The Trials & Triumphs of a Regimental Commander During World War Ii

By Colonel Thomas A. Glass

This is a memoir by Colonel Thomas A. Glass of his military training and experiences prior to, during and after World War II. It is a very personal account which details what army life was like for a young officer and his wife. As a very junior second lieutenant he served as supply officer and transportation officer for the harbor defenses of Honolulu. In 1940, he reported to the just activated 21st Engineer Aviation Regiment, the first regiment dealing specifically with aviation in the Corps of Engineers.

In 1942 he activated and took command of the 816th Engineer Aviation Battalion which built a heavy bomber base at Gosfield in Essex, England. In August of 1943 he was promoted to commanding officer of the newly formed 925th Engineer Aviation Regiment which built heavy bomber bases, air depots and other air facilities in England. The 925th Engineer Aviation Regiment served in Normandy and in the middle of July of 1944, was assigned the mission of supporting and providing the necessary airfield facilities for the XIX Tactical Air Command, the air arm of General Patton's 3rd Army. Except for brief periods in Germany when the 925th was temporarily attached to 1st Army and 7th Army, the 925th remained with 3rd Army. The 925th built the first airfield across the Rhine River at Eudenbach.

After the war Colonel Glass served in the Engineers Office, U. S. Headquarters Army Air Force in the Pentagon. He studied major heavy earth moving equipment companies, and then became Chief, Procurement Division, Office Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army. He transferred to the Air Force and supervised the move of MATS (Military Air Transport Service) to Andrews Air Force Base. The book concludes with his resignation from the Air Force in 1949 caused by the conflict of career and family.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Jul 21, 2005
• ISBN: 9781466956780

Colonel Thomas A. Glass

Thomas A. Glass was a 1933 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served in the Coast Artillery until 1938 when he transferred to the Corps of Engineers. He subsequently received his master's degree in civil engineering from Cornell University. In 1940 he was assigned to the newly formed 21st Engineer Aviation Regiment, the first heavy earth moving equipped engineer unit in the military. In August of 1942 he took the 816th Engineer Aviation Battalion to England to build a heavy bomber base at Gosfield, England. Battalions and later the 925th Engineer Aviation Regiment under his command built a series of heavy bomber bases, air depots and other air installations in southern England leading up to the time of the invasion in 1944. On the continent the 925th built close in fighter support airfields for General Patton's Third Army in its race across France. In addition the 925th repaired and extended such major airfields as Orly in France, Frankfurt Rhein Main and Y-80 at Wiesbaden in Germany. Under his command the 925th built, or extended and /or repaired 120 airfields, 77 of those on the continent of Europe. His military awards include ETO Ribbon with 5 battle stars, 2 bronze stars, and he was awarded the French Croix de Guerre avec Etoile de Vermeil from General Charles De Gaulle for exceptional services rendered in the liberation of France. After World War II Colonel Glass served as Chief, Procurement Division, Office Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army before transferring to the Air Force. He resigned from the service in 1949, and worked for Caterpillar Tractor Company until his retirement. Colonel Thomas A. Glass died in 2004. He was 93 years old.

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© Copyright 2005 Thomas A. Glass, Clare Belle Gruben Glass.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in

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Cover: photograph of Colonel Thomas A. Glass seated at his desk at the

headquarters of the 925th Engineer Aviation Regiment. At the time

the headquarters was located at Allach, near Munich, Germany.

