Ritchie Boy Secrets: How a Force of Immigrants and Refugees Helped Win World War II

by Beverley Driver Eddy

In June 1942, the U.S. Army began recruiting immigrants, the children of immigrants, refugees, and others with language skills and knowledge of enemy lands and cultures for a special military intelligence group being trained in the mountains of northern Maryland and sent into Europe and the Pacific. Ultimately, 15,000 men and some women received this specialized training and went on to make vital contributions to victory in World War II. This is their story, which Beverley Driver Eddy tells thoroughly and colorfully, drawing heavily on interviews with surviving Ritchie Boys.

The army recruited not just those fluent in German, French, Italian, and Polish (approximately a fifth were Jewish refugees from Europe), but also Arabic, Japanese, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Russian, Turkish, and other languages—as well as some 200 Native Americans and 200 WACs. They were trained in photo interpretation, terrain analysis, POW interrogation, counterintelligence, espionage, signal intelligence (including pigeons), mapmaking, intelligence gathering, and close combat.

Many landed in France on D-Day. Many more fanned out across Europe and around the world completing their missions, often in cooperation with the OSS and Counterintelligence Corps, sometimes on the front lines, often behind the lines. The Ritchie Boys’ intelligence proved vital during the liberation of Paris and the Battle of the Bulge. They helped craft the print and radio propaganda that wore down German homefront morale. If caught, they could have been executed as spies. After the war they translated and interrogated at the Nuremberg trials. One participated in using war criminal Klaus Barbie as an anti-communist agent.

This is a different kind of World War II story, and Eddy tells it with conviction, supported by years of research and interviews.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, World War II, Espionage

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2021

About the author

Beverley Driver Eddy is professor emerita of German studies at Dickinson College, with seven books to her credit, including Ritchie Boy Secrets (Stackpole, 2021). She has spoken widely on this topic, including at the U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center, and has appeared on C-SPAN’s BookTV podcast. Eddy lives in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

source: Amazon

Reviews

[Landon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A monograph relaying the story of the Ritchie Boys has long been overdue. Finally, some fifteen years after the release of Christian Bauer’s The Ritchie Boys, we see a comprehensive text which describes daily life inside Camp Ritchie, the Army Post which held the Military Intelligence Training Center during World War II. In Ritchie Boy Secrets: How A Force of Immigrants and Refugees Helped Win World War II by Beverley Driver Eddy, readers will experience an intimate look into military history which has remained largely unknown for nearly eighty years. Eddy’s deep dive into research on both Camp Ritchie and the Ritchie Boys is commendable. With the exception of Bruce Henderson’s 2017 work, Sons and Soldiers: The Untold Story of the Jews Who Escaped the Nazis and Returned with the U.S. Army to Fight Hitler, there are scant writings of the Ritchie Boys’ tremendously important wartime efforts which were determined to have been responsible for obtaining more than 60% of actionable intelligence in the European Theater.
No researcher or author has tackled Camp Ritchie’s history as thoroughly as Eddy and it is doubtful any text will ever match this level of research on this subject. While there are many more tales to be told regarding the nearly 20,000 Ritchie Boys who passed through the stone gates of Camp Ritchie, if a question about the Camp should arise, researchers should look no further than this text. The lengthy spread of primary and secondary sources utilized to draft this work is deeply impressive. Not only does Eddy highlight the increasingly well-known German and Austrian Enemy Aliens turned U.S. Citizen, but she also takes deep dives into topics which are rarely discussed in Camp Ritchie’s WWII timeline. For example, when Ritchie Boy Secrets was released, scholars investigating the Woman’s Army Corps or Japanese Nisei at Camp Ritchie would have a challenging time finding a substantial amount of information in one compiled location. In short, Eddy’s book should be considered the definitive history of Camp Ritchie.
While the history of Fort Ritchie, which rose from Camp Ritchie in 1951 during the Korean War until its closure in 1998, will certainly deserve more attention when pertinent documents become available, there is no denying the utility of Eddy’s book. As the director and curator of the Ritchie History Museum, I can personally attest to the usefulness of the information within the pages of this text. When visitors tour the facility, nearly all of their questions can be answered by simply reading Ritchie Boy Secrets. Those who may feel the text is too descriptive are missing the fundamental purpose of compiling such a text. Even if one were to simply use this book for research, Eddy carefully breaks her chapters down chronologically, but also in a manner which are reminiscent of essays regarding each area of study. For example, if one wanted to solely research aerial photography and photo interpretation methods during World War II, they could easily consult with Eddy’s work, find excellent information, and continue on with their inquiries. For scholars and fanatics of the Second World War, the book deserves a full read. Each chapter contains information and stories that are highly interesting, comical, heartbreaking, and fantastically unbelievable. Dr. Eddy’s work here is, simply put, phenomenal and something which will remove the heavy lifting for historians for years to come.




