us-005578-irn512914-irn46743
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
date: 1945 May 09-approximately 1946 June
physical characterisitics and technical requirements: The a1 - a10 component designations are for cataloging purposes only. a. Olive drab, long-sleeved, single-breasted, heavyweight elastique wool jacket with epaulets. It is hip-length with a notched collar and lapels, a ribbon hanging loop, and an integrated cloth belt with a brass buckle and 3 belt loops. The front opening has 4 large buttons: 3 brass and 1 brown plastic, with small, plastic, interior reinforcement buttons. There are 4 exterior, front flap pockets with 1 small brass button: the 2 upper have a box pleat and 2 flap snaps; the 2 lower, lined welt pockets have a hidden plastic button and ribbon loop closure, with a small slot pocket in the lining of the lower left pocket. An olive drab officer braid is sewn around each cuff. Above the right sleeve band is an overseas service bar patch with 4 gold embroidered bars. The jacket back has an upper box pleat and 2 overlapping flaps. The interior is partially lined. Inside the right breast is a double welt pocket with 2 labels. The epaulets have 2 small, brass buttons and 2 bar pins (a1 & a2). The lapels have 4 pins: 2 U.S. (a3 & a4) and 2 infantry (a5 & a6). Above the upper right pocket are 2 ribbon bars with 3 ribbons each (a7 & a8). a1., a2. 1st Lieutenant’s insignia pin: small, shiny, silver-colored metal bar with beveled edges, on the left and right epaulet. a3., a4. U.S. lapel pin: shiny, gold colored, die-cast metal pin in the shape of 2 squared-off, connected, uppercase letters, U.S., on the upper left and right lapel point. a5., a6. Infantry insignia pin: shiny, gold colored, die-cast metal pin in the shape of 2 flintlock muskets crossed diagonally with barrels pointing upward, on the lower left and right lapel point. a7. One ribbon bar pin with 3 ribbons: Army of Occupation ribbon with 4 vertical stripes: white, wide black, wide red, white; Army Commendation ribbon with 13 vertical stripes: a set of 9 narrow alternating white and green stripes flanked by wide green bordered with white; Bronze Star rib…
type: RecordSet
record resource extent: a: Height: 32.625 inches (82.868 cm) | Width: 18.000 inches (45.72 cm) b: Height: 30.000 inches (76.2 cm) | Width: 17.750 inches (45.085 cm)
is or was included in: us-005578-irn512914
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn512914-irn46743/acquisitions/1
has or had holder: us-005578
scope and content: Olive drab dress uniform jacket with shirt and medals worn by Rudolph Sichel, a Jewish refugee from Frankfurt, Germany, who was a US Army officer in Europe from July 1944-June 1946. In May 1936, unable to return to Germany from England because of anti-Jewish regulations, Sichel went to the US. His parents Ernst and Frieda joined him in 1940. In April 1943, Sichel enlisted in the Army and was sent to Camp Ritchie for military intelligence training. In July 1944, Sichel, Chief Interrogator, Interrogation of Prisoners of War Team 13, landed on Utah Beach in France, attached to the 104th Infantry, the Timberwolf Division. As the unit advanced through France, Belgium, and Germany, Sichel interrogated those captured. On April 11, 1945, the unit liberated Dora-Mittelbau/Nordhausen concentration camp. Sichel took photographs of the camp and other wartime events, which are part of this collection, 2003.149.1. After the war ended in May, 2nd Lt. Sichel was attached to the 9th Army. He interrogated prisoners of war and civilian witnesses and did fact finding missions for war crimes trials. In June 1946, 1st Lt. Sichel returned to the US. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his service.
title: First lieutenant dress jacket, medals and shirt worn by German Jewish US soldier
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn512914-irn46743/alternateIDs/1
history: The uniform jacket, medals, and shirt were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2003 by Howard S. Sichel and Linda Sichel Strohmenger, the children of Rudolph Daniel Sichel.
has or had some members with language: eng
identifier: irn46743
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
has record set type: Item
history: Rudolf (Rudolph) Daniel Sichel was born on January 2, 1915, in the Hesse district of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, to Ernst and Frieda Oppenheimer Sichel. Ernst was born on July 20, 1874, in Frankfurt am Main, to Seligmann and Sophia Seligmann Sichel. Frieda was born on April 24, 1876, in Rimbach, Germany, to a Jewish couple. Rudolf’s mother had one older sister, Georgine, and two younger ones, Ida and Cecelia, all of whom had immigrated to the United States by 1908. Rudolf’s father managed the family business, a haberdashery shop, S. Sichel, which had been established in 1874. Rudolf had an older brother, Walter (1905-1955.) In the early 1930’s, Rudolf worked as a sales clerk in his family’s store. Following his graduation from school, he began a course of study at the University of Frankfurt. Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933. Anti-Jewish decrees were enacted to severely restrict Jewish participation in German society. In 1933, Frankfurt had a Jewish community of about 26,000, the second largest in Germany. In 1934, 19 year old Rudolf went to London, England, to study business. In 1936, Rudolf, unable to return to Germany because of the restrictions on Jews, left for the United States aboard the SS Berengaria. He arrived In New York City on May 26, and moved in with his aunt and uncle, Ida and Moe Blum. Later that year, Rudolph found work as a sales clerk at R.H. Macy & Co. He often went by Rudy, and, unofficially, seems to have changed the spelling of his name to Rudolph. In October 1937, Rudolph’s brother Walter and his wife, Elizabeth, arrived in New York City. On November 9 or 10, 1938, during the Kristallnacht pogrom, Rudolph’s father, Ernst, was arrested, marched down the street with his hands up in the air, and taken to Buchenwald concentration camp. He was assigned prisoner number 4173. On November 27, Ernst was released and returned home. Soon after his return, Ernst was forced to sell the family store to a non-Jew for les…