| Original caption: “Detailed information on Normandy beach defenses was obtained from ‘dicing’ shots like this. timber ramps, with mines or saw-toothed blades to tear bottoms out of landing craft, were another type of defense. Pump and hose for jet-blasting holes.” In May 1944, a series of very low-level reconnaissance missions were ordered, to collect photographs of the beach defenses positioned along the coastline of France. These missions were to assist Allied planning for the invasion of occupied Europe and were termed “dicing” missions. Jobs of this sort were so-called, because the pilot, flying low (and unarmed) was “dicing with death” every time he flew. 1 month to the day before D-Day – German troops scatter for safety as Lieutenant Albert Lanker (October 3, 1917 – December 26, 1944) of the 31st Photo Reconnaissance Squadron flies fast and very low over the beach in “Outlaw,” his Lockheed F-5 Lightning (a reconnaissance variant of the P-38 fighter). Lanker’s job was to photograph the beach obstructions on the Normandy coast for the planners of the massive invasion; it was only his 3rd mission. On this mission, Lanker was fired on, without effect, by 1 intrepid Nazi German with a rifle. He ended his run by clearing a cliff by a cool 6 feet, and flew home with his precious snapshots – “…Won our presidential citation by this picture,” a squadron member later wrote beneath the photo, mounted in its scrapbook. Prominent in the photograph are hochpfählen (“high stakes”) tipped with explosive mines designed to destroy landing craft and amphibious vehicles. This was the 1st of these missions for the 31st Photo Reconnaissance Squadron, and it was undertaken by Lanker. Flying from Royal Air Force Station Chalgrove, Lanker photographed a strip of beach 20 miles long, from Le Treport to Berck-sur-Mer. This view is near Hautebut, France. Flying very low and fast enabled the pilot to surprise any enemy defenses and collect detailed photography of the beach obstacles. Lt Lanker undertook his mission at an average altitude of 10 feet and airspeed of 300 miles per hour (480 kilometers per hour). | |
| Image Filename | wwii0451.jpg |
| Image Size | 874.66 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 3264 x 3278 |
| Photographer | Albert Banker |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Air Force |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | May 1, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Hautebut |
| State or Province | Somme |
| Country | France |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | 342-FH-3A16065-57357AC |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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