Albert B. Meserlin, Jr. (May 26, 1920 – March 29, 2009) was staff photographer to General

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

. With the passing of British Staff Sergeant Susan Hibbert, Meserlin was one of the last surviving witnesses to the

German surrender German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ger ...

ceremony at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, survived by just Eisenhower staff member Noel J. Weiner and Life magazine photographer Ralph Morse. 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 The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

battle at Utah Beach in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. His unit was responsible for taking photographs for newspapers and military archives. Meserlin received a

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

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 Honor Roll Kiosk

References

Veteran's History Project

Dwight D. Eisenhower Honor Roll Kiosk

BBC article (Susan Hibbert)

20th-century American photographers 1920 births 2009 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II {{US-photographer-stub