Manuscript
At Long Last, London
Getting air transportation from Washington to London was not as easy as it is today. There was a war going on. The Germans were shooting down planes across the Atlantic. The number of planes was limited, so I stood by in Washington D.C.-waiting. With me waiting were other officers being sent to the war, to London. And who knows where after that? There were three particular officers who I became friendly with. We waited for three days before we could get off the ground. One was a General; he was the newly appointed G-2 of the Armed Forces in Europe. (The sections of the armyñare denoted G1, G-2, G-3. G-2 is Intelligence.) Another was the Surgeon General; newly appointed. And the third was an adventurous one who had become a war hero in North Africa; he had become a cartoon piece, Flip Cochran. Actually his name was Colonel Philip Cochran. He was assigned with me to stay at a little hotel on 14th Street waiting for the call. I must say that I didn’t over-like him; he was a little too flippant for me. And I’m sure he didn’t like me at all. He was a celebrity, but I didn’t know who he was. And the fact that I displayed my ignorance piqued and annoyed him. He was Flip Cochran. And who the devil was I? I probably was just a kid to him. I was pretty young, but I was a Captain. Just an ordinary army officer. Nevertheless, he put up with me.
I waited in that little hotel on 14th Street in Washington, D.C. waiting for a call to go to an airplane and flyaway to London to the war. Time, in its age-old fashion, rolls by. And it did. And the three days passed. I didn’t mind waiting. I was anxious to get to the warñto the activity. I was tired of being a routine, legal clerical employee in Washington. Oh, yeah. I had to get to the activity. Ah, youth!
Suddenly there was a call for Captain Gerber to be given a seat to go to London. I might tell you that air transportation across the Atlantic at that point in army planes was not exactly commodious. A plane to London then was not the magnificent thing it is now. It was an army plane. It had a row of metal seats against the wallñnot even a cushion! You sat on stripped down metal seats with your back up against the metal wall of the plane and patiently waited to get to London. I didn’t mind the inconvenience of the seat! The plane trip from Washington to London was a long and arduous flight Airborne across the North Atlantic with German planes shooting down American planes. It was a time of trepidation. It didn’t bother me. I was young! I was adventurous! I was looking forward to the war! How ridiculous. Looking back now from the advantage of age, I realize that I was quite a young fool. But I was young then, foolish maybe, adventurous true, but I was anxious to get to the activityñto become part of history. Oh, yes. Part of history. We all want to be part of history. Little do we know at the time how the equanimity of peace is preferable to war and its turmoil.
Going across the Atlantic was a bit adventurous. In North Ireland where we landed for fuel, we had to land in a blackout. And it was black! It was the middle of the night. And the plane had to land because we were short of fuel. So we landed in a blackout without the benefit of field lights in a windstorm. The plane almost tipped over and one of the wings was damaged. But we landed. We landed safely. Oh, yeah. It was very exciting. Exciting. Again, the danger of youth: excitement. The plane righted itself and was able to take off.
And so we got to London. In London, too, we landed in total blackout. And you have no idea, what total blackout is unless you have been in the dark of night feeling your way. Darkness; not knowing where you were, not knowing if you would be safe, waiting to find out. But we were safe. We landed. We were in the outskirts of London.
Seated close to me on the plane, was the General, the new G-2, who was to take over the intelligence forces in Europe. I had the temerity of youthñI had the gregariousness of youth. I talked to everyone. I was friendly to everyone. And so I was friendly with these officers and even though they were Generals and I was only a Captain, they didn’t condescend, they just were friendly. Later that initial friendship with the new G-2 proved to be of an advantage.
When we had landed for refueling in Ireland, the new G-2 was assigned a car to look around. I had never been in Ireland. Remember I was a Brooklyn boy. Sheltered. Not sheltered intentionally, but sheltered by time and circumstance. And so I had never been abroad. This was a wonderful opportunity to be. A great adventure. And I was making the most of it. And so when the General invited me to share his car in looking around, I was glad. And I went. And I listened very avidly as we were told of what we were seeing. Ireland is a beautiful country. It’s traditionally green. You probably have heard of the green of Ireland. It’s true. It’s possibly becauseñnot possiblyñit is because much rain falls in Ireland. And so the rugged hills of Ireland are all covered with green. Beautiful green.
And so it was that we went on to London. In London, as I had mentioned, we were again met with total blackout. It was not exactly what I had expected. I had thought that when I would arrive in London I would see something, but oh, no. All I saw was darkness. Black darkness. Again, the General, who was the new G-2, invited me to go to London with him in his car.
He also invited the new Surgeon General and Flip Cochran. And so we all embarked through the blackout to the fabled city of London, which we never saw until the morrow. Because we were part of the General’s party, we were taken to the Claridge Hotel in London. It’s the finest hotel in London. In fact, possibly it is the finest hotel in the world. And so my first footfall in the New Worldñthe Old WorldñLondonñwas into the Claridge Hotel. And all this splendor was very impressive. More impressive even than the Ritz Hotel in New York. I must confess I was impressed. Perhaps one could say I was awed. But nevertheless, there I was Captain Gerber in London waiting to see the new Old World: new to me, old to civilization. You must remember that London is the seat of European civilization. It is the epitome of all civilized peoples in Europe.
London; I was in London. I was going to live in Londonñwork in Londonñstride the streets of London. What a future! What a tremendous new assignment! Oh, Captain Gerber your fate is predestined. As Mama used to say, “Es asez beshert.” It is so fated. You vait and see! I couldn’t see then. It was total blackout. It was like walking in a maze in the dark. But I was in the finest hotel in Europeñin EnglandñClaridgeñthe Claridgeñwith the top brass. And I a simple Captain.
