Hal Baumgarten 29th Infantry [Survivor of D-Day short video]

World War II Foundation ^ | October 27, 2014 | WWII Foundation

[beaversmom]

Hal Baumgarten was a 19 year old private on D-Day. Jewish and originally from NYC, Baumgarten was in Company B of the 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th. He landed in the 2nd wave on Omaha Beach in one of the most heavily defended parts of Omaha, the Dog Green sector below the village of Vierville-sur-Mer (as depicted in the movie Saving Private Ryan). Hal was wounded 3 times on D-Day and twice more on June 7th. He had 23 surgeries after June 6, 1944, to repair wounds suffered on the Normandy coast of France. Hal has written several books about his D-Day experience. The first couple of waves at the Dog Green sector of Omaha Beach (often referred to as the D-1 or Dog-One draw) below the bluffs which led inland to the actual village of Vierville-sur-Mer, suffered a casualty rate of almost 80 percent in the opening hours of D-Day. “A” Company of the 116th was first in at 6:30AM and the majority of those 29th soldiers were dead or wounded by the time Baumgarten’s second wave landed just minutes later.

[beaversmom]

I have been watching lots of good WWII documentaries on NetFlix. Hal Baumgarten was one of the men featured in World War II: The Last Heroes, Season 1, Episode 1. He was wounded 5 separate times on that day. I have only watched through to Episode II, but it's a good series of documentaries so far.

I tried to look for the episode on You Tube, but I didn't see it there.

Here is a news article about Hal Baumgarten from USA Today (cannot be posted to FR) from the D-Day 70th Anniversary on June 5, 2014.

Survivor speaks for those who cannot

[beaversmom]

Link to short video of Hal Baumgarten via The WWII Foundation/You Tube

[Slambat]

Great post, thanks.

[rlmorel]

BFL, thanks for posting, beaversmom!

[beaversmom]

You’re welcome and thank you for your thanks.

[Dacula]

Thanks, will get to it after work today.

I enjoy stories like this one.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks beaversmom.

[Little Bill]

Thank you, a pal of mines Father was with the 175th Infantry, 29th Division from D Day to wars end, had some tales to tell.

[lonevoice]

Baumgarten was in Company B of the 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th.

My father was in Company L of the 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th. I will watch this with interest! Thank you for the post.

[colorado tanker]

Before the War the 116th was a Virginia National Guard unit and many of the D-Day casualties were Virginians. Guess it was this New Yorker’s “good” luck to be assigned to those boys. The fighting around Vierville was sure tough.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks ct.

[beaversmom]

You are very welcome. Thanks for your post as well.

[beaversmom]

You are welcome. Thank you for your post, too. I bet he did have some very interesting accounts to share!

[beaversmom]

Thanks, will get to it after work today.

I enjoy stories like this one.

You are welcome, and me, too. :)