Magnum square print: D-Day and the Omaha Beach Landings - Robert Capa

Robert Capa’s photographs of US forces’ assault on Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6 1944, are an invaluable historic record of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France, which contributed to the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control a year later. The largest seaborne attack in history, it was also one of the bloodiest, with a combination of strong winds, unruly tidal currents and a formidable German defensive, resulting in the loss of 2,400 American lives by the end of the first day. Capa’s legendary documentation of the event saw him join the soldiers as they advanced, experiencing the landing on Omaha Beach alongside them as he photographed the scene. The following text, extracted from Magnum Stories, explores Capa’s distinctive approach to photojournalism, and also includes his first-hand account of covering the invasion, from his illustrated memoir Slightly Out of Focus.