D-Day From a Different Point of View

On June 5th, 1944, 1,000 British ships made their way to the beaches of Normandy to initiate an attack on Europe and end the Third Reich through a campaign called “Operation Overlord;” a day we refer to now as D-Day. Aboard the ships were not only roughly 200,000 Allied soldiers, but also combat artists hired by the U.S. Navy to document the mission’s events. The artists lived on board with the soldiers and joined them as they landed to complete their unique assignment of capturing anything they found artistically or emotionally stimulating through drawings and paintings. However, the pieces they created were censored after the war for years until their recent release at the National Churchill Museum to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day. The new exhibit displays the artwork of three D-Day combat artists: Mitchell Jamieson, Alexander Russo, and Dwight Shepler.

To give viewers a better grasp on how D-Day’s events unraveled, the artwork is set up in chronological order. It begins with the first preparations for the attack and gradually shifts to battle scenes, where smoke forms clouds in the distance and men are taking cover. It’s hard to fathom how someone could be capable of drawing with all of the bombing and destruction going on around them. It takes a very brave artist to be able to continue the job instead of giving it up in the name of fear.

The new exhibit also includes a table of World War II books along with a section for kids that better defines the impact of the war. Here they can do things like send victory letters to veterans, see a comparison between war technologies from WWII to now, and play a game that simulates the rationing practiced by U.S. citizens at home to promote war efforts.

As the pieces progress to the aftermath, they become particularly moving because the artists seem to not give in to limitations. They drew German soldiers lined up, looking weary and miserable while surveying the wreckage and trying to reason with their defeat. Allied men are not portrayed celebrating their victory with bright smiles and cheerful dancing, either. Raw emotions are revealed and defy the stereotype that most come to think of when they imagine an American war victory. The artists did not have the opportunity or will to load their work up with false depictions that sensationalized war. So, the soldiers look exactly as they did after a day full of full-fledged assault; tired and distraught.

Perhaps the most distinctive thing about the collection is that its central focus is not primarily on graphic moments of explosions and gore. Illustrations that expose the daily life of a soldier are featured to humanize what D-Day was. Overall, the exhibit opened up a different realm of understanding through the story it told. Whether you win or lose in war, it is a terrifying experience and the dedication of soldiers who put themselves in that mess is something incredibly significant. It seems almost impossible to give them the amount of gratitude they deserve for everything they sacrificed. As Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman once said, “War is hell.”

Visit the National Churchill Museum website.