Revenge of the Ritchie Boys

German Jews who could, escaped the extermination frenzy of Hitler against the Jews. They had lost relatives—murdered by the Nazis-- and fled to America. The men were drafted into the U.S. Army. Many of these were ordered to Camp Ritchie and its Military Intelligence Center because of their ability to speak native German. Intensively trained to use their native language abilities, they became known as the “Ritchie Boys.” These Ritchie Boys were trained to interrogate German prisoners of war to obtain current battlefield information and plans to help the Army commanders anticipate the German military moves and defeat them; they translated and interpreted German documents taken off prisoners and dead Germans reflecting current German military thinking. They risked their lives sneaking behind the German lines to capture prisoners and documents. They turned out to be a tremendous asset to Generals like George Patton, commander of the Third Army, and John Gavin, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division. The Ritchie Boys did not avoid danger, and many lost their lives in the war against--and defeating--the Nazis.