Nicholas Hartman Obituary, Death; – More than 80 years after his passing, an Army medic from Houston has finally been accounted for. Nicholas Hartman was just 20 years old when he lost his life during World War II.
Following a comprehensive briefing on his identification, Hartman’s family received further details regarding his case from officials.
Hartman was a member of the 500th Medical Collecting Company, 60th Medical Battalion. On June 6, 1944, known as D-Day, he was on Landing Craft Infantry (Large) 92, along with approximately 200 other service members, en route to Omaha Beach in Normandy, France. The landing craft hit an underwater mine and came under enemy artillery fire, which set the vessel ablaze.
A subsequent explosion ignited the ship’s fuel, resulting in the instant deaths of all individuals in the troop compartment, including Hartman. The chaotic circumstances made it impossible to conduct a search for survivors, and Hartman was never accounted for following the war.
In 1946, officials categorized the remains into four Unknowns — X-53, X-83, X-83B, and X-83C — which were interred at the Normandy American Cemetery. Their identities remained unknown for many years.
In 2021, the Department of Defense, along with officials from the American Battle Monuments Commission, exhumed the mixed remains and transferred them to the DPAA Laboratory for further analysis.
Hartman was identified through anthropological analysis, mitochondrial DNA testing, and circumstantial evidence. He was officially accounted for on May 2, 2025.
The Defense Department included a newspaper clipping about Hartman. One article featured 16-year-old Hartman working as a delivery boy for the Houston Chronicle.
“My favorite pastimes include hunting and fishing,” the article states. “I also enjoy swimming, playing ball, and going to the movies.”
A second newspaper clipping details the Harris County men who were killed, missing, wounded, or taken prisoner that week, noting that Hartman was employed at the Houston Shipbuilding Company.
Hartman’s name is inscribed on the Walls of the Missing at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. Soon, a rosette will be placed next to his name, indicating that he has been accounted for.