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ISBN 978-1-4120-6257-2

ISBN: 978-1-4669-5678-0 (ebk)

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CONTENTS

PREFACE

CHAPTER 1

MARRIAGE; FORT SHERIDAN,

ILLINOIS; AND THE CHICAGO

WORLD’S FAIR

CHAPTER 2

HAWAII

CHAPTER 3

FORT MONROE, VIRGINIA AND FORT

BARRANCUS, FLORIDA

CHAPTER 4

BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK AND

ITHACA, NEW YORK

CHAPTER 5

THE 21st ENGINEER AVIATION

REGIMENT

CHAPTER 6

THE 816th ENGINEER AVIATION

BATTALION

CHAPTER 7

THE 825th ENGINEER AVIATION

BATTALION

CHAPTER 8

THE 925th ENGINEER AVIATION

REGIMENT IN ENGLAND

CHAPTER 9

THE 925th ENGINEER AVIATION

REGIMENT IN FRANCE

CHAPTER 10

THE 925th ENGINEER AVIATION

REGIMENT IN GERMANY

CHAPTER 11

REUNION, LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS;

WASHINGTON, D. C.; AND TRAINING

WITH INDUSTRY

CHAPTER 12

BACK IN WASHINGTON

APPENDIX

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PREFACE

THIS is A STORY THAT COVERS a sixteen year autobiographical slice of my life. It was a period when I was a commissioned officer in the military forces of the United States, and it extended from June of 1933 to August of 1949.

For years my wife, Clare Belle, and my son, Thomas Peter, have urged me to write a book covering my military experiences. As a professional procrastinator it has taken me a little time.

I know that it would have been far clearer and more detailed if I had tackled the job a few years after I left the service, but I believe that this still covers the important events. Yet for any errors or omissions that I may have made, please accept my sincere apology.

Another reason for writing this book is that the basic question is still with the military. Which is the more important: to continue a military career with frequent and lengthy absences from family, or to leave the military and pursue a normal life in the civilian world?

I had a very promising career in the military and great job assignments, but I had a family that I loved even more than the military. This was my dilemma over fifty years ago.

Colonel Thomas A. Glass

[Sadly, Colonel Thomas A. Glass died in 2004 before the publication of this book. It was submitted to Trafford for publication, just as it was written by Colonel Thomas A. Glass, by his widow and heir, Clare Belle Gruben Glass]

CHAPTER 1

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MARRIAGE; FORT SHERIDAN,

ILLINOIS; AND THE CHICAGO

WORLD’S FAIR

ON JUNE 13, 1933 AT MY graduation from the United States Military Academy, I received my commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army from the hands of Major General Douglas MacArthur who was Chief of Staff of the U. S. Army. I recall that in his address to the graduating class, he said that during our careers in the Army that we should refrain from playing politics in trying to advance our promotions in the service. After his trouble in Korea, it is too bad that he forgot his own advice.

I had accomplished my goal of graduating from the Point, but the Christmas leave before, I found someone that became my goal for life. It seems my parents were at the Kentucky Derby in May of 1932 when they met another couple from Joliet, Illinois. And it seems that this couple had a daughter about my age, so it was planned for us to meet during my Christmas leave. For the record, I was not too keen on this, but during the last days of the leave, a time and date was arranged, and I met Mr. & Mrs. Peter J. Gruben and their daughter Lucile. While Lucile was very lovely and attractive, no bells were ringing until her younger sister walked in, Clare Belle Amelia Gruben. She was not only beautiful, but very pleasant to be with.

As my leave was drawing to a close, I was only able to arrange one date, plus she would go with my parents to see me off at Englewood train station as I left for the Point. This only made me sure that I had met the girl with whom I wanted to spend the rest of my life.

My next move was to arrange for Mr. & Mrs. Gruben and their daughters to attend my graduation. I found a date for Lucile with my roommate, Charles H. Chase, who later became Major General Charles H. Chase. They really liked each other, and for a while it looked like he might be a prospective brother-in-law after I convinced Clare Belle to marry me.

I was ready when Clare Belle arrived. I had a miniature ring and I gave it to her at that time (actually our third date). She didn’t want to accept it. However, I convinced her that I would consider being engaged to her, but she didn’t have to consider being engaged to me. Graduation with her in attendance was a ball. She also had the opportunity to meet General MacArthur at the superintendent’s reception. By far the most beautiful girl at the graduation hop, I knew that my most important job was to convince her to marry me before my graduation leave was over.

