|
|
|
|
Tribute to Col. Glantzberg by Claude W. Hisey It would be a gross misrepresentation of fact not to give due acknowledgement to the First Combat Commanding Officer of the 461st Bomb Group, Col. Frederic E. Glantzberg, known as "The Big G." Col. Glantzberg was not the original Group Commander. Our original Group Commander was Lt. Col. Willis G. Carter. Col. Glantzberg replaced Lt. Col. Carter at Wendover Air Base, Utah, when Lt. Col. Carter became ill. Col. Glantzberg was called "The Big G" by those of us who worked closely with him. This name was richly deserved for many reasons. Col. Glantzberg was a large, husky man with a commanding, intimidating appearance. The informal memos sent to his staff always ended with a large letter "G" about 3/4" high. Who can forget being summoned into his office at Hammer Field, Fresno, California, with his huge German Shepherd dog draped in the doorway. As one would step gingerly over the dog, he would continuously growl and not stop growling as long as you were in the room. The Big G was intimidating enough, but that dog made it downright uncomfortable. Who can forget the Big G riding around the area at Toretta Field on a large, Bay horse, with the peasants bowing as he rode by uttering, "Buon Giorno Barbarossa." No one knows how he pulled off the "Midnight Requisition" of a P-40, but he did. I am sure the original combat crews still remember the Big G riding shotgun in his P-40 during our orientation formation missions. He was tough when he had to be, and soft and benevolent in private conversation. He was a fine man, one hell of a soldier, and he molded the 461st into the finest group in the Fifteenth Air Force. It is with the greatest respect that this brief acknowledgement is written for Col. Frederic E. Glantzberg, "The Big G." Claude W. Hisey Milwaukee, Wisconsin 30 October 1986
|
|
Send mail to
webmaster@461st.org with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
