William Henry Baumer Jr.

William Henry Baumer Jr. (November 27, 1909 – February 13, 1989) was an Army Major General, military strategist, and author. He was a key member of the team that created and implemented Operation Bodyguard, the deception warfare operation aimed at misleading the Nazis about the actual timing and location of the D-Day landings. A 1933 graduate of the United States Military Academy, he served on the staff of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower in the War Plans Division during World War II. He authored many books, including the co-authored Darby's Rangers, We Led the Way with Col. William O. Darby, founder of the U.S. Army Rangers.

Early life

William H. Baumer Jr. was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to William Henry Baumer Sr., who was an insurance salesman, and Winifred Madeline Mitchell. He attended Creighton Military High School before going to the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he was a member of "C" Company. His roommate and fellow "C" Company cadet was Richard Mattern Montgomery, who later became a lieutenant general in the U.S. Air Force and chief of staff of the Strategic Air Command. At West Point, Baumer was recognized for his writing ability, and he worked with the Academy's director of public relations covering athletics for newspapers nationwide. He also gained experience in radio broadcasting, working army football games alongside legendary sports commentators such as Floyd Gibbons, Ted Husing, and Bill Stern.

Following graduation from USMA class of 1933 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry and stationed at posts near New York City, which allowed him to take on work as a stringer for The New York Times.

Early military career

Early in his military career, Baumer was stationed with the 18th Infantry Regiment at Fort Wadsworth, New York, before being assigned to Camp Dix, New Jersey, where he worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps. In 1936, he graduated from the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, and was then posted to the 3rd Infantry Regiment at Fort Snelling, Minnesota.

In 1938, he was selected to return to West Point as a history instructor. Under Colonel Herman Beukema, head of the social sciences department, Baumer was encouraged to pursue graduate education in anticipation of the coming global conflict. Beukema famously told his instructors, "Gentlemen, there is a war coming. Every one of you will be on the General Staff, and I want every one of you to go to graduate school and get a degree." Following this advice, Baumer commuted to New York City to earn a Master of Science degree in political science from Columbia University.

During his tenure as an instructor at West Point from 1938 to 1942, Baumer maintained a demanding schedule. He taught history six days a week, actively managed sports publicity in the afternoons, and attended Columbia University twice a week for three years. He also authored six books and numerous articles on West Point and military life, several of which gained widespread popularity and went through multiple editions. Despite this rigorous workload, he and his wife Alice Brough (1912–1970), whom he had married in 1936 after meeting on a blind date at West Point, had two daughters, born in 1939 and 1941.

World War II In early 1942, as the United States entered World War II, Baumer now a major, was assigned to the War Department Operations Division (OPD) previously called the War Plans Division. There he served on the staff of General Dwight D. Eisenhower where he was involved in high-level strategic planning for North Africa, including Operation Barrister (a proposed seizure of Dakar) and Operation Gymnast, which evolved into Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa. At one point he was tasked with informing General George S. Patton of his role in leading the amphibious assault in Morocco. Baumer recorded Patton's initial shock at the assignment—expecting to be sent to Egypt to confront Rommel—but noted that the General quickly recovered and demanded, "Get me every son of a bitch who knows anything about North Africa." Baumer worked closely with Patton until the latter's departure for the front on October 23, 1942. Patton frequently invited him for drinks and offered him a position on his staff, but Baumer declined. They later worked together to plan the invasion of Sicily.

He was deployed to London, where he joined Col. Bevan's team at the LCS. There, he was introduced to key planners at the British War Cabinet Annex who had been pioneering deception techniques for over a year. His work placed him in close collaboration with notable figures such as the acclaimed novelist and intelligence officer Dennis Wheatley, Harold Petevel, Ronald Wingateas, and other leading members of Britain's deception hierarchy. During this period, Baumer became heavily involved in designing and executing the large-scale deception campaigns that would become known as Operation Bodyguard. The objective was to construct a deception campaign so elaborate and multi-faceted that it would compel the Nazis to misallocate their forces across multiple theaters of operation.