As we drove home from the Point, I suggested that we go by Niagara Falls and get married-no sale. However, once we arrived in Joliet I wore the road out between my house and her house, and on August 23, 1933 we were married. I think she is engaged to me now.

So with Clare Belle, I started my career in the Regular Army and reported to the 61st Coast Artillery (AA) at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. I soon learned there were no quarters on the post, and that we would have to rent in one of the neighboring towns. And this was at the time that President Franklin Roosevelt had issued an executive order reducing pay and allowances by 15%. This meant the base pay was $106.25, quarter allowance $34.00 and subsistence $15.30 per month. Strange, but the real estate agent in Lake Bluff found us a little one bedroom house, fully furnished and utilities paid for $34.00 per month. Times were tough during the Depression.

I was assigned to the Headquarters and Service Battery of the 61st. Our battery commander was a retread from World War I, and certainly not a fire ball. Lt. Danny Spendler, class of 1932, was the other junior officer. We became close friends, and working together, we kept the battery in shape, and had a lot of fun at the same time.

At that time, people who had joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) were being assembled at Fort Sheridan and while they were there, the officers working with them really had to treat them with kid gloves. We were not to discipline them nor were we allowed to touch them. As a result, some of the C.C.C. men would make abusive remarks to the officers. I recall one instance when one big C.C.C. man made an offensive remark about Danny’s mother. Danny took one punch at him and knocked him out the back of the pyramidal tent. The incident was never reported. Danny was killed in Normandy leading an Engineer Patrol.

With regards to the C.C.C., I had the responsibility of delivering one group to Superior, Wisconsin, and, in another instance, I was one of several officers delivering a trainload to Oxnard, California. On that trip, it took us forever to get there as we were put on a siding for every milk train on the route. Further, only sidings out in the country were used, as on a previous train they stopped at a siding in a small town and the C.C.C. men invaded a store, and practically walked out with its contents. We stopped at isolated sidings and let the men out to chase jack rabbits.

The Post Commander at Fort Sheridan was Brigadier General Bowzer Boles, an eccentric relic from World War I. The Commanding Officer of the 61st Coast Artillery was Colonel Hermie Myers, an officer who took great pleasure pulling practical jokes on people, and who never took his job too seriously. He was a joy to work with.

As you might guess, Bowser and Hermie did not get along well together. Hermie would do something that Bowser didn’t like, and Hermie would be sent out for a month or two duty as Commander of a C.C.C. camp in the Corps Area.

Bowser was in a class by himself. I recall getting a haircut one day before I had to report to him. His first remark was: When did you last get a haircut?

Yesterday, I replied.

Well, get another the minute you leave this office. Interesting, when you consider his hair was hanging over his ears. His motto: Do as I say, not as I do Unusual trait of military leadership.

Social life was somewhat limited. There was a bowling league in the regiment that met as I recall once a week. And living off the post precluded attendance at many of the post functions. Besides we were new-lyweds, so who needs an active social calendar. Clare Belle was treated royally by the good people of Lake Bluff. She was invited to parties held during the afternoons and became a very close friend of Tip McIntosh, whose husband was a dentist in Lake Forest. Besides we found a very fine restaurant in Waukegan which figured into our meager income about once a week. Life was good-especially since I was with my one and only.

In 1934 there was a change in command in the 6th Corps Area. The new commanding general was Major General Preston Brown, who had just returned from Panama where he had several Coast Artillery units under his command. He was thoroughly disgusted with many of the men in these units whom he termed squaw men. They had served many years in these units while marrying or living with native women. As a result of this, he had a rather low regard for the Coast Artillery.

When it was decided that the Century of Progress World’s Fair in Chicago would be extended into 1934, it was natural for General Brown to select the only Coast Artillery unit in his Corps area, the 61st Coast Artillery (AA) to provide honor guard troops plus troops to run Camp Roosevelt at the World’s Fair. He would either show the unit up, or, at best, shape them up. What was somewhat unfair was the fact that our men were armed with pistols instead of rifles, and our unit was as mobile as any field artillery unit. Far different from the units that manned fixed coast artillery armament-and besides we were missing those squaw men.

