Today marks the 75 year anniversary of the World War II invasion of Normandy. The events of 6 June have been popularized in numerous documentaries and countless books.
Photos like “Into the Jaws of Death” by Robert F. Sargent are automatically attributed to the invasion. As chilling as the photo is, it is not the only image of D-Day.
To commemorate this day, I wanted to find some photos that are not as well-known to the public. The U.S. Naval Institute’s archives are so vast that there still are photos that have not been documented into the digital archives. Below are a few photos of my findings.
An American soldier stands atop a German emplacement that was blasted by naval gunfire during the invasion. June 1944. (U.S. Naval Institute Archives)
Low tide shows beach obstacles at Normandy. (U.S. Naval Institute Archives)
View of bow of USS LCI(L)-542 beaching on Omaha Beach, Normandy. 6 June 1944. (U.S. Naval Institute Archives)
In operation with the dry landings in Normandy, Coast Guard officers supervise the “scuttling” of 23 freighters. Loaded with cement, the freighters form an improvised breakwater for landing craft to unload. (U.S. Naval Institute Archives)
Unloading wounded the day after D-Day at Southampton. (U.S. Naval Institute Archives)
Injured personnel aboard USS LST-281. (U.S. Naval Institute Archives)
Seabees pilot heavily-laden “Rhino ferries” (foreground) to the beaches of Normandy. The Rhino ferry was a Seabee concept, a long self-propelled pontoon barge. (U.S. Naval Institute Archives)
A signed speech from President Eisenhower to all personnel of Allied Expeditionary Force. (Click for big) (U.S. Naval Institute Archives)
You may have seen this photo of the speech and that does not surprise me because these copies are auctioned off online. That is great that some people love history enough to want to buy it, I love history too.
Although, on this day we must remember that somber 6 June 1944. I leave you with a few lines from President Eisenhower’s speech, “The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.”
