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Anthony Oskar Lehner
| Anthony Oskar Lehner | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Anton Oskar Lehner |
| Born | 6 June 1916 Graz, Austria |
| Died | 3 February 2002 Frankfurt, Germany |
| Nativity | Austria |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Arm / service | Air Corps |
| ASN | 01642312 |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 21 (21 July – 18 September 1944) |
| Section | 5C |
| Teams | IPW 409, IPW 160 |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Anthony Oskar Lehner (born Anton Oskar Lehner; 6 June 1916 – 3 February 2002) was a Graz-born U.S. Army Air Forces officer and Ritchie Boy who trained at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, in Class 21 as an interrogation officer and served with the Military Intelligence Service at First U.S. Army headquarters; he is listed with IPW Team 409 and IPW Team 160.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Anthony Oskar Lehner was born Anton Oskar Lehner in Graz on 6 June 1916 into a Catholic family. Possibly after the Anschluss he fled or emigrated to the United States, where in 1940 he studied mining and meteorology at the university in Fairbanks, Alaska, and worked at times in a café and as a material inspector in Anchorage.
Lehner volunteered for the Army at Fort Hayes near Columbus, Ohio, in April 1942 (enlisted ASN 15197046). After basic training he soon rose to staff sergeant and attended officer school; from February 1943 he served as a second lieutenant and transportation officer with a Signal Aircraft Warning company in Seattle, Washington; from August as platoon administration officer at the radar station at Half Moon Bay, California; and from January 1944, back in Washington, as physical training officer with the Seattle Fighter Wing air defense. Promoted to first lieutenant, he served briefly as special service officer at DeRidder Army Air Base, Louisiana, and in July 1944 was transferred to the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie, where he completed training as a prisoner-of-war interrogator and officer in charge (IPW German) with Class 21 (section 5C; certificate 8224).
In the autumn of 1944 Lehner went to the Western European theater; through the 10th Replacement Depot and Le Vésinet, France, he served from December 1944 in intelligence with the Military Intelligence Service at the headquarters of the First U.S. Army, among other assignments. His last rank was probably first lieutenant. He died in Frankfurt, Germany, on 3 February 2002.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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Timeline[edit | edit source]
- 6 June 1916 — Born Anton Oskar Lehner in Graz, Austria.
- 1940 — Studied mining and meteorology at the university in Fairbanks, Alaska.
- April 1942 — Volunteered for the Army at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio (ASN 15197046).
- February 1943 — Second lieutenant; transportation officer, Signal Aircraft Warning company, Seattle.
- August 1943 — Platoon administration officer, radar station, Half Moon Bay, California.
- Autumn 1944 — To the European theater via the 10th Replacement Depot and Le Vésinet.
- January 1944 — Physical training officer, Seattle Fighter Wing.
- July 1944 — First lieutenant; transferred to Camp Ritchie; Class 21 (section 5C, IPW German). Certificate # 8224.
- December 1944 — MIS, First U.S. Army headquarters.
- 3 February 2002 — Died in Frankfurt, Germany.
Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 86 |
| Class_ASN | 1642312 |
| Class_Name | LEHNER, Anthony O. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Research notes[edit | edit source]
- Also held enlisted ASN 15197046 (Austriansoldiers biography). The page title uses his officer ASN O1642312.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- 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)
- Austriansoldiers biography: Anthony O. Lehner, Austriansoldiers / Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research on Consequences of War (in German; accessed 25 September 2026)