Lot 183

ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE D-DAY LANDINGS AT 'DOG GREEN', OMAHA BEACH

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ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE D-DAY LANDINGS AT 'DOG GREEN', OMAHA BEACH

Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000

Current Bid: $10,000

(1 Bid)

by Alexander Historical Auctions LLC
July 30, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
106 East Main Street, Suite 103
Elkton, MD, US 21921

ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE D-DAY LANDINGS AT 'DOG GREEN', OMAHA BEACH
One of the most impressive World War II photograph albums to ever be offered, a collection of original, unpublished images taken by U.S. Navy Lt. William H. Nordstrom, second in command of the Landing Craft, Tank LCT-622. The album includes photographs showing the vessel as she closely approached the shore of the DOG GREEN sector of OMAHA beach at H+60 minutes, just one hour after the first troops landed there in a hail of German artillery and weapons fire on the morning of June 6, 1944. This sector was the most heavily contested of any of the Normandy landing beaches, with the Americans taking overwhelming casualties there for over nine hours. Nordstrom's period red leather album measures 15.5 x 11.5 in. and contains 67 original 2.25 x 3.25 in. b/w photographs and 19 commercial photographs depicting scenes in Paris. The album opens with multiple photographs showing LCT-622 being transported to England from the U.S. aboard an LST, and its arrival in Portland Harbor. A further image shows LST-289 in Dartmouth Harbor, her stern very heavily damaged by a torpedo hit during the disastrous Operation Tiger ambush at Slapton Sands, during which German E-Boats attacked a training exercise for the D-Day landings, sinking two LSTs and killing more than 700 Allied servicemen. Given the strict secrecy surrounding the Slapton Sands disaster, snapshots depicting its aftermath are extraordinarily rare. There then follows eight photographs taken from LCT-622's bridge chronologically showing the crossing of the Channel ('Underway for France'). An armada is seen ahead of the vessel, with other ships steaming astern, and Nordstrom includes a photo of a few sailor or soldiers at the bow of the ship, noting: 'D-DAY LOAD 2 BULLDOZERS & TRAILERS 5 JEEPS & TRAILERS 72 MEN'. Then, in a series of four photographs, we see the LCT approach the smoke-shrouded beach, with other LCTs and Higgins boats coming into view. The final photograph of the series is captioned 'HITTING THE BEACH'. It shows the bow of the vessel now about 75-100 yards from shore, her front ramp down and the soldiers at right amongst the vehicles, armed and ready to disembark. Hedgehogs and other obstacles can be seen on the beach, a DUKW moving parallel to the shore, and perhaps a tiny handful of men. Two or three LCTs are visible ahead, one apparently stricken, and closer to shore in the background some personnel landing craft can be ascertained. In comparing the coastline visible in this photograph to modern imagery of Dog Green, it can be clearly determined that the Vierville (D-1) Draw is visible at the extreme right edge of the image, with a small peak above a declivity visible just left of center matching the position of a second unnamed draw located just to the east of the German fortification known as Widerstandsnest 70 (Wn70). As such, this image shows the entirety of Dog Green, as well as a portion of the adjacent Dog White sector to the east. Many years later, Lt. Nordstrom recalled that LCT-622 made one landing at Dog Green, and then anchored for the night before being dispatched to Juno Beach the following day. Therefore, the images presented here could only have been made at Dog Green during the second wave of landings begun at H+60 minutes, and not at a later time after the beach had been secured. Incredible images indeed, and extremely rare; while photographs depicting the early stages of the landings at Omaha Beach of course exist, most notably those taken by photojournalist Robert Capa and U.S. Coast Guard photographer Robert F. Sargent, amateur photographs taken by servicemen are nearly unheard of. The only similar examples we can identify, taken by Charles Jarreau from LCI(L)-94 during its landing at the Dog Red sector, are held by the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Moreover, we cannot identify any other images, professional or amateur, that show Dog Green at this early point of the landings. Following this incredible sequence of images, no doubt interrupted as Lt. Nordstrom was distracted by more pressing duties, the subsequent photographs in the album show the aftermath of the landings, including crewmen and others outside blown pillboxes, beside hedgehogs, shattered Caen, Arromanches, a shattered LCT, temporary British graves (probably at JUNO), LCT-622, her crew, and her cargoes, including a captured German Tiger tank, during later operations in Normandy, British landing beaches, and finally her return to England in November after hundreds of missions carrying material, troops and wounded to and from the beaches to vessels off the Normandy coast. Fine condition. The soldiers shown aboard LCT-622 were from Co. B, 116th Regimental Combat Team, 29th Infantry Division, who would suffer 85% casualties before an exit was forced using bulldozers via one of the draws dropping to the shore. Most of these men were no doubt killed in the process. LCT-622 also took damage, being struck by a German 88mm shell immediately after landing her troops, which killed one crewman outright, mortally wounded another, and injured a third who would later recover. Despite this, the ship was still able to take aboard half the crew of the nearby LCT-615. According to an account of the landings given by Nordstrom to family members, during the initial approach to the beach the vessel's commander, naval officer J. O. Ponder sat motionless and speechless behind the bridge, his head resting against the back wall and totally unresponsive. Nordstrom was forced to relieve Ponder of command and land the LCT under heavy fire. He would command the ship for the following four months. During that period, he would continuously shuttle men and cargo to and from the Normandy beaches. These photographs constitute an incredible personal view of the action on the hardest fought sector of OMAHA Beach on D-Day (which was also memorialized in the films 'The Longest Day' and 'Saving Private Ryan'). They are consigned by a direct descendant of Nordstrom along with three other related lots in this sale. Nordstrom's recollections of his service may be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWdP6Lfk9b4.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000