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Ernst Paul Mueller

PFC in 603rd Engineer Camouflage Bn : Co A

ASN#32063712

Born 1905 in Germany, Died 1969

County of residence at enlistment: Morris County, NJ
Other residence(s): Dover, NJ
United States Army, did not accompany the unit to Europe
Occupation before the war: semiskilled occupations in manufacture of knit goods
Source: 603rd Camouflage Engineer Roster provided by W. Anderson

Ernst Mueller was born on July 22, 1905, in Thalheim, Germany, the older of two children. Ernst's father immigrated to the United States in 1913; the rest of the family followed in 1922.

The 1930 census shows Ernst (who sometimes used the name Paul), his father Wilhelm, and his sister Elsie all working at a hosiery mill in Dover, NJ. Wilhelm was a knitter, Ernst an erector, and Elsie a transferer.

Ernst registered for the draft on October 16, 1940. At the time he was working at Gotham Silk Hosiery Company in Dover, probably the same mill where the family was working in 1930.  He enlisted five months later, on March 21, 1941; his enlistment form reports that he had two years of high school—probably in Germany before his emigration. After enlistment he was enrolled in the 603rd Engineer Camouflage Battalion, but it is not known if he served in the European Theatre. He was discharged from the Army with the rank of PFC.

He died on December 31, 1969.

Sources:

1930 census

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/19862309:6224?tid=&pid=&queryId=52982e88e7d00fbcee420aaadafd28af&_phsrc=hWE6&_phstart=successSource

1933 shipboard manifest (Bremen to NY); confirmed this is same person since same street address as 1930 census

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=7488&h=2016612804&tid=&pid=&queryId=a2e08415a6a84fa7e1bc8e176f23f541&usePUB=true&_phsrc=hWE15&_phstart=successSource

1940 draft card

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/302024957:2238?tid=&pid=&queryId=59bd5c0f2dd42feff7d86a661cf0d9cb&_phsrc=pYE8&_phstart=successSource

1941 enlistment record

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=8939&h=7895596&tid=&pid=&queryId=0ecd1736a56f0743554dcc99dc544931&usePUB=true&_phsrc=pYE1&_phstart=successSource

1969 VA death record

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/10618214:2441?tid=&pid=&queryId=59bd5c0f2dd42feff7d86a661cf0d9cb&_phsrc=pYE8&_phstart=successSource

1969 NJ death index

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=61260&h=3457939&tid=&pid=&queryId=0ecd1736a56f0743554dcc99dc544931&usePUB=true&_phsrc=XUd4&_phstart=successSource

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