Peter Franz Karl Bank
- Born on: 16.5.1917
- Birthplace: Vienna (Wien),
- Category: Diploma program
- Right of domicile: Wien (Wien),
The English version is based on a translation by artificial intelligence. The authentic version is the German version.
After five semesters of study at the University for World Trade, Bank was deregistered on June 10, 1938, due to his Jewish heritage. While he was still admitted to the Faculty of Law at the University of Vienna for the summer semester of 1938, the winter semester of 1937/38 was the last recognized semester for him at the University for World Trade.
Thanks to the support of the Jewish Community of Vienna, he was able to emigrate to the USA via Italy on June 28, 1938, with his father Max, who had worked as a bookkeeper, his mother Paula, born on January 3, 1885, in Vienna with the maiden name Klager, and his sister Susanne, who was born in Vienna on December 3, 1919. Until then, the family had lived at Apollogasse 26/1/12 (7th District of Vienna).
Since October 13, 1938, Peter Franz Karl has been resident in Springfield (Illinois). At the University of Illinois, he studied General Business and business examination for two years. As highlighted in the Los Angeles Times in its obituary, he completed his studies in 1941 “with high honors and three degrees.” The following year, he acquired American citizenship.
In November 1942, the linguistically gifted emigrant (German, English, and French) enlisted in the American army to contribute to the liberation of Europe from National Socialism. Initially, he was part of the Quartermaster Corps at Fort Francis E. Warren (Wyoming) until March 1943. He was then assigned to the Quartermaster Department in Chicago and – starting in January 1944 – to the Quartermaster Department in Jersey City. From June 1944 onwards, he was trained for interrogating German and Austrian prisoners of war at the Military Intelligence Training Center in Camp Ritchie (Maryland). Bank was among the five other emigrated Austrians who had a connection to the University for World Trade and were part of the 494 “Ritchie Boys” from Austria. He was deployed in Team 148 of the special unit Interrogation of Prisoners of War, which was subordinate to the 3rd US Army under General George S. Patton and operated in Western Europe. Within the American army, Bank reached the rank of First Lieutenant.
During his stationing in Bremen, Bank met Elke Heims, whom he married in 1947 in Los Angeles. The year before, he had settled in the California capital. While Elke worked as a travel agent and sang in the famous Roger Wagner Chorale, Peter worked as a business examiner. According to the Los Angeles Times, he was the youngest business examiner in the USA at that time. In their free time, they enjoyed traveling and skiing. From the marriage, the daughters Eileen M. (later married Skone-Rees) and Lorita L. (later married Morgenthaler) were born.
Peter Franz Karl Bank died on November 2, 2017, at the age of 100 in his home in Los Angeles. On November 24 of the same year, he was buried in the grave of his wife, who had passed away in 1991, at the Jewish cemetery Mount Sinai Memorial Park.
Author: Johannes Koll
Support in research: Robert Lackner
Source material
Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Universitätsarchiv, Studierendenkarteikarte.
Gedenkbuch für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus an der Universität Wien 1938, Eintrag zu Peter Bank, https://gedenkbuch.univie.ac.at/page/1/person/peter-bank [20. Februar 2025].
Archiv der Israelitischen Kultusgemeinde Wien, Best. Jerusalem, A/W 2589/91, Nr. 36135 und Auswanderungskartei zu Max, Paula, Peter Franz Karl und Susanne Bank.
Matrikenamt der Israelitischen Kultusgemeinde Wien, Alte Kartei, Karteikarte Max Bank.
National Archives and Records Administration (College Park, Maryland): Record Group 165 (Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs), E 206, B 30, Karteikarte Peter F. Bank.
Robert Lackner: Camp Ritchie und seine Österreicher. Deutschsprachige Verhörsoldaten der US-Armee im Zweiten Weltkrieg, Wien/Köln/Weimar 2020.
E-Mail von Dr. Robert Lackner (Austrian Center for Intelligence, Propaganda and Security Studies, Graz) an PD Dr. Johannes Koll (WU Wien) vom 30. Juni 2021.
Österreichisches Staatsarchiv, Archiv der Republik, Finanzen, HF, Zl. 08576, Zl. 27452 und Zl. 36743.
Los Angeles Times vom 18. November 2017, http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?n=peter-franz-bank&pid=187277690 [11. Juni 2021].