 July 1944 to 14 June 1945.

He died on 15 June 1966. Documents from his family’s USHMM collection preserve migration and service papers from that life path.

Research notes

• Also Class 10 OB
• OB 27
• OCR (97%) of `5860556947299511.jpg` (CERTIFICATE OF) — rank mentioned: Sergeant.
• OCR (92%) of `5860557423966130.jpg` (gallery document).
• USHMM finding-aid blurb and RB Archive document set support parents, marriage, immigration, and death date; bulk passport scans not re-uploaded (selected service docs already on Gallery).

Gallery

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  Portrait cropped from Certificate of Naturalization (5 October 1943)

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	61
Nara ASN	32908365
Nara Name	GRAF ERNST
Nara State	23
Nara County	61
Nara POE	2364
Nara DOE	170543
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	5
Nara Race	J
Nara Race Description	White not yet a citizen
Nara Education	3
Nara Civilian Occupation	180
Nara Marital Status	2
Nara Height (inches)	0
Nara Weight (lbs)	109
Class_ASN	32908365
Class_Name	GRAF, Ernst
match_method	asn_exact_name_exact
row_source	both

Timeline

• 12 November 1905 — Born in Berlin to Joachim and Maria Graf.
• 1933 — Married Dorothea Reichenthal.
• Summer 1938 — Immigrated to the United States via the Netherlands.
• 17 May 1943 — Enlisted, New York City (ASN 32908365).
• Camp Ritchie Class 11 — Military Intelligence German I and Order of Battle.
• 20 July 1944 – 14 June 1945 — Intelligence NCO / enemy-unit records; Ninth Army G-2 support in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany.
• 6 April 1944 — War Department commendation letter for research work.
• 15 June 1966 — Died.

Sources

• Naturalization portrait crop from Certificate of Naturalization
• RB Archive folder “Ernst Graf” — USHMM finding-aid notes and document set (selected items already on Gallery from prior OCR)
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — Ernst Graf collection (irn556037)
• 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 2022-11-14 (1 post)
• OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 5860556947299511.jpg
• OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 5860557423966130.jpg
• Graf induction order
• Graf naturalization record
• War Department commendation letter, 6 April 1944