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D-Day Survivor: An Autobiography

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There are many books on Omaha beach that talk about the overall strategy, the failures and victories and talk about the leaders and commanders. There are also military-study type books that break down the action sector by sector and unit by unit. However there are surprisingly few accounts by men that landed in the first wave. This is I suppose because of two factors: 1) the high percentage of casualties on D-Day amongst the first-wave, and 2) the fact that many of the survivors cannot talk about the events of June 6th - the memories they have are of the carnage and horror and possibly lacking in detail.

Harold Baumgarten is therefore pretty unique, he is an Omaha beach survivor possessed with a photographic memory AND a compelling drive to tell others the story of the young men who landed on D-Day. Through his words the reader gets to hear first-hand about the training, formation and actual D-Day landing of his unit (B/116th Infantry) and his personal tale of terrible injuries and his determination to see his mission through and simply to survive. But also he describes the equipment and uniforms worn, the tactics employed and talks about the German defences. But above all he tells of the brave young first-wavers, with his skillfull writing these men he fought alongside are not just names, they are people, we learn where they are from, what they were like and hear about their fate - some sad, and some happy.

After D-Day we hear about Harold's slow recovery and his personal mission to aid family members of those who fell, his becoming a doctor, and ultimately his re-visiting of Omaha and his current role as one of the few spokesmen left of the "greatest generation".

This book is humbling, rewarding, upifting, informative and fascinating

As the title of this book indicates, the author was a survivor of D-Day, the massive Allied invasion of the beaches at Normandy, June 6, 1944.

But the author was more than just a survivor. He was a member of the 116th Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division that was in on the first wave in one of the bloodiest sectors of any beach that deadly day: Dog Green Sector, Omaha Beach.

Before the author even disembarked from his landing craft, the one next to his was blown up, showering the author and his comrades with pieces of wood, bits of metal, and human body parts. As he left his landing craft, the water was already a churning sea of red blood. He was wounded four times that day by both bullets and shrapnel as he and the survivors of his unit slogged forward to establish a beachhead and began to scale the heavily, and easily, defended bluffs. (The murderous fire he had to undergo just to get onto the beach was so bad one bullet passed through his helmet and another hit his rifle.) Later, as he was being evacuated, he was wounded a fifth time, presumably by a German sniper.

As he reflected on why he survived when so many others died, the author came to believe that he had a two-fold mission in life: first, to tell the story of the carnage his fellow soldiers underwent, and the courage (often unappreciated or untold) many of them displayed, to make the world a better place; and second, to become a doctor and save lives. The author succeeded admirably on both accounts.

As an autobiography, the book covers more than just D-Day and includes the author's story of his induction into the U.S. Army (he was drafted at the age of 18 and could have gotten out of the draft because he was a student and one of his professors was on the draft board but he chose to go ahead and serve his country), his training and the training for D-Day and his life experiences after the invasion, including his recovery from his wounds and becoming a doctor.

Highly recommended reading. A fascinating story well told.

Over the years "revisionism" has become the norm in writing about history. In this book we have a precious gift in the words of someone who was actually there. Dr. Hal Baumgarten managed to write an autobiography that includes the lives of so many others than himself. It is a book for any young person seeking the story of a great man to admire. As adults reading this book we can only be humbled and proud of this survivor, who inspires us to reflect on all we do in honoring those who rendered to us our present day freedom. This is an extremely human book written by a true humanitarian.

This book lingered on my shelf for quite some time before I read it. What a shame. It turned out to be a magnificent read.The author has made history a passion, and this is the type of work, that feeds that passion in others.

However, this isn't really a book about D-Day or the war. It is the story of a man who feels it is his destiny to keep alive the memory of his fallen comrades and the importance of what happened on a single stretch of French beach in 1944.

In fact, only a small portion of the book is dedicated to the actual battle. But I won't ruin the surprise for you. However, this book has the best description of Omaha beach anyone could ask for. It was truly amazing to read a first hand account of what happened there.

In reading this book you will understand the author saw enough combat in 30 hours for a life time. If you get a chance to stand on his beach, then you'll gasp in amazement of his courage and that of his colleagues.

I found this book to be an excellent read. It achieves the author's goals very easily and makes for a wonderful story. And much to my surprise, it turns out, that the author and I have lived in similar regions of Florida. An even greater surprise occurred when looking at my photos of the 60th anniversary of D-Day...and realized I had taken his picture at the American cemetery.

My only regret in reading this book was finding out this week that I was 10 feet from him in 2004...and I didn't shake his hand. But at least I know, I've stood in the presence of a real American hero. In all seriousness, I am here today because he was there. He and his comrades liberated my mother's home.

One day...I'd like to buy him a Scotch and shake his hand.

This man had a fantastic life and is still going strong!!!!