This is it. The Allied invasion of Europe and the beginning of its attempt to wrest control of the war-torn continent from Hitler’s Nazi regime and a faltering Italian southern front.
In part 16 of In Focus’s 20-part photography series on World War 2, we see the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. These are images of war machines in action; of brave men dying in the fields of battle; of uncertain assaults whose scope and ferocity have yet to be recreated in modern times.
This man-made breakwater served to protect and sustain the Allied beach invasions in Normandy on D-Day.
During the massive paratrooper action in the Netherlands, known as Operation Market Garden, the perils of jumping into the Dutch homeland are never more evident.
Three GIs find time for a drink at the cafe in a blasted French cityscape.
[In Focus]