The Soldier In The Surf

“American soldier landing on Omaha Beach,
D-Day, June 1944.”
Photo taken by Robert Capa. June 6th 1944.

Of the 106 photos that Robert Capa took on June 6th, 1944, only 11 of them survived. Of those 11, there is one that stands out above the others as “American soldier landing on Omaha Beach, D-Day, June 1944.” This picture depicted a soldier making his way through the surf to the dry land of Omaha Beach in Normandy, France. This iconic picture launched Capa’s already thriving career into new heights, as it depicted an American soldier on D Day (no other photographer got this picture).

Furthermore, there was much hubbub surrounding the picture. Not just because of its rarity, but because of the soldier in the picture. For many years, no one knew exactly who the soldier was. It had been debated for years that the soldier could be one of two men fighting on the beaches of Normandy that morning. At first, the soldier was identified as Edward Regan of the 116th Infantry Regiment’s 3rd Battalion of Company K. However, it was later discovered that Regan had landed on Utah Beach, not Omaha. This left only one other option. A historian by the name of Lowell Getz did some research into who this man, and his findings show that the soldier is actually Huston Riley.

Huston Riley, 86, is
The Soldier In The Surf.

PFC Huston Riley of the 16th Regiment’s 2nd Battalion of Company F landed on Omaha Beach with other Allied Forces on the morning of June 6th, 1944. As Riley retells he story, he states, “I was surprised to see him there. I saw the press badge and I thought, ‘What the hell is he doing here?’” He went on to say, “He [Capa] helped me out of the water and then he took off down the beach for some more photos.” Riley was one of only 9 men in his company to survive the invasion.

D Day and The Magnificent Eleven

While Robert Capa took many notorious photos in his day, none were more famous than The Magnificent Eleven. One of the many places that Robert Capa took pictures throughout his career was on Omaha Beach on the morning of June 6th, 1944: D Day. Robert Capa was a part of the 16th Regiment of the 1st Infantry, Company E as they went into battle on the beaches of Normandy, France.

Soldiers running onto Omaha Beach
on June 6th, 1944.

As the flat bottom barge of soldiers landed on Omaha Beach, Capa was ready, armed not with a rifle, but with his camera, ready to take in all of the sights that appeared before him and capture them on film for all the world to see. He headed off the boat, and started taking picture after picture as he headed for an abandoned, disabled American tank. Once Capa had reached the tank, he realized the danger of the situation and his body took over his mind. Without thinking about what he was doing, he started running back towards the boats, trying to get out safely with the pictures he had taken. Capa had taken 106 photos on three roles of film during his short time on Omaha Beach that morning. From there, he was shipped off straight to London, England by train where the photos could be developed and shared with the world.

Soldiers using a blockade as a shield
on Omaha Beach.

The darkroom technician in London was almost as anxious as Capa to see these photos. So much in fact that he tried to expedite the development process by using a higher heat to dry the photos. However, this would prove to be a huge mistake on his part. The heat of the room caused the development solution to melt on the negatives, ruining all but 11 of the pictures, and even these were blurry. These pictures would be known the world over as The Magnificent Eleven. They may have turned out somewhat blurry, but the images that these pictures depicted showed something that nobody in their wildest dreams could have imagined. The Magnificent Eleven were able to show the whole world the chaos of what happened on the beaches of Normandy, France on June 6th, 1944. To this day, these pictures are infamous for giving the world access to what really happened on D Day.

Who Is Robert Capa? A Short History

Robert Capa was born Endre Ernő Friedmann on October 22, 1913 in Budapest, Hungary to two parents who were tailors. He grew up in a Jewish household with one younger brother, Cornell.

Endre, at the age of 18, began to travel, moving from Budapest to Vienna, then to Prague, and finally to Berlin. At that time, he began studying journalism at German Political College. However, he didn’t make it long as the Nazis placed restrictions on Jews that prohibited them from attending college. Unable to attend college, Friedmann (who had already began to develop an interest in photography by this point) moved to Paris.

Robert Capa.

In 1934, Endre met Gerda Pohorylle, who was a German Jewish refugee. The two were soon in a relationship, and it was Gerda who helped Andre develop the name, image, and persona of “Robert Capa”, an American photographer. Gerda herself took the name Gerda Taro, who became a successful photographer in her own right. 

In 1936, the couple traveled to Spain to cover the Spanish Civil War. In July 1937, Capa traveled briefly to Paris, leaving Taro in Spain. While he was gone, she was killed near Brunete during a battle, leaving Capa heartbroken. He later in life had affairs with Elaine Justin (wife of actor John Justin) and Ingrid Bergman, but he never got married.

Robert Capa in his Army helmet
and jacket during World War II.

Throughout his career, Capa photographed and documented many wars including the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the First Indochina War. During his time covering the First Indochina War, Capa was accompanying a French regiment of soldiers along with two other journalists from Time-Life. On May 25th, 1954, Capa stepped on a landmine while passing through a dangerous war zone. He was taken to a hospital, but was pronounced dead upon arrival. He was 40 years old.