Operation Bodyguard

A major component of Operation Bodyguard was Operation Fortitude, which was divided into Fortitude North and Fortitude South. Fortitude North sought to convince the Germans that the Allies were preparing to invade Norway, thereby tying down significant Wehrmacht divisions in Scandinavia. Fortitude South, the more critical aspect, aimed to persuade the German high command that the main Allied landing would occur at Pas-de-Calais rather than Normandy.

Baumer played a key role in the coordination and implementation of several tactics: Controlled leaks and double agents: The Allies relied heavily on their network of double agents, many of whom were part of the British Double-Cross System. These agents included figures such as Juan Pujol García (codenamed "Garbo"), who fed the Germans false intelligence about the location of the invasion. Phantom armies and fake radio traffic: The creation of the fictitious First U.S. Army Group (FUSAG), under the command of Gen. George S. Patton, was a centerpiece of Fortitude South. This phantom army was "stationed" in southeastern England and "prepared" for an assault on Pas-de-Calais. Baumer worked with British and American radio teams to generate fake radio traffic between non-existent divisions, reinforcing the illusion of a large invasion force assembling in Kent and Sussex. Visual deception and dummy equipment: Inflatable dummy tanks, wooden aircraft, and dummy landing craft were placed in visible areas near supposed embarkation points for the invasion. Baumer contributed to the procurement and placement of these deception elements, expecting that German reconnaissance aircraft would detect them and report back that a massive force was positioned in southeastern England. Political and diplomatic misdirection: In addition to military deception, Operation Bodyguard involved diplomatic maneuvers meant to support the illusion of multiple potential invasion sites. This included misleading statements by Allied leaders, feigned interest in Balkan operations, and fabricated intelligence meant to be intercepted by German spies in neutral countries such as Spain and Sweden. Deceptive military movements and false timetables: To further confuse German intelligence, actual troop movements were carefully manipulated. Units assigned to the real Normandy invasion were deliberately moved in ways that suggested they were destined for the Pas-de-Calais. Simulated amphibious exercises took place along the British coastline, drawing German attention away from the true invasion site.

During his time at SHAEF, Baumer also monitored Nazi reactions to Allied deception efforts and provided analysis on their effectiveness. His reports indicated that while the Nazis had suspected misinformation about the Allied invasion of France, they ultimately still kept significant forces in Pas-de-Calais, believing it to be the primary D-Day invasion site.

In one of his many observations Baumer details attending the high-level Casablanca Conference held at Anfa Camp in early 1943, where he observed tensions between U.S. and British leadership regarding the strategic direction of the war. He recorded that American planners, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff, lacked a unified approach and were often outmaneuvered by the more prepared British delegation, which had clear objectives. He noted disagreements over the prioritization of the Mediterranean campaign versus the cross-Channel invasion, as well as concerns over Churchill's insistence on operations in the Balkans. His diary also reflects the interservice rivalries between the U.S. Army and Navy, particularly regarding Pacific operations. He described meetings in Washington where Army officers, including General MacArthur staff, clashed with Navy leadership over the allocation of resources and command authority in the South Pacific. He was critical of the Navy's logistical planning and its reluctance to integrate fully with Army-led operations.

Included in the collection is his diary, memoirs, correspondences, orders, memoranda, and reports. There is also a translation of Adolf Hitler's last will and political testament, with some related documents.

Author In addition to his military duties, Baumer was an accomplished author. He wrote multiple books, including Sports as Taught and Played at West Point (1939), How to Be an Army Officer (1940, co-authored with S.F. Giffin), The Draft and You (1940), He's in the Army Now (1941), Not All Warriors (1941), and West Point: Moulder of Men (1942). He also co-authored Darby's Rangers, We Led the Way with his class of 1933 West Point classmate, Col. William O. Darby, the founder of the U.S. Army Rangers. For this he was made an honorary member of The Ranger Battalion Association of World War II.