It boiled down to the 61st Coast Artillery furnishing about 200 men in order to man three honor guard platoons, an exhibit, a saluting detail, guard detail, messing facilities, etc. We were to be joined by 100 Navy personnel plus 100 Marines, both of whom would be providing honor guard platoons. It was said, whether true or not, that this would be a first in peace time that all three (Army, Navy and Marines) would be stationed together.

2nd Lt. Fred Fairchild, 2nd Lt. Bob Lawlor and I, all classmates at West Point, were chosen to be the platoon leaders, and we certainly had our work cut out for us. Not only did we drill these men starting about April 1, 1934, but we continued almost to the day we were scheduled to arrive at the Fair. We also had the job of seeing to it that every man wore the same type of uniform. This was fairly simple with the enlisted men, but, with the officers, it was a major problem. In those days there was a lot of originality in officers’ uniforms, so a standard uniform was established and we were required to buy it out of our own pockets. My tab was $126.00-about $18.00 over my base pay.

There was one instance during the time we were drilling the platoons that Brigadier General Boles, who you will remember I referred to as Bowser, observed us while using his binoculars, and reported the following to the Headquarters 61st Coast Artillery:

The platoon that was drilling on the northwest corner of the parade grounds at 10:40 a.m., the No. 3 man in the rear rank of the second squad had his rifle canted to the right!

And Bowser’s office was at least 100 yards away from the designated point on the parade grounds. We really needed his assistance!

I was very proud of the men in my platoon-they were as good as any platoon at West Point. As our drills could have been very monotonous, I had every man take over and drill the unit. They became very good, and I think the men enjoyed the opportunity-actually, as I will explain later, this ability to have these men able to drill the platoon came in handy.

On June 1, 1934 we arrived at the fair as did the Navy and Marine contingents. The Marines had hand picked every man in their unit, and believe me they were highly trained. In contrast, it looked as if the Navy had taken the first 100 men off of one of their incoming ships, and sent them to the fair to represent the Navy. But the Navy officers and men were quick to recognize their problem and asked the Army to help them during our daily tune-up sessions. So at times, I found myself drilling a Navy platoon. (While I was drilling the Navy platoon, my platoon was being drilled by the men taking turns at command.) What really was remarkable was how responsive the sailors were to our training, and it wasn’t too long before they were declared as having the best line when the platoons passed in review at the honor guard ceremony. Interesting why the Navy had asked the Army for help rather than the Marines who are stationed with them on Navy ships. Perhaps, the rivalry established by the Army-Navy football games had a long term friendship benefit.

The honor guard consisted of one platoon from each of the services. They were formed in front of the main entrance, and when the dignitaries arrived, the saluting detail would fire the established number of rounds. Finding an appropriate spot for the 75 mm. guns proved to be a problem. First, we put the guns on the football field in the Soldiers Field stadium. However, there was an almost instant complaint from the nearby Field’s Museum. We were apparently waking up the mummies. So the 75’s were moved into our camp area with the guns pointed out over Lake Michigan. As it was impossible to see the dignitaries arrive, we arranged to have a man observe the arrival from the top of the sky tower and then notify the saluting detail by telephone.

This procedure was not always satisfactory because on one occasion our communications broke down. However, the governor, when asked whether he heard the salute being given for him, replied: Yes, very clearly.

He had wonderful hearing because not a singleround had been fired.

Which brings up another point: early on, it was assumed that only the governor of Illinois would receive the salute. That rule was amended making every governor eligible, so we had a rash of governors visiting the fair. Ego goes a long way! As being the officer in charge of the saluting detail, (in addition to my other duties, a term I became very familiar with during my military career), I know that we fired nearly 900 rounds of ammunition-a busy activity.

Sometimes luck can be on your side. On one afternoon, the sentry on Post No. 1 very near the guard house and the entrance to Camp Roosevelt spotted Major General Preston Brown coming over the ramp leading to the camp. The sentry had been in Panama on a previous tour of duty, and so he recognized him at once even though the General was in civilian clothes. He immediately called out:

Turn out the guard, Corps Area Commander.