-Landon Grove
Ritchie History Museum Director & Curator

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not just another Publish or Perish book! It is an in depth into things that Military Intelligence and the OSS were up to here in Maryland/Pennsylvania in WW2 to keep the country's intelligence community informed. Complete with photo reproductions from the National Archives and Records Administration and other sources. It also exposes the biases of the day in the military and elsewhere. I hadn't been exposed to this information in the past, but I did find it mostly riveting (there are a couple of chapters I found as delightful as *The Begats*). I hope that some of the better historical novelists will take this information and run with it! I think that it is all fascinating and all the better because it is well-researched and documented nonfiction.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Rowman & Littlefield/Stackpole Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Eugenea Pollock]

Too tedious to continue—like reading a big, boring research paper.

[Irene Wittig · Rating 5 out of 5]

More a thorough scholarly book than a creative non-fiction read, but I find it especially interesting because my mother's brother was a Ritchie Boy. It is gratifying and very meaningful to know how important the contributions of the Ritchie Boys were, as many if not most of them were refugees. . Previous books such as the one by Bruce Henderson, focused on Ritchie Boys who had come from Germany, but there were many from Austria as well. These Austrian-born Ritchie Boys have been studied and written about by two researchers in Austria (Robert lacker and Florian Traussnig)

[Ron Baumer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a terrific read! The book was totally interesting and kept my attention. The author does an outstanding job of explaining the various functions of the camp. In addition, the use of first hand accounts and short excerpts about various individuals really brought the story to life. This is a must read for any history enthusiast.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Eddy's careful research and accounts of her interviews shine in this book. This is for me local area history but in the grander scheme of the war it details an interesting and important aspect of WWII history. Recommended for WWII history readers.

Again, here is the link to the great talk Dr. Eddy gave at The USAHEC on Camp Sharpe (and Camp Ritchie): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hQbk...

[Robert W. Shepard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immigration was important during WWII

Didn't know foreign residents were so utilized during the war. Without them Americans might be speaking Japanese or German now

[David Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Camp Ritchie was where more than 15,000 men and women, mostly immigrants, children of immigrants, and refugees, were trained in various specialized military intelligence topics. These included interrogation of enemy prisoners of war, aerial photo interpretation, terrain intelligence, signal intelligence, and other topics.

This book is primarily about the camp (its founding, organization, and operation). It seems like every possible topic relating to camp instruction and the students who received it is covered. The last few chapters give short thumbnail biographies of several of the graduates. These short (typically a few paragraphs) sketches are varied and fascinating.

I found the information about the Composite School Unit particularly interesting. This is the unit that, for training purposes, operated as an enemy force. They wore enemy uniforms with proper insignia and used enemy weapons and vehicles. They were mostly "playing" as Germans, but not exclusively.

If you're looking for in-depth stories of the "Ritchie Boys", this is not the best book. But if you want a fuller understanding of what Camp Ritchie provided, this book is for you. The camp trained men (and women) in so many important topics that the story of the camp can't really be told from the viewpoint of a small number of its graduates.

[Sharon Healy-Yang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. One of my favorites this year. Driver Eddy recounts the fairly recently discussed formation of Camp Ritchie, which was set up to create members of the armed forces during WWII with a superior knowledge of language and culture in European and Asian countries that would prove invaluable in interrogation, espionage, resistance work, translation and code breaking, etc. Many of of the "graduates" were Jewish refugees from Europe, itching to serve their new country and pay back the Nazis. Many others were first and second generation Americans with the same language skills and cultural knowledge. However, the camp also trained and utilized Asian and Native Americans for the war effort - women as well as men, though not all served overseas. The author does a wonderful job of integrating research documents and personal narratives of the Ritchie Boys (and Gals)themselves to give a thorough understanding of the camp's formation, the training its people received, and how that training was utilized in this country and overseas. The book reveals an impressive forethought in the minds preparing our strategies for winning the war.

[Mike Bigelow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard book to rate. On one hand, the author does a wonderful job piecing together the story of the group of Army intelligence professionals that trained at Camp Ritchie, Maryland during World War II. This story hasn't been told in one book until now. On the other hand, she's not a military historian so sometimes can't put her research into the proper context or perspective. Too often she uses superlatives like "most" or "first" when they aren't warranted. That doesn't mean that what she is describing isn't important, just not most important. Also, sometimes the narrative is repetitive and clunky. Still a good book that should be read by anyone wanting to know a more complete story of Army intelligence in World War II.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

An encyclopedic book on the soldiers trained at Camp Ritchie in the Maryland mountains (and also at Camp Sharpe in Gettysburg). Lots and lots of famous people would pass through the camp and Helen River Eddy does a good job of describing what they did.

