Barling’s briar wood straight billiard pipe used by American soldier and liberator

Identifier
irn561684
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2012.427.3
Dates
1 Jan 1930 - 31 Dec 1945
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • English
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 1.875 inches (4.763 cm) | Width: 1.375 inches (3.493 cm) | Depth: 5.625 inches (14.288 cm)

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Ralph Morris Kopansky was born on May 23, 1912, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was the second of three children born to Sam and Ida Goseman Kopansky. His parents and older sister, Esther (later Fisher), were born in Russia and immigrated to the United States. Sam worked as a clothing dyer. In 1924, Ralph’s younger sister Lillian died. Ralph graduated from high school and went on to receive degrees from the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota College of Law. While attending law school, Ralph worked as a part time general investigator for Carlton Investigative Agency and served in the US Army Reserve. In July 1940, Ralph married Alice Whitver (1914 – 1981). After receiving training, Ralph became an Immigration Patrol Inspector in Ogdensburg, New York. On September 22, 1941, Ralph enlisted for active duty in the Army. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and a few days later America entered World War II. In 1943, Ralph was selected for training at Army intelligence school in Chicago, Illinois. As a Captain, he was assigned to the U.S. Army Headquarters XIII Corps, 9th Army, where he served as an Assistant Intelligence Officer. In 1944, Ralph’s Corps was deployed to England for additional training and his and Alice’s first son was born. The Corps fought in France, and by mid-January 1945, had crossed the Siegfried Line and advanced into Germany. On April 4, Ralph’s Corps was with the 4th Armored and the 89th Infantry Divisions, Third Army, when they liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp, a subcamp of Buchenwald and the first concentration camp liberated by US troops. The majority of the inhabitants were dead and many of the remains were badly charred. On orders from higher-up, the guards had “exhumed and burned 1,606 murdered victims in six days in an attempt to destroy the evidence” before evacuating the camp in advance of the arrival of US Army forces. Many other prisoners, too weak or sick to be evacuated, were shot by members of the SS before the US Army arrived. Ralph, part of an inspection tour of the camp, was photographed viewing "the charred remains of burned prisoners shortly after capture of the area.” On May 7, Germany surrendered. Ralph received a Bronze Star and numerous letters of commendation for meritorious service. In January 1946, he was released from active duty as a Major, the Military Intelligence Chief of the XIII Corps, and returned to the Army Reserve. In January 1947, the couple’s second son was born. Later that year, Ralph began a successful career with the US Atomic Energy Commission. First serving as the Chief of Police in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and in the late 1950’s, becoming a Branch Manager in Clarksville, Tennessee. Ralph was an active member of several police associations, the American Legion, Lions Club, the PTA, and served as a board member for several additional groups. In 1962, he retired from the Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel. In 1973, he retired and settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ralph, 66, died on July 1, 1978, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Archival History

The pipe was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2017 by Dr. Terry Kopansky, the son of Ralph Kopansky.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Dr. Terry Kopansky

Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Scope and Content

Barling’s pre-transition, Ye Olde Wood pipe used by Captain Ralph M. Kopansky during his service as a US soldier in Europe from 1944 - 1945. This line of pipes was made to be among the best smoking instruments in the world and carved from the company’s signature, highest quality briar wood, which was sourced, harvested, and seasoned under the direct control of the Barling family. On September 22, 1941, Ralph, an Army reservist, enlisted for active duty. Following Japan’s December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States entered World War II. In 1943, he received intelligence training and was assigned to the XIII Corps as an Assistant Intelligence Officer. In 1944, Ralph’s Corps was deployed to Europe. The Corps trained in England, and fought in France, before advancing into Germany, in January 1945. On April 4, the XIII Corps was with the 4th Armored and the 89th Infantry Divisions when they liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp. During an inspection tour of the camp, Ralph was photographed viewing the charred remains of the prisoners. The photograph, 74589, is part of the Museum’s collection. On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Brown briar wood tobacco pipe with a discolored black plastic, horizontal tapered straight stem with bite marks and a raised, elliptical rim around the mouthpiece. It slides into the slightly tapered cylindrical shank, which extends into a perpendicular billiard bowl with a flat rim and a circular chamber coated with thick carbon residue. There are engraved marks on the shank and stem.

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.