“Into the Jaws of Death” Photographed by Robert F. Sargent

Today in history marks the day on which Dwight D. Eisenhower decided to push ahead with plans for the D-Day invasion of World War II. According to reports from meteorologists the weather would finally be favorable. He addressed the troops with these words – ” “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you.” It turned out that the weather didn’t cooperate. Many of the strategically planned operations didn’t go as planned either.

The invasion from the sea came a day later. On June 6, 1944, the allied forces would land at the beach of Normandy. A plan that was devised over two years prior would at last come to fruition. The photographic image, taken by Robert F. Sargent, is what these brave warriors faced as they landed and poured out of their crafts with guns ready. Many were running to their death. Can you imagine what was running through their minds as they faced that day?

A couple years before the Normandy invasion, a plan had been hatched to deceive the Germans. Radio broadcasts of plans to attacks other beaches along the Atlantic Coast were falsely reported. Fake armaments were placed at various locations. Double agents were fed false information for almost a year before the actual invasion occurred. It would be the largest amphibious raid in history. Air attacks, paratroopers and infantry were all involved, but the most familiar image comes from that photograph.

The atrocities of Nazi Germany are widely known.  Some people claim today that the Holocaust was a myth.  How can that possibly be true, when we have film documentation?  How can those stories lose their validity when there are still living survivors with memories of concentration camps and gas chambers? We should never forget or try to erase those images from our minds or our history books.  They are reminders of the inhumanity of those who would stop at nothing to obtain power.

Wars continue to wage in countries across the globe. They will go on until Jesus returns to judge the world. In these battles, many heroes are born. Memories of famous generals down to the young, inexperienced soldiers come to mind. In the end, no one really wins in these worldly wars. The film footage and photographs of this time were black and white, which suits the whole idea of war in a way.  Cut and dried – black and white – winners and losers with a huge dash of political intervention. 

A different battle rages in the hearts of men. No matter where you’re from, what the political climate dictates or whether you are a pacifist or combatant, there is a war going on between us and the devil. Guess what? Jesus won that war when He rose from a bloody death and guarded and sealed grave. The victory is ours through His life, death and resurrection.