Herman V. Wall (April 21, 1905 – January 13, 1997) was an American World War II combat photographer and photographic illustrator. During the June 6, 1944 D-Day landings in Normandy, France, Captain Wall was Commanding Officer of the United States Army's 165th Signal Photo Company. Of the conspicuous heroism Wall displayed to provide much of the Army's initial photographic intelligence in the Omaha Beach landing sector, General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Supreme Commander of Allied forces in the European Theater of Operations) wrote "...a salute to a man whose gallantry, on D-Day, was outstanding on a field when gallantry was the rule."
During the pre- and post-World War II periods, Wall was a well-known freelance photographic illustrator and a late member of "Camera Pictorialists of Los Angeles." His photographs covered six decades, and could be found in international photo salons and well-known magazines such as Time and Life. Notable among his associates were Charles Kerlee and Trevor Goodman.
Early life
Wall was born the third of five children to Dorly Wall (née Burkhardt) and Wilhelm Wall. He grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a 1st generation German, alongside his four siblings: Arnold, Dorly, William, and Irma. From a young age, Wall had a propensity for the outdoors; he was especially interested in hunting and fishing. Wall attended Washington High School and played the trumpet in the marching band. In the 1926, he moved to Los Angeles with his family, where he worked at the Hollywood YMCA handing out towels and locker keys.
His first venture into the world of photography came when he sold pictures of the local basketball team for 25 cents each. Wall then ensued upon a formal study of photography at the Art Center School (now called the Art Center College of Design), paying his own way. He learned from the likes of Albert King, Fred Archer, Will Connell, and Edward Kaminski and studied alongside Wynn Bullock. Wall returned as an instructor before and after World War II.
Pre-War Photography
Many have called Wall's photography dynamic. Early on, Wall became an assistant and partner to Charles Kerlee (who would later join Captain Edward Steichen’s unit of the Navy Air Force as Lieutenant Commander), a renowned commercial photographer and photographic illustrator. Wall himself developed his reputation as a photographic illustrator during the “Golden Age of Photography” –with mini-cams and communication via satellite technology still decades in the future.
War Service
Wall was offered a commission to be an officer at the beginning of World War II. He entered into the United States Army as commanding officer of the 165th Signal Photo Company. While stationed in Chipping Sadbury, England, prior to D-Day, Wall, as commanding officer, had the honor of meeting the Queen Mother, as she reviewed the troops. Three months later, when Captain Wall heard news of the impending invasion of Normandy, he volunteered to go in with one of the first waves. The result of the 165th Signal Corp going into Omaha Beach on the first wave eventually lead to the first photos made public of the landing. Wall retired with the rank of major in 1945.
On June 6, 1944, the Allied Forces came ashore on Omaha Beach. Wall arranged to be one of the first off the boat carrying his 35 mm camera. After snapping a few shots, Captain Wall climbed to higher ground. A shell fell close to him. Shrapnel flew, hitting parts of Wall's body and destroying his left leg. His company sustained heavy casualties, with forty-eight percent of all Signal Corps personnel participating in the invasion being killed, wounded or captured.
Though severely injured, Wall held onto his 35mm Leica camera. His tenacity very well may have been the thing that kept him alive, along with his khaki uniform sealing his wounds. In the pre-operative tent, Wall spoke with the medical officer, Captain Joseph Aprile, who was attempting to save his life, saying the film from his camera needed to get back to headquarters. Finally being assured this would happen, he released the film. The Army Pictorial Service in London received, processed and distributed these photos, the greatest number of pictures released by a single photographer on D-Day.