First lieutenant's dress jacket with medals and uniform shirt worn by a US soldier and Jewish German emigre 2003.149.3 a front
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Washington, United States
Olive drab dress uniform jacket with shirt and medals worn by Rudolph Sichel, a Jewish refugee from Frankfurt, Germany, who served as an officer in the US Army in Europe from July 1944 to June 1946. In May 1936, unable to return to Germany from England because of anti-Jewish regulations, Rudolph went to the United States. His parents, Ernst and Frieda, joined him in 1940. In April 1943, Rudolph enlisted in the army and was sent to Camp Ritchie for military intelligence training in interrogation techniques. In July 1944, Rudolph, now Chief Interrogator, Interrogation of Prisoners of War Team 13, landed on Utah Beach in France, where his unit was attached to the 104th Infantry, the Timberwolf Division. As the unit advanced through France, Belgium, and into Germany, Rudolph interrogated those captured. On April 11, 1945, the unit liberated Dora-Mittelbau/Nordhausen concentration camp and Rudolph witnessed the horrific conditions. A skilled photographer, he took snapshots of the camp and other events of his military tour. Following Germany’s surrender in May, 2nd Lt. Sichel was attached to the 9th Army. He interrogated prisoners of war and civilian witnesses, and participated in fact finding missions to document and prepare evidence for war crimes trials. In June 1946, 1st Lt. Sichel returned to the US. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his service.
Olive drab dress uniform jacket with shirt and medals worn by Rudolph Sichel, a Jewish refugee from Frankfurt, Germany, who served as an officer in the US Army in Europe from July 1944 to June 1946. In May 1936, unable to return to Germany from England because of anti-Jewish regulations, Rudolph went to the United States. His parents, Ernst and Frieda, joined him in 1940. In April 1943, Rudolph enlisted in the army and was sent to Camp Ritchie for military intelligence training in interrogation techniques. In July 1944, Rudolph, now Chief Interrogator, Interrogation of Prisoners of War Team 13, landed on Utah Beach in France, where his unit was attached to the 104th Infantry, the Timberwolf Division. As the unit advanced through France, Belgium, and into Germany, Rudolph interrogated those captured. On April 11, 1945, the unit liberated Dora-Mittelbau/Nordhausen concentration camp and Rudolph witnessed the horrific conditions. A skilled photographer, he took snapshots of the camp and other events of his military tour. Following Germany’s surrender in May, 2nd Lt. Sichel was attached to the 9th Army. He interrogated prisoners of war and civilian witnesses, and participated in fact finding missions to document and prepare evidence 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's dress jacket with medals and uniform shirt worn by a US soldier and Jewish German emigre 2003.149.3 a front
- Provenance: The uniform jacket, medals, and shirt were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2003 by Howard S. Sichel and Linda Strohmenger, the children of Rudolph Daniel Sichel., The uniform jacket, medals, and shirt were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2003 by Howard S. Sichel and Linda Strohmenger, the children of Rudolph Daniel Sichel.
- Subject Keywords: German American soldiers--United States--Biography. Jewish refugees--United States--Biography. Jewish soldiers--United States--Biography. Soldiers--United States--Biography. World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation--Germany--Weimar (Thuringia)--Personal narratives, American. World War, 1939-1945--Military intelligence--United States--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American., German American soldiers--United States--Biography. Jewish refugees--United States--Biography. Jewish soldiers--United States--Biography. Soldiers--United States--Biography. World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation--Germany--Weimar (Thuringia)--Personal narratives, American. World War, 1939-1945--Military intelligence--United States--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American.
- Type: Clothing and Dress, Clothing and Dress
- Rights: Permanent Collection, Permanent Collection
- External Link: See the full record at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, See the full record at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Medium: 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 an inner 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 bar pins 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 of shiny, gold colored, die-cast metal in the shape of 2 squared-off, connected, uppercase letters, on the upper left and right lapel point. a5., a6. Infantry insignia pin of shiny, gold colored, die-cast metal 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 ribbon with 7 vertical stripes: white, red, white, blue, white, red, white, on the upper right chest, top bar. a8. One ribbon bar pin with 3 ribbons: World War II Victory Medal ribbon with 3 sets of vertical stripes: wide red center flanked by narrow white and a set of very narrow purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign ribbon with 5 small, black metal star pins and 13 vertical stripes: a narrow center set of blue, white, red, flanked by wide green with a narrow set to either side of: green, white, red to the left and white, black, white to the right, flanked by wide brown; American Campaign ribbon with 15 vertical stripes: 3 sets of narrow stripes separated by wide light blue stripes: the center set is red, white, blue with a set of white, black, red, white stripes to the left and right, on the upper right chest, bottom bar. a9. Infantry insignia pin of shiny, gold colored, die-cast metal in the shape of 2 flintlock muskets crossed diagonally with barrels pointing upward, inside the lower right front pocket. a10. 2nd Lieutenant’s insignia pin: a small, shiny gold colored metal bar with beveled edges, inside lower right front pocket. b. Hip-length, olive drab, wool shirt with a high stand collar with pointed ends and a reinforced front placket with 7 small, dark brown plastic buttons. It has 1 button epaulets, long barrel sleeves with gussets, and 2 button cuffs. There are 2 exterior, square patch breast pockets with 1 button flaps. The right pocket is stitched into 2 pockets: 1 narrow, 1 wide. The straight front and back hems curve up into side slits reinforced with short cloth triangles. The inner collar band is reinforced with light brown satiny cloth and has a tag and size stamp., 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 an inner 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 bar pins 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 of shiny, gold colored, die-cast metal in the shape of 2 squared-off, connected, uppercase letters, on the upper left and right lapel point. a5., a6. Infantry insignia pin of shiny, gold colored, die-cast metal 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 ribbon with 7 vertical stripes: white, red, white, blue, white, red, white, on the upper right chest, top bar. a8. One ribbon bar pin with 3 ribbons: World War II Victory Medal ribbon with 3 sets of vertical stripes: wide red center flanked by narrow white and a set of very narrow purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign ribbon with 5 small, black metal star pins and 13 vertical stripes: a narrow center set of blue, white, red, flanked by wide green with a narrow set to either side of: green, white, red to the left and white, black, white to the right, flanked by wide brown; American Campaign ribbon with 15 vertical stripes: 3 sets of narrow stripes separated by wide light blue stripes: the center set is red, white, blue with a set of white, black, red, white stripes to the left and right, on the upper right chest, bottom bar. a9. Infantry insignia pin of shiny, gold colored, die-cast metal in the shape of 2 flintlock muskets crossed diagonally with barrels pointing upward, inside the lower right front pocket. a10. 2nd Lieutenant’s insignia pin: a small, shiny gold colored metal bar with beveled edges, inside lower right front pocket. b. Hip-length, olive drab, wool shirt with a high stand collar with pointed ends and a reinforced front placket with 7 small, dark brown plastic buttons. It has 1 button epaulets, long barrel sleeves with gussets, and 2 button cuffs. There are 2 exterior, square patch breast pockets with 1 button flaps. The right pocket is stitched into 2 pockets: 1 narrow, 1 wide. The straight front and back hems curve up into side slits reinforced with short cloth triangles. The inner collar band is reinforced with light brown satiny cloth and has a tag and size stamp.
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