Operation Overlord was launched over 76 years ago on June 6, 1944. Aware that the Normandy campaign would be a crucial step in the war, the Allies prepared to document it extensively through film and still photography.
contains unpublished and rarely seen photographs of the beach landings, many of which were taken by professional photographers embedded in specific units.
"They were very much on the front line with the troops going in. They were capturing the action as it was happening. They would have been under fire, so they were obviously very brave individuals who weren't holding back," Richards said. Commandos of 1st Special Service Brigade land on 'Queen Red' Beach, Sword sector, at around 8.40am on 6 June 1944.At around 6:30 a.m. on June 6, the 160,000 troops that had crossed the English Channel overnight started coming ashore. The beaches were heavily fortified and full of obstacles."You can just about see that the soldier right in front is carrying bagpipes.
There was a real risk that they would drop their equipment, especially when they were in the water, which would have likely ruined the film."We know for a fact that a lot of the films were damaged from seawater, whereas today you could drop cameras at the bottom of the ocean and they'd probably be alright," said Richards.
After the battle, the film was taken back to England along with a dope sheet -- a form describing each image in the rollAlthough most photographs from the campaign are black and white, towards the end of the war a few thousand images were taken using newly developed color film, revealing details that would have otherwise been lost.
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