But the narrative is weak, leaving the reader to patch together the story of what this group highly-varied background did during World War II.

For those interested in some background before plunging into the book, CBS' "60 Minutes" has done a profile on the Ritchie Boys and Christian Bauer has a film on them, "The Ritchie Boys".

[Lisa Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immigrants and refugees were trained, along with U.S. citizens, in the mountains of northern Maryland at Camp Ritchie, during World War II. They were trained in espionage, mapmaking, interrogation, etc. These refugees received their ranks based on effort and success, not on religion, gender, or nationality. They were invaluable to the U.S. efforts in the war, for they shared their knowledge of enemy territories, spoke other languages, and were, quite honestly, motivated to serve. This is an eye-opening look at another part of history of which few knew.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This history of a special group of men will be of greatest interest to those who have a personal attachment to the Ritchie Boys. Relatives of the men who were there will probably see their kin's units and some of their actions during World War II. History buffs will also enjoy reading about the specifics and the nitty-gritty of the men and their units. It was truly a remarkable group and a remarkable program.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting!! This is a little known troop trained in Eastern PA and Maryland in a secret camp. Men and women, most of whom were intellectuals and spoke several languages, came from Italy. Germany and America to help win the war against Hitler. A great read for anyone who is interested in WWII and the Nazis.

[Chris Borden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most pleasant read!

Books about lessor-known subjects are often not enjoyable; as this one is very well written, I enjoyed it and learned much.

A great reminder of the total team effort that was needed to win WW2. We all should be grateful to the men and women who dedicate themselves to our security, oftentimes in obscurity.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave the books three stars for having been incredibly well-researched, for having been very informative, and for having given such a detailed account of the camp. I would have rated it higher had it not (in the words of another Goodreads reviewer) read like a "big, boring research paper".

[Jennifer Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook. Interesting supplement to the Ritchie Boys 60 minute segment I enjoyed. Had a hard time with the narrator mispronouncing names like Hagerstown (Hay-gerstown, not Haa-gerstown and Detrick (Dee-trick not Deh-trick), but that’s a local Marylander listener issue for me lol.

[Steve Barney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh! I’m sure this would be of more interest to devoted WW2 historians (of which I’m not) interested in the training of interrogators, order of battle, propaganda, etc. For me, it was grueling.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating story made even more interesting to me as I took a college course in French literature taught by Professor Victor Brombert, one of the Ritchie Boys.

[David Engel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the nail-biting story of a battle, campaign or regiment, but interesting story of interrogation, propaganda, espionage and translation skills developed for assisting in the victory of WWII.

[Dwight Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historically interesting. A lot
of detail.

[Anthony Bracciante · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly detailed accounting of the specialized training provided primarily to European refugees that used their unique talents and skills to serve the Allied cause in World War II.

[Andrew Rochman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Found it very slow and dry.

[Ted Held · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating stories that need to be told but a bit tedious at times. If you’re a WW2-head this is an interesting read

[Brett Bosley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. Would have been more interesting with some of the curriculum and records, but I guess you work with what's available. I live close to Hagerstown so that was kinda cool.

[Jeffrey Reames · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't realize these groups existed . Interesting.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched history that many are unaware off. Enjoyed the read. Great history of what was going on in Maryland for the war effort and training of real spies.

[Karen Behrens · Rating 1 out of 5]

2023 Book challenge #2 Ben

[Snidely · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was quite disappointed with this book. It seemed to have nothing "new" - no new insights, no previously unknown stories, etc. It apparently was put together as a compilation of the works of others. With proper citations, I'm not alleging plagiarism. It was lacking in pizazz.
It's always seemed to me that to be something other than ordinary, a narrative non-fiction book has two basic requirements - 1) a compelling and interesting underlying story, and 2) a skillful and competent writer to spin the facts together and make the story an attention grabber, a special book. A good writer can make an ordinary story into something more than an ordinary book, a poor writer can ruin even a rather special story.
On these two scores, 2-2.5 for the story, 2-2.5 for the writing. Rounded down to 2, no reason to round up. Too bad.

[Wawawai Yakawawa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is like reading an exhaustive research paper. The story is fascinating. The writing does little to engage the reader. I often put the book down with one of two thoughts: 1) wishing the book would have been written by a more capable writer, or 2) the book may have been more interesting to those living in the region of Camp Ritchie.