"I thought that I was the only GI to land on the coast of Normandy." (Audio interview, 15:16)

Albert M. Hassenzahl

Albert Hassenzahl, age 21. War: World War II, 1939-1946 Branch: Army Unit: C Company, 1st Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division Service Location: Camp Livingston, Louisiana; Officer Candidate School (OCS) and Jump School, Fort Benning, Georgia; England; Normandy, France; Holland (Operation Market Garden); Bastogne, Belgium; Germany Rank: Captain Place of Birth: Toledo, OH

When paratrooper Albert Hassenzahl landed in France in the early morning darkness of June 6, 1944, he wasn't alone. But for a moment, with no one--friend or foe--visible, it did seem that way. He was wounded a short time later and evacuated, but he returned to Europe to participate in the Market Garden operation and the Battle of the Bulge. Hassenzahl recorded his war memories years later, alone in his study, after a younger neighbor's casual remark prompted him to realize the historical importance of what he had experienced.