The Ritchie Boys: The Allies’ Secret Weapon

Speaker: Linda De Roche

Suitable for Schools · Grades 9–12

The Ritchie Boys, trained in counter-intelligence at Maryland’s Camp Ritchie, were essential to Allied victory in World War II. Many were European immigrants or the children of those immigrants; nearly fifteen percent were Jewish; and their fluency in German, French, Italian, Polish, and other European languages as well as their knowledge of local customs and culture was crucial to the war effort, especially after D-Day. They interrogated prisoners of war, acquiring valuable information that contributed to the war effort, and were embedded in Allied combat units, bridging the language barriers that faced British and American soldiers. My Presentation will shine a light on these secret Allied weapons and their contributions to victory in World War II.