Earlier this month, people around the world observed the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, the end of World War II in the European theater. Glenn Ricketts was there, having served in Berlin, Germany, and Czechoslovakia shortly after the war ended.
Glenn, an Arbor Terrace Willistown assisted living resident, was a member of the U.S. Army Signal Corps. After a stateside stint as a communications instructor, the U.S. War Department sent him to Europe to install navigational aids for American aircraft in Europe.
“These were pieces of equipment that sent radio signals that told pilots where they were,” he said. “The pilot would hear Morse code — a dash or a dash-dot – indicating which side of the beam he was on.”
While Glenn insists that his stories “aren’t that exciting,” they actually provide an interesting glimpse into this period of history.
“After the war was over, Berlin was sectioned into four areas – the U.S., British, French and Russians controlled portions,” he said. “Americans could go anywhere except into the Russian zone.”
Glenn, however, was given special authorization to venture into the Russian sector, driving a Jeep that carried a reporter, a German interpreter and the American representative for the military government. At every block, they encountered checkpoints with Russian soldiers.
“They all had American-made M16 machine guns slung over their shoulders,” he recalled.
His entourage was permitted to visit the Führerbunker – originally an air raid shelter located near the Reich Chancellery. The subterranean bunker complex was the last of the Führer Headquarters used by Adolf Hitler during the war. Glenn even saw the sofa where Hitler committed suicide.
Glenn also spent part of a day observing the war crimes trials in Nuremberg, Germany. Visitors were given a seating chart identifying those on trial. The Nazis on trial wore suits and ties; Glenn said he was struck by how ordinary they looked. Among those present was Nazi leader Hermann Göring, who had lost a lot of weight while imprisoned. (Göring was later convicted of conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg trials in 1946. He was sentenced to death by hanging but committed suicide before the sentence was carried out.)
Glenn also has some lighter memories of his time in Europe, like the time a soldier named Ozzy asked to take a ride on a Douglas DC-3 plane, because he had never flown before. During the brief flight, the pilot noticed a problem with the aircraft and decided to return to the airfield. He informed those onboard that parachutes were available in the back of the aircraft. When the aircraft landed, the problem was determined to be minor. But the flight crew had a good laugh when they discovered that Ozzy was the only one who had opted to put on a parachute – under his overcoat!
Glenn, who was born in 1921, also remembers the Great Depression vividly.
“Growing up in the Midwest, my family felt the Depression like everyone else, but not as severely, because we had some income from my father’s gas drilling business,” he said. “Today, people cannot understand the paucity of food during that time. It was not uncommon for hobos who were riding the rails to stop at our house and ask for something to eat in exchange for doing a little work. My mother always made them a sandwich and told them, ‘Just enjoy your food.’”
After joining the military, Glenn served in the Philadelphia area as a communications instructor before he was deployed to Europe. After returning, he worked as a surveyor for a civil engineering firm and attended Drexel University at night. After graduating, he enjoyed a successful career as a civil engineer.
Glenn and his wife, Catherine, had four children. Sadly, Catherine passed away in 2009.
A former golfer and science fiction author, he continues to write short stories these days at Arbor Terrace Willistown.
This July 2, Glenn will turn 99. Join us in wishing him an early birthday and in thanking him for his service!