| Original Caption: “American assault troops land on the northern coast of France, at Omaha Beach. Half-tracks and a beached ‘DUKW’ indicate the successful landing of the initial waves of men reaching the beach. The smoke in the background is from Naval gunfire supporting the landing. Long lines of troops move onto the Continent from the beachhead.” The 165th Signal Photo Company, commanded by Captain Herman V. Wall (April 21, 1905 – January 13, 1997), lands on Omaha Beach during the afternoon of June 6, 1944. Wall took a series of photos of the beach as he exited his Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel (LCVP). M3 half-tracks pulling M1 57 millimeter (2.24 inch) anti-tank guns, General Motors Corporation DUKW “Duck” 6-wheel-drive amphibious trucks are arriving on the beach. The personnel of the 165th carry M1903 Springfield and M1 Garand 30 caliber (7.62 millimeter) rifles and M1 30 caliber Carbines. Many carry bedrolls, tents, and camera boxes. Wall’s story was related in the August 1944 issue of Minicam Photography: “On D-Day Captain Herman Wall, of the Army Signal Corps, was sent with assault units to get close-up photographs of the Normandy invasion. Captain Wall got some pictures of the landings which he thought were good, and then he was hit by shellfire. He came to in a pre-operative tent. His left leg was gone. He had suffered bad wounds in his left shoulder and was on the ‘critical list.’ An army surgeon worked on him against time to save his life. ‘I’ve got a secret package,’ said Wall to the surgeon as soon as he could speak. The surgeon tried to silence his patient. ‘Look, Doc,’ and Wall roused himself to speak earnestly. ‘These pictures got to get through. Call Headquarters, please.’ Wall gave the necessary telephone number. The men at Headquarters got the call and considered the pictures so important that they sent a special plane for them to the airport nearest the hospital tent in which Wall lay. An Army doctor had them ready at the airport when the plane came in, and in record time they were taken to Headquarters and developed. For 2 days, they were the 1st and only invasion pictures to be had by the press and telephoto. Captain Wall did not die as a result of putting the pictures ahead of his own life. He has been removed to northern England and is now off the ‘critical list.’ Born in Milwaukee and a graduate of Milwaukee High School, Captain Wall now lives at 424 North Kings Road, Hollywood, California. Before the war, he was an instructor of photography at several schools in California. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0455.jpg |
| Image Size | 931.58 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 3392 x 2755 |
| Photographer | Herman Wall |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 6, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Omaha Beach |
| State or Province | Normandy |
| Country | France |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | 111-SC-190641 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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