D-Day Invasion, Normandy

Robert Capa’s photograph of Allied forces storming Normandy on D-Day has become one of the iconic images of war and an emblem of heroic reportage. Capa, a correspondent for Life magazine, was allowed to land on the beaches with the troops and shot just over 100 frames from waist-deep water. The rolls of film were then ferried to England, driven by motorcycle courier to London, and rushed for processing at Life’s offices. In haste to dry the developed film, however, the lab ended up melting the emulsion, ruining all but 11 frames. Still, the remaining pictures (including this one) successfully conveyed the dangerous, frenetic action of the soldiers and were sent immediately to media outlets worldwide. This particular print was radioed to the New York Times, where it was featured in the June 9, 1944, issue, just three days after the invasion—scooping Life, which hit newsstands June 12.