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Gerd S. Grombacher
| Gerd S. Grombacher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 May 1918 Kerrville, Texas |
| Died | 18 December 2006 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Awards | Silver Star |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 36730162 |
| Rank | Major |
| Rank at Ritchie | Private First Class |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 18 (13 April – 10 June 1944) |
| Section | 5A |
| Teams | IPW 100, IPW 185 |
|
| Silver Star |
- Listed in By The Numbers/Awards (from Ritchie Boy Secrets by Beverley Driver Eddy).
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Gerd S. Grombacher (18 May 1918 – 18 December 2006) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 18 and served with IPW Team 100;185.
Biography
Gerd worked as buyer for furniture factory. "Hank" Hauser was a Ritchie Boy. Hauser was born May 18, 1918 in Kerrville, Texas. He was educated in Kerrville schools and graduated from Tivy High School in Kerrville in 1937. He attended Texas A&M University on a football scholarship where he was an All-American guard and tackle play-ing on A&M's undefeated and untied National Championship Team of 1939. He played in both the Sugar and Cotton Bowls during his four years at Texas A&M University. He also lettered in golf while at Texas A&M University. His Texas A&M University Class of 1941 was commissioned 2nd Lieutenants and ordered immediately to active duty in June 1941. Hauser was commissioned an infantry officer and was sent to Camp Wolters, Texas. While there, he met and married the Commander's daughter, Jane Freeman. During World War II, he served on General Douglas MacArthur's Staff in the South Pacific Theater of Operations. He had duty assignments at Camp Wolters, Texas, Camp Ritchie, Maryland, Ft. Huachuca, Az., where he retired as a Colonel on June, 1, 1961. Hauser served with the Army Electronic Proving Ground and was responsible for the testing and evaluation of airborne day and night surveillance radar systems, and for day and night infrared photographic systems for the SD-1, SD-2, SD-3 drone aircraft, and the Army's Mohawk aircraft. As a surveillance image interpreter and a photometrical engineer, he evaluated the imagery derived from aerial surveillance. He was instrumental to the Pentagon and to President Kennedy in identifying and locating Soviet missiles during the Cuba Missile Crisis. He spent the last three years of his civil service career under General Gerd Grombacher for the Army's SAFEGUARD Program. "Hank," as his many family, friends, and colleagues affectionately knew him, attended several military schools including the Commanding General Staff College in 1943. After his military career, he served in Civil Service for 12 1/2 years retiring on June 1, 1973. He also received numerous citations and letters over his two careers. He was selected for induction into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Class of 2003. "Hank" Hauser died December 18, 2006, at the age of 88.
Research notes
- Silver Star; to Maj.Gen.; Cmdt. Fort Huachuca
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 83 |
| Class_ASN | 36730162 |
| Class_Name | GROMBACHER, Gerd S. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- 1st Lt. Frederic G. Cohn (1922-2001) Silver Star.
- S/Sgt Gerd S. Grombacher (1923-2006) Silver Star.
- 12 November 1943 — Became naturalized U.S. citizen.
- 18.
- Silver Star.
Sources
- Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
- Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
- NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
- 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-12-06 (1 post)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Gerd S. Grombacher for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Grombacher, Gerd S. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: GERD S. GROMBACHER.doc)