The old adage “a picture is worth a thousand
words” certainly is true of the pictures taken from the Normandy invasion.
Robert Capa, the photographer and war correspondent who took some of the
pictures from D-Day, was a fascinating adventurer who risked his life many
times to perfect his craft. Robert Capa did indeed live an exciting life. He
was born in Budapest, Hungary on October 22, 1913 to Jewish parents. His name
was Endre Friedmann before changing it to Robert Capa. He left Hungary when he
was 18 years old to travel and eventually attended college studying journalism
at the German Political College in Berlin. However, because of requirements
restricting Jews from attending college, Capa abandoned his studies in
journalism. Intrigued by photography because of money and the adventure
associated with it, Capa left for Paris to pursue that interest. In a 1947
radio interview, Capa stated that he changed his name to Robert Capa because it
sounded more American. Some people speculate that he invented the last name
Capa after the famous movie director Frank Capra. As a young man, Robert Capa
was known by a nickname Bandi, sounding somewhat like Bob. Thus, just as Robert
Capa created his own image, he left some excellent pictures showing the
devastation and victories of some of the most important battles of World War
II.
Robert Capa lived an adventurous and exciting life filled with many affairs including a relationship with the popular movie star Ingrid Bergman. He traveled to many countries and filmed many important battles including those from the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the beginning of Vietnam. On May 25, 1954, Capa died at the age of forty from stepping on a landmine while trying to capture some of the fighting in French Vietnam.
Ingrid Bergman and Robert Capa
Bob Capa was one of a few non-combat individuals involved in D-Day. He remarked in his memoir, Slightly Out of Focus, that he was fortunate to be one out of four photographers asked to capture the first hours of D-Day. He went on shore aboard the Samuel Chase as part of one of the largest armadas in history with the 116th Infantry, 2nd Battalion’s Company E who was part of the first assault troops landing on the section Easy Red of Omaha Beach. True to his lively and exciting personality, Capa played cards and gambled on board the ship before the action started. However, when the actual fighting began, Capa placed himself in the midst of war action that he hoped to convey on film. His pictures would become some of the most iconic pictures from D-Day. Capa later recalled how terrified he was noting that the one thing that kept his mind off the danger around him was taking pictures, which he did, until he used up all of the three or four rolls of film he had with him. Capa took 106 pictures but only 11 endured the Normandy invasion.
Capa's picture depicting the invading Allied troops on D-Day
John Morris was the man responsible for making sure Life magazine received Capa’s D-Day pictures. After receiving the pictures, Morris’s assistant informed him that because of the rush to meet the deadline the films were placed in the drying cabinet too long and thus destroyed. Morris did salvage 11 of the pictures and they appeared in the June 19, 1944 addition of Life magazine’s story on D-Day.
These pictures, now known as the Magnificent Eleven, are a testament to the skill of Robert Capa’s photography because they convey the compelling and tragic nature of the invasion. These pictures have become famous images of the harrowing day of June 6, 1944. One of these pictures shows a young man swimming in the water trying to get to the beach. It is remembered as one of the most famous of the 11 pictures because it shows the struggle and determination of the young soldiers in D-Day in the first few minutes of the invasion. It has been a mystery as to whom this young man is and some people believe that it is Edward Regan from the 116th’s Company K. Capa’s masterful images will remain classics for showcasing the early moments of one of the most important days in World War II history, the Normandy invasion.
Robert Capa lived an adventurous and exciting life filled with many affairs including a relationship with the popular movie star Ingrid Bergman. He traveled to many countries and filmed many important battles including those from the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the beginning of Vietnam. On May 25, 1954, Capa died at the age of forty from stepping on a landmine while trying to capture some of the fighting in French Vietnam.
Ingrid Bergman and Robert Capa
Bob Capa was one of a few non-combat individuals involved in D-Day. He remarked in his memoir, Slightly Out of Focus, that he was fortunate to be one out of four photographers asked to capture the first hours of D-Day. He went on shore aboard the Samuel Chase as part of one of the largest armadas in history with the 116th Infantry, 2nd Battalion’s Company E who was part of the first assault troops landing on the section Easy Red of Omaha Beach. True to his lively and exciting personality, Capa played cards and gambled on board the ship before the action started. However, when the actual fighting began, Capa placed himself in the midst of war action that he hoped to convey on film. His pictures would become some of the most iconic pictures from D-Day. Capa later recalled how terrified he was noting that the one thing that kept his mind off the danger around him was taking pictures, which he did, until he used up all of the three or four rolls of film he had with him. Capa took 106 pictures but only 11 endured the Normandy invasion.
Capa's picture depicting the invading Allied troops on D-Day
John Morris was the man responsible for making sure Life magazine received Capa’s D-Day pictures. After receiving the pictures, Morris’s assistant informed him that because of the rush to meet the deadline the films were placed in the drying cabinet too long and thus destroyed. Morris did salvage 11 of the pictures and they appeared in the June 19, 1944 addition of Life magazine’s story on D-Day.
These pictures, now known as the Magnificent Eleven, are a testament to the skill of Robert Capa’s photography because they convey the compelling and tragic nature of the invasion. These pictures have become famous images of the harrowing day of June 6, 1944. One of these pictures shows a young man swimming in the water trying to get to the beach. It is remembered as one of the most famous of the 11 pictures because it shows the struggle and determination of the young soldiers in D-Day in the first few minutes of the invasion. It has been a mystery as to whom this young man is and some people believe that it is Edward Regan from the 116th’s Company K. Capa’s masterful images will remain classics for showcasing the early moments of one of the most important days in World War II history, the Normandy invasion.
Capa's picture of a young soldier swimming at Omaha Beach
Recommended Readings
Capa, Robert. Slightly Out of Focus. New York: Henry Holt and Company,
1947.
Kershaw, Alex. Blood and Champagne: The Life and Times of Robert Capa.
New York: Da Capo Press, 2002.
“The Magnificent Eleven: The D-Day Photographs of Robert Capa.” Skylighters.
Accessed on March 17, 2014. http://www.skylighters.org/photos/robertcapa.html.
Whelan, Richard. Robert Capa: A Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985.
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