I typed my original post in haste, and it turns out the 11 still frames are indeed the only still frames to have survived from Omaha Beach, certainly not the entire Normandy invasion.
Four rolls of Capa's film made it back to the lab, but the first three met with disaster in processing and the 11 frames were on the fourth roll which was processed successfully.
Film from the other combat photographers, still and movie, being sent back from Omaha Beach fell from the pack of the man who was climbing up a net ladder with it. The film splashed into the ocean, never to be seen again. There is other footage and more still pictures from the invasion at Omaha Beach, but they were made from the sea, not from the beach.
Rich
On Saturday, June 5, 2004, at 01:03 PM, ADavidhazy wrote:
It was to simply in a round about way give credit to the
combat photographers who are largely unsung documentary heroes of that event
and the whole conflict for that matter. I just thought that it was a bit of an
exageration that there were only 11 (still?) frames of the landing. I bet
combat photographers also made still photographs - it is just that they did
not end up on the pages of Life. Actually some did.
Don't get me wrong. I do think Capa is an exceptional photographer. Just that I
don't believe he was the only one there. BTW, there was a documentary about him
on PBS or some other channel as well. Good stuff!
