D-Day was the largest seaborne invasion in modern history. With the significance of just 11 photos of the actions at Omaha, one can only imagine the value of the entire reels of film.The words bring to mind images of hundreds of landing craft, machines, and American fighting forces landing on the beaches of faraway places. They were used as inspiration by Steven Spielberg for the filming of Saving Private Ryan. Regardless, the photos have become the defining images of the battle at Omaha beach, and even for D-Day as a whole. More From Us: Documentary Reveals This Rotting Breakwater Was Once A D-Day Landing Craft This claim has come under fire in recent years, with some suggesting that only 11 were ever taken. The rest of these extremely historically valuable photos were said to have been destroyed in a processing incident once they had been sent back to London. Capa claimed to have taken 106 photos, but just 11 of these were usable, becoming known as the “ The Magnificent Eleven.” The photos were the only ones that showed Omaha beach at this stage. He is considered to be one of the greatest war photographers in history.Ĭapa arrived on Omaha beach alongside the 1st Infantry Divison (the Big Red One) just an hour and a half after the invasion began, and managed to take photos of the action around him. (Photo by Rae Russel/Getty Images)Ī similar situation happened to Robert Capa, who was a civilian war photographer hired to photograph the actions on D-Day. Robert Capa View of the photographer Robert Capa (1913 – 1954) attending a meeting of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), New York, 1948. Some of this footage was discovered in the 1990s, but exactly what it shows is unknown. Ford himself said in 1964 that the US government was “afraid to show so many American casualties on the screen.” However a surprisingly large amount of footage did survive and was developed, but it is believed governments at the time withheld the footage because of the horrors it contained. Water seeped into the equipment and many cameras mounted on ships and landing craft did not survive.īecause of this, there is now very little film that exists today which shows the first few hours of the landings on Omaha beach. Meanwhile, a film that was not placed in the cursed duffel bag was simply destroyed in the midst of the chaos. Some of the most detailed and extensive footage of the D-Day landings were lost forever. Ullman accidentally dropped it into the English Channel. A large amount of film was placed into a duffel bag to be sent back to England, however, the junior officer carrying it, Major W. Tragically, much of the footage Ford and his men risked their lives to get was lost to the sea. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) Lost footage Omaha Beach landings, D-Day, the Normandy Invasion, June 6, 1944. Unfortunately, almost none of the footage they recorded would never be seen. For his efforts, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Sometime later, Ford and his men then landed on the beach themselves and began filming.įord and his men witnessed and recorded the horrors experienced by the first few waves landing on Omaha beach. They arrived off the coast of Omaha beach and saw the first wave go in. He was to document the most deadly location of the landings Omaha beach.įord was given a crew of Coast Guard cameramen to manage. Much of the work done by Ford and other directors like him was to support the war effort and was essentially propaganda, but on D-Day Ford was there to film as the ferocious battle unfolded. He recorded the Battle of Midway as it took place, being wounded in the arm while doing so.
Ford served as the head of the photographic unit for the Office of Strategic Services and made numerous high-profile movies of the war.
One of these men was John Ford, an American film director. Cameras were also placed on hundreds of ships supporting the landings as well as a number of the landing craft taking men right to the beaches.