Albert Meserlin

Who was Albert Meserlin?

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.