Lt. Freddie Fairchild, the officer of the day, happened to be in the guard house, and had the guard out by the time the general arrived. Although the general made a short inspection of the camp, he later told an assembly of officers that he really didn’t have to make an inspection. The fact that our sentry was alert, the guard formed quickly, plus the fact that we had a new flag flying over the headquarters was enough to prove to him that we were properly representing the military.

He asked if there was anything he could do to help us. The point was mentioned that the officers had been put to extra expense in buying the standardized uniforms. He asked about the cost and while he promised nothing specific, he said he would look into it. Before our return to Fort Sheridan, he placed us on 27 days per diem at $5.00 per day. The Coast Artillery had been redeemed!

I can’t speak too highly for the people of Chicago, nor the people administering the fair. They went out of their way to make this a tour of duty one which we would never forget. We were given passes to every show on the grounds, made honorary members of the Trustees Club, and our enlisted men had access to exclusive athletic clubs. They even invited the officers to become judges at the beauty contests held by several of the exhibitors. However, as a 2nd lieutenant, I was always out ranked by senior officers, and besides, I don’t think my wife would have liked it.

Another of my in addition to other duties: I was the athletic and recreation officer. In August, the Chicago Tribune was holding the first All Star Professional Football game in Soldiers Field. I contacted Mr. Arch Ward who was the Sports Editor on the Tribune about obtaining some free tickets for the men. He said, "How many do you need?

I explained that there were 400 stationed there. He said, You’ve got them.

And I left his office with 400 tickets on the 30 to 40 yard line. While some had to stay behind to run the camp, the extra tickets were used by wives and girl friends.

The officers’ mess frequently had distinguished visitors, and the one that still remains in my mind is Major General Smedley Butler, a very well known Marine, who had been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in the Mexican war. He had retired in 1931 and then had taken a job with the city of Philadelphia as the Police Commissioner. He told us the story of his downfall in that job, which I think stands repeating in this book.

It seems that the limousine of a very important person parked in front of a major department store in a no parking zone. It also was in an area being patrolled by a police sergeant. The sergeant told the driver to move on or he was going to give him a ticket. The driver inquired if the sergeant knew the owner of the limousine. The sergeant said it made no difference and to move on. When the driver refused, the sergeant called for the paddy wagon to take the driver to the police station. That’s when politics entered the picture.

The mayor called General Butler and asked him to fire the police sergeant. General Butler said that if the story that the mayor told him was true, he wasn’t going to fire the sergeant, but he was going to promote him to lieutenant. This had apparently not been the first time that special treatment had been requested on behalf of very important people.

General Butler, in a supposedly off the record meeting with reporters said that the way to solve this problem was to establish a special identification system. It involved issuing different color feathers to be worn on the hat. While I can’t remember the actual color scheme, one color would allow traffic violations, another color-minor crimes such as assault and battery, another color feather would allow robberies, burglaries and similar crimes, and the ultimate feather was a color which would allow rape and murder. General Butler pointed out that this would save a lot of time and expense for his police force. This was too good a story to go unreported, and the tongue in cheek and off the record of this meeting was quickly violated.

After appearing in

Reviews for The Trials & Triumphs of a Regimental Commander During World War Ii

[NICK SLOAN · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My father 1st Sargent Hassel P. Sloan was in the first Engineer Aviation Unit to be established in Aug 1940 at Langley Virginia the 21st Engineer Aviation Regiment that invaded the first foreign land before the war started when they went on a secret mission to build and airfield in Greenland named Bluie West One and later again served with the author in the 825th Engineer Aviation Battalion. He was promoted to 1st Sgt of Company B 825th EAB before invading France and later opened the first airfield in Germany while being under fire from German 88's. This book has a lot of history and accounts of work done by Engineer Aviation Battalions in Europe during WWII.