Albert Meserlin
Encyclopedia
Albert B. Meserlin, Jr. was staff photographer to General Dwight D. Eisenhower
. With the passing of British Staff Sergeant Susan Hibbert
, Mr. Meserlin was believed to be the last surviving witness to the German surrender
ceremony at the end of World War II
.
As staff photographer, he also caught the surrender ceremony on camera. In May 1945, the surrender took place in a windowless room in a corner of a small red-brick schoolhouse – the temporary headquarters of General Dwight Eisenhower, commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces.
Meserlin was in a small photography unit that lost two men in the D-Day
battle at Utah Beach
in France
. His unit was responsible for taking photographs for newspapers and military archives.
Meserlin received a Bronze Star for his meritorious service in recording the activities of the Theater Commander in all phases of the war. His outstanding devotion to duty ensured that an accurate, everlasting account of General Eisenhower's activities for the War Department.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
. With the passing of British Staff Sergeant Susan Hibbert
Susan Hibbert
Susan Hibbert was one of the secretaries who typed the English versions of the German surrender document at the conclusion of the Second World War...
, Mr. Meserlin was believed to be the last surviving witness to the German surrender
End of World War II in Europe
The final battles of the European Theatre of World War II as well as the German surrender to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union took place in late April and early May 1945.-Timeline of surrenders and deaths:...
ceremony at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
As staff photographer, he also caught the surrender ceremony on camera. In May 1945, the surrender took place in a windowless room in a corner of a small red-brick schoolhouse – the temporary headquarters of General Dwight Eisenhower, commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces.
Meserlin was in a small photography unit that lost two men in the D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
battle at Utah Beach
Utah Beach
Utah Beach was the code name for the right flank, or westernmost, of the Allied landing beaches during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, as part of Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. His unit was responsible for taking photographs for newspapers and military archives.
Meserlin received a Bronze Star for his meritorious service in recording the activities of the Theater Commander in all phases of the war. His outstanding devotion to duty ensured that an accurate, everlasting account of General Eisenhower's activities for the War Department.