Harry Nomburg

Serjeant Harry Nomburg, who used the nom de guerre Harry Drew, was a soldier of the British Army who served during the Second World War. Joining 10 Commando, Nomburg was variously attached to 6, 12, and 3 Commando during the war.
He was born on 17 November 1923, in Coburg, the son of Georg and Charlotte Nomburg (née Heymann). They relocated to Berlin in the 1930s after Nazi brownshirts burnt down the family business.Masters, Peter (1997), Striking Back: A Jewish Commando's War Against the Nazis, p. 33. Nomburg escaped Nazi Germany in May 1939 as part of the Kindertransport, which took him to Scotland. His parents had arranged for their son to leave; they remained, however, convinced that Adolf Hitler's principal target were the Communists. They were eventually sent to the Lodz Ghetto and did not survive the Holocaust.The Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names, db.yadvashem.org. Retrieved 3 August 2015. His younger brother was sent to Mandate Palestine.
Nomburg lived with other refugee children at Whittingehame, before being interned on the outbreak of war as an 'enemy alien'. His detention at Lingfield Racecourse lasted three months until he enlisted in 137 Company, Pioneer Corps.Leasor, James (2001), The Unknown Warrior, p. 7.Leighton-Langer, Peter (2006), The King's Own Loyal Enemy Aliens: German and Austrian Refugees in Britain's Armed Forces, 1939-45, p. 327.In 1943, Nomburg volunteered for 3 Troop, No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando. They were drawn mostly from the Pioneer Corps, and composed predominantly of German-speaking Jewish refugees. Later on, Nomburg was selected to train with Fynn Force, and in September undertook a limited beach reconnaissance in occupied France with 12 Commando.Dear, Ian (2010), Ten Commando, pp. 59-60.Masters, Peter (1997), Striking Back: A Jewish Commando's War Against the Nazis, p. 118.
In the prelude to D-Day, 3 Troop were dispersed among the Special Service Brigades, with the intention of using them as interpreters and interrogators. Nomburg was attached to Lord Lovat's 6 Commando, and landed at Sword Beach with it on 6 June 1944. He and 6 Commando quickly made their way inland, relieving glider troops at Pegasus Bridge and briefly entering the still-occupied village of Breville.Harry Nomburg, eastlothianatwar.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
On 2 August, Nomburg was out on a two-man patrol with a Serjeant Hare when he triggered the trip-wire of a German booby trap. He warned Hare, but the serjeant could not escape the explosion, which badly wounded his knee. Nomburg turned back to find a medic, only to get tangled in the wire of a British booby-trap. The ensuing grenade explosion covered him in shrapnel.Masters, Peter (1997), Striking Back: A Jewish Commando's War Against the Nazis, p. 243-4. Nomburg was wounded on the 19th and did not return to his unit until January 1945, but quickly became active during operations along the River Mass. In one patrol across the Maas, Nomburg was able to induce two German sentries to surrender. As they paddled back in a dinghy, the patrol came under machine-gun fire, but reached Allied lines unscathed.Masters, Peter (1997), Striking Back: A Jewish Commando's War Against the Nazis, p. 276. 
For the remainder of his military service, Nomburg operated as an interpreter in a number of cities in occupied Germany. In 1948, he emigrated to the United States, and there resumed his military career when he joined the 82nd Airborne Division. After being demobilised in 1952, Nomburg entered the US Postal Service, and would work for the organisation for 42 years.New York Times (1997),"Harry Nomburg. 14 May 1997, nytimes.com. Retrieved 3 August 2015. He died on 21 February 1997, survived by his wife, Beatrice, and their two children.
==Notes==
==External links==
*D-Day account by Harry Nomburg, eastlothianatwar.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
Category:1923 births
Category:1997 deaths
Category:German military personnel
Category:American military personnel
Category:American people of Jewish descent
Category:British Army
Category:Sergeants