Military Intelligence Service Worker, Maximilian Lerner, dies at 98

Maximilian Lerner was an American of Austrian descent who rose to prominence in World War II for his work in the Military Intelligence Service. He belonged to the infamous Ritchie Boys.

Maximilian Lerner passed away at the age of 98.

One week after his 98th birthday, on September 10, 2022, Maximilian Lerner (born 9.4.1924) passed away. His was a genuinely American tale.

Max, his parents Isak and Bertha, and his sister Susi fled the Nazis in May 1938, traveling first to Paris and then to Nice. Max was born in Vienna, Austria.

Max and his family managed to leave Vichy France after three years by traveling through Lisbon, Portugal. In 1941, they immigrated to the United States. On his 18th birthday, he joined the American Army, and shortly after being drafted into service in 1943, he became a citizen.

After graduating from New York Evening High School, he was inducted and shortly after was sent to Camp Ritchie (becoming one of the Ritchie Boys) for counterintelligence officer training. This was largely due to his fluency in English, German, and French.

In the early stages of deNazification, he maintained his service by returning to Paris with the first French troops liberating the city, gathering intelligence, and making war criminal arrests.

He finished his military service and then went back to New York to finish his undergraduate and graduate studies.

In the end, he started an import business with his late wife Julianna K. (Glass) Lerner.

Maximilian Lerner Age, Family, and Early Life 

The son of a furrier and a homemaker, Lerner was born on September 4, 1924, in Vienna, Austria. His family first relocated to Paris, France, and then to Nice, France, shortly after the German occupation of Austria in 1938. While attending high school in France, Lerner picked up some French.

In 1941, the family relocated to Manhattan, New York. Lerner worked all day and went to high school at night in Manhattan. During this period, he developed fluency in English.

Maximilian Lerner Career, What was his Profession?

At age 18, Lerner enlisted in the American Army. He was transferred to Camp Ritchie, a military intelligence training facility, following basic training. He traveled to Northern Ireland in March 1944 with the Office of Strategic Services, where he was given more intelligence training by British spies.

Lerner spent a brief period in Paris after D-Day interrogating those who had been detained by the French resistance and differentiating between regular residents and Nazi accomplices and soldiers. He spent the next two weeks in Paris before being relocated to Verdun, France, where he remained for the majority of the duration of the war while carrying out tasks for the Office of Strategic Services.

Lerner traveled to Germany in March 1945, staying there throughout the war’s closing stages and the denazification process.

After the war, Lerner used the GI Bill to attend college, earning a bachelor’s degree from City College of New York in 1948 and a master’s degree from Columbia University in 1952. He established a horticulture products company while also starting a family. He also penned two spy thrillers and a memoir. On September 10, 2022, he passed away in Manhattan.

Which school and college did he go to?

Lerner used the GI Bill to attend college, earning a bachelor’s degree from City College of New York in 1948 and a master’s degree from Columbia University in 1952.

Maximilian Lerner Net Worth, How much does he earn?

The net worth details of Maximilian Lerner aren’t available.

Also Read: Professional Rules Football Player, Patrick Cripps, wins the AFL’s, Brownlow Medal

Maximilian Lerner Wife, What is his relationship?

Lenore Lerner, his devoted wife for 37 years, his children David (Laurie) Lerner, Shereen (Robert Miller), Thomas (Kirsten Erickson), Jill (Kerry) Beraud, Doug (Sue) Kaufman, and Jon Kaufman, as well as 11 grandchildren, nephews, and relatives, survive him.

Is he available on any social media platforms?

Maximilian Lerner isn’t on any social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

Physical Appearance of Maximilian Lerner’s Height, Weight

Interesting facts about Maximilian Lerner’s which should be known