Ernest Kessler

Ernest Kessler
Personal details
Born	1920 Vienna, Austria, Rb Kessler Fled
Nativity	Austria
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	32611173
Rank	Technician Fifth Grade
Rank at Ritchie	Corporal
Camp Ritchie	Class 4 (6 January – 6 March 1943)
Section	4
Enlisted	New York City, New York
Unit / division	29th Infantry Division
Team	IPW 20

Teammates

Team — IPW 20

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.

Ernest Kessler (born 1920) was a Ritchie Boy (from Austria) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 4 and served with IPW Team 20. The record lists a final rank of Technician Fifth Grade.

Biography

On 10 March 1943, Ernest became a naturalized citizen at Hagerstown, MD. His team served primarily with the 29th Infantry. Born in Vienna, Austria, RB Kessler fled to the United States, and later joined the US Army. He was sent for intelligence training to Camp Ritchie and studied in the 4th Class. He served with Regimental Headquarters of the 29th Infantry Division ,and participated in the D-Day invasion.

Research notes

• USHMM
• The wartime record identifies Kessler as a technician fifth grade of the 29th Infantry Division on D-Day and through the capture of Saint-Lô.

Gallery

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Technical record

Field	Imported value
Nara ASN	32611173
Nara Name	KESSLER ERNEST
Nara State	23
Nara County	61
Nara POE	2364
Nara DOE	291042
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	N2
Nara Year of Birth	20
Nara Race	J
Nara Race Description	White not yet a citizen
Nara Education	4
Nara Civilian Occupation	992
Nara Marital Status	6
Nara Height (inches)	69
Nara Weight (lbs)	152
Class_ASN	32611173
Class_Name	Kessler, Ernest
match_method	asn_exact_name_exact
row_source	both

Timeline

• Born 14 July 1920 in Ernst Kessler to Leopold and Erma in Vienna, Austria.
• 6 January 1943 — Promoted to Cpl.
• 6 March 1943 — Graduated Class 4 (IPW Ge).
• 10 March 1943 — Became naturalized citizen at Hagerstown, MD.
• 17 March 1943 — Promoted to T/5.
• 7 February 1944 — Became member of IPW Team 20 assigned to the 29th Infantry Div.
• Agent with CIC stationed in Bremen.

Sources

• 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 2018-05-14 (1 post)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2021-07-21 (1 post)
• OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 4386135078075046.jpg
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Ernest Kessler for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
• Dan Gross, Timeline of Kessler, Ernest for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: ERNEST KESSLER.docx)