Alfred Fredrick Kalberer (Jan 1, 1907 - Jun 20, 1984) was an American World War 2 bomber pilot, and later, an Air Force general at the U.S.

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...

and

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

. During his career, Kalberer was awarded 26 military decorations, including the Order of the British Empire, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Air Medal, and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Early life

Alfred F. Kalberer was born at Lafayette, Indiana in 1907. After graduating from high school, he worked as an usher in a Chicago theater.

Career

In 1927, Kalberer received an appointment as an air cadet. In 1928, while at

Kelly Field Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. In ...

, he was commissioned as reserve second lieutenant and assigned to the 1st Pursuit Group of Selfridge Field. In 1929 he resigned from active duty and was hired by

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to make a promotional tour of the United States, Mexico and Cuba. Kalberer then worked for the

National Air Transport National Air Transport was a large United States airline; in 1930 it was bought by Boeing. The Air Mail Act of 1934 prohibited airlines and manufacturers from being under the same corporate umbrella, so Boeing split into three smaller companies, ...

(later part of United Airlines) as an airmail pilot. In the mid-1930s, Kalberer left United for Royal Dutch Air Lines (KLM). On December 10, 1941, Kalberer returned to active duty as a first lieutenant assigned to the Army Air Corps' Ferry Command. In June 1942, Kalberer was part of the bomber force that scored a number of hits against Italian capital ships; Accounts of the raid were featured in popular press. In September he was awarded the Silver Star. Kalberer was part of a raid on the Ploesti oil fields. In June 1943, Kalberer was promoted to lieutenant colonel and entered the B-29 program. He was assigned to India as deputy commander of the B-29 equipped 462nd Bomb Group. In August 1944, the unit's commander was shot down, Kalberer assumed command and was promoted to full colonel. In April 1946, Kalberer served as an intelligence officer at

Bikini atomic tests Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll consisted of the detonation of 23 nuclear weapons by the United States between 1946 and 1958 on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Tests occurred at 7 test sites on the reef itself, on the sea, in the air ...

. Kalberer authored an eyewitness account of the test that was published in popular press. In Fall of 1946, he was assigned to Headquarters of the

at Fort Worth, Texas; From September 1946 to December 1947. He served as chief of intelligence for the Eighth. From late 1947 to October 1948, Kalberer commanded the 55th Reconnaissance Group and again participated in atomic tests during the Sandstone Atomic Weapons Test at Eniwetok Atoll. Beginning in July 1948, Kalberer spent three years at the Headquarters of the

as director of public relations and special assistant to its commander Curtis LeMay. In December 1952, Kalberer was promoted to one-star general. In August 1955, Kaliber was given command of the

14th Air Division The 14th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 14 June 1989. History World War II The organization was in ...

at Travis Air Force Base. He was appointed deputy commander,

15th Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...

and promoted to major general in August 1957. On July 14, 1959, Kalberer became vice commander at Headquarters Continental Air Command. In 1960, Kalberer's anti-communist speech at a local Kiwanis club was published in the press. In July 1961, he was named chief of staff to the Allied Air Forces Southern Europe. In 1963, Kalberer retired at the rank of Major General.

Retirement and legacy

After retirement, Kalberer and his wife took up residence in Bellevue, Nebraska. The Air Force's Alfred W. Kalberer Outstanding Airman Award was named for the former general. His wife, Charlotte, died in 1975. Kalberer died on June 20, 1984.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalberer, Alfred 1907 births 1984 deaths Personnel of Strategic Air Command United States Army Air Forces bomber pilots of World War II United States Air Force generals Military personnel from Indiana