As soon as I could I reported to the office of the General Barr, who was the new Chief of Staff of armed services in Europeñthe General whom I had met at Fort Knox and who had made the order transferring me to London. General Barr was glad to see me, but I couldn’t see that he had a ready post for me. Why then the haste in his having sent for me? Could it be that he wanted me out of the wayñout of harm’s wayñaway from the General’s wife? Oh, no. How could I be so immodest to think such a thought?
Nevertheless, there did not seem to be a post waiting for me. And so I was a little bit at loose ends in London. Newly arrivedñno desk waiting. What to do? Where to go?
There I was in the big city of Londonñthe bombs were fallingñthey fell every night. Later they fell everyday and night. You will see. I will tell you. It was very, very excitingñvery adventurous. Bombs falling. They had never fallen in New York. They had never fallen in Washington. Oh, no. The United States, luckily, was impervious to the war. We heard about it. But we were not part of it. At least not part of it to the point of where the bombs fell.
What was I doing there? I had to find a situation. I had to find a job. I wasn’t going to spend my time sightseeing London. Well, who did I know in London? No oneñonly the people that I had met on the plane. And remember, in addition to Flip Cochran, there was the Generalñthe newly appointed G-2--the General who was to head up intelligence in the European theatre of operations of the American Armed Forces. Well, the plane trip had made us friendly. Friendly enough so that without thought I went to see him. I remember seeing the General and he was very, very, very friendly. And I said, “General, I need a job. I am hopeful that maybe you could use a man Friday.” Remember the term, a man Friday: a handymanñsomebody around to do the little jobs. He looked at me and said, “What day is today?” Well, it was a kind of peculiar question. I thought for a second and I said, “it’s Friday.” He said, “Well, there you are. It’s Friday. You asked, ‘Do I need a man Friday?’ I could use a man Fridayñtoday. Captain, you’ve got a job. You are my man Friday. There’s a vacancy on my staff and I hereby appoint you as Chief of Administration of Intelligence on the General Staff of the United States Army.”
What a tremendous thing to happen! I wasn’t even duly impressed. Looking backñwhat a positionñwhat an honorñwhat luck! And so I became Chief of Administration of the office of the intelligence, section of the General Staffñthe American General Staff in Europe. Quite an achievement! Happenstance: being at the right place at the right time! And incidentally, knowing the right person. And so I was ensconced in London.
I was given a little apartment. The American General Staffs headquarters in London then was the Mount Royal Hotel. It was a tremendous hotelñon Oxford Street, in the heart of London, within walking distance of everything. And so I had a little apartment-I had an appointmentñI was Chief of Administration of Intelligence on the U.S. General Staff. If! had a little aide de camp that blew a bugleñhe might well have blown a bugle, “Here comes Captain Ludwig H. GerberñChief of Administration of Intelligence on the General’s Staff of the United States Army in Europe.” Oh boy! Here we go. I might say that immediately it was love at first sight. I loved London then, and I love it now.
London is one of the greatest cities in the world. And remember I had come originally from New York CityñI had lived in Washington, D.C.ñand now I was transposed into the heart of the warñinto the heart of Londonñone of the oldest, most gracious civilized cities in the world. Yes, it was a great experience. And I loved it. And I still think how fortunate I was at that point in my life to have been given the opportunity. Ah, fate! Again as Mama would say, “Es asez beshert.” It is so fated. It was so fated. It was the niche in life that I had been meant for at that time. And I will say, immodestly, I served it well. I enjoyed itñI lived itñI loved it.
I was not a Captain for long. I served as a Captain for the requisite period of timeñthe minimum requisite period of timeñand I was promoted to be a Major. From the silver bars on my epaulettes, I now had a gold leaf. I was a Major. I was no longer a Captain in the Armored Forces. I was now a Major on the General Staff of the Army of the United States in Europe. What a glorious transfixion! What a glorious promotion! What had I done to deserve such a wonderful fate? I do not know what I did. It was the same uniform, but I walked more erect. Cause I was now Major Ludwig Gerber of the General Staff in Europe. I was assigned as Assistant Secretary of the General Staff with offices in the American General Staff headquarters. I had one untoward experience, almost immediately. I was walking along the broadñwell, no, it wasn’t broad, it was a narrow streetñin London. It was dark; I had been on night duty. That was the fate of the newly arrived Assistant Secretary of the General Staff: night duty. I served on night duty for a long time. More about night duty and the bombs... I almost fell, because I was almost tripped by another officer striding along in the dark. He was not very happy to see this young, whippersnapper Major, who was in his way and who did not salute him. I had become an obstacle. And I guess he took himself very seriously. He was a Colonel. And he preferred charges against me of insubordination. Those charges were never heard. He leaned on, and as Kipling would have said, “On and on and on.” And periodically I’d receive a call to see whether I was still there. Or perhaps they thought I had fled. Where I would have fled to, I know not, but I was there. And I would answer the telephone and I would tell them that I was ready and waiting. Finally, the General became annoyed with this incessant presentation of the force of the armed services. And he said, “Give me the phone.” He took the phone and he said to the officer who had called, “This is the General, G-2, Chief of Staff of the Intelligence Forces, and you are instructed to immediately dismiss those charges against Major Gerberñthose ridiculous charges. Free him from that burden.” And, of course, they did. And so, therefore, I never, never heard further. There were no charges preferred. There was no court marshal proceeding. I never was sent to the stock. “Oh, General you were very kind. I appreciate it. And I will try hard to obey the regimen of the Army. I will try hard not to become a stumbling block to any Colonel, but that I would stand and salute him-smartly.” And I did, thereafter. And that was the end of the court marshal charges against Major Gerber, newly arrived in London.