This Military Service Page was created/owned by
MAJ Mark E Cooper
to remember
Baade, Paul William, MG USA(Ret).
If you knew or served with this Soldier and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Contact Info
Home Town Fort Wayne
Last Address Santa Barbara, CA
Date of Passing Oct 09, 1959
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
MG Paul William Baade
(1889-1959)
Born and raised in Indiana, Paul entered West Point in June of 1907 with a Bachelor of Science already to his credit. Upon graduation in 1911 he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and awarded degrees of B.A. and A.B. Then began the commissioned service of nearly 40 years.
The new lieutenant joined the 11th Infantry at Fort D. A. Russel in Wyoming.
To Texas City with the regiment on Border Patrol until August 1914. Then to the 8th Infantry in the Philippines for 3 years and then to the 54th Infantry at Chickamaugua, Park, Georgia. As a new major, he sailed for France with the advance party of the 81st Division and was quickly in action.
With the 322nd Infantry in the occupancy of the St. Die Sector, the Vosges and on to Verdun. He fought as a Lieutenant Colonel in the bitter actions east of the Somedian Sector and in the Meuse Argonne. After returning home with his regiment in June 1919 he spent four years at various schools, four years in the office of the Chief of Infantry, Graduated from the Army War College, four years duty at the USMA then two years with the 29th Infantry at Fort Benning. After several more assignments he received his first star in July 1941. July 1942 he was Assistant Commander of the 35th Division Guarding the southern California coast.
A major general in July 1943 and in command of the division, he moved it from San Luis Obispo to Camp Rucker, Alabama and in November '43, through the Tennessee maneuvers and then to Camp Butner, N.C. until May '44.
The division landed on Omaha Beach on July 8th, '44 to join the Battle of Normandy under the XIX Corps, First Army.
General Baade led the division in almost constant combat for 11 months and 1600 miles, through St. Lo, the Vire River, Mortain, Orleans, Montargis, Troy, Nancy, Sareguemines, the Bleis river, Bastogne, the lower Vosges, the Roer River, Venlo, Wesel, the Ruhr, and on to the Elbe river. This included five countries, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany.
On occupation duty in Hanover and Recklenhausen and the Coblenz area until July 1945, when control was relinquished to the French.
The division came home in September 1945, and demobilized at Camp Breckenridge, N.C.
The General continued to serve until his retirement, disability in the line of duty, 30th September 1946. Among the numerous decorations he received were the Distinguished Service Medal, two Silver Stars, The Legion of Merit, three Bronze Stars, and Purple Heart. From France he received the honors of Officer of the Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre and from the Netherlands, Grand Officer Orange van Nassau.
He retired to his home in Santa Barbara, California with his wife Margaret. The general was active in civic and church activities until his death on the 9th October, 1959.
WWII - European Theater of Operations/Normandy Campaign (1944)/Operation Overlord/D-Day Beach Landings - Operation Neptune
From Month/Year
June / 1944
To Month/Year
June / 1944
Description The Normandy landings (codenamed Operation Neptune) were the landing operations on 6 June 1944 (termed D-Day) of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history, the operation began the invasion of German-occupied western Europe, led to the restoration of the French Republic, and contributed to an Allied victory in the war.
Planning for the operation began in 1943. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial military deception, codenamed Operation Bodyguard, to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. The weather on D-Day was far from ideal, but postponing would have meant a delay of at least two weeks, as the invasion planners had requirements for the phase of the moon, the tides, and the time of day that meant only a few days in each month were deemed suitable. Hitler placed German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in command of German forces and of developing fortifications along the Atlantic Wall in anticipation of an Allied invasion.
The amphibious landings were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and an airborne assault—the landing of 24,000 British, US, and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight. Allied infantry and armoured divisions began landing on the coast of France starting at 06:30. The target 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the Normandy coast was divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword Beach. Strong winds blew the landing craft east of their intended positions, particularly at Utah and Omaha. The men landed under heavy fire from gun emplacements overlooking the beaches, and the shore was mined and covered with obstacles such as wooden stakes, metal tripods, and barbed wire, making the work of the beach clearing teams difficult and dangerous. Casualties were heaviest at Omaha, with its high cliffs. At Gold, Juno, and Sword, several fortified towns were cleared in house-to-house fighting, and two major gun emplacements at Gold were disabled using specialised tanks.
The Allies failed to achieve all of their goals on the first day. Carentan, St. Lô, and Bayeux remained in German hands, and Caen, a major objective, was not captured until 21 July. Only two of the beaches (Juno and Gold) were linked on the first day, and all five bridgeheads were not connected until 12 June. However, the operation gained a foothold that the Allies gradually expanded over the coming months. German casualties on D-Day were around 1,000 men. Allied casualties were at least 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead. Museums, memorials, and war cemeteries in the area host many visitors each year.
