--- title: "One man dumped most of the combat footage of D-Day into the English Channel" description: "Video cameras existed when D-Day went down, so we should have footage of it. We would have, except someone threw it into the English Channel." date: "2022-06-06" modified: "2022-06-06" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/combat-footage-of-d-day/" categories: - "History" - "War History" - "World War II" --- # One man dumped most of the combat footage of D-Day into the English Channel ![]() *Pierre Markuse, Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/pierre_markuse/49698850132* The Office of Strategic Services and the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force were all set to painstakingly document every aspect of the D-Day [invasion]() on June 6, 1944. And yet, the little footage that survives comes from the work of one combat cameraman — Hollywood director and then-Capt. John Ford. --- Captain Ford was recommended for the Distinguished Service Medal for his work on that day. His citation reads: > "The returning film was assembled under his directions, and an overall D-Day report, complete with sound, was completed on D plus 5, and was shown to Mr. Winston Churchill. Copies were also flown to President Roosevelt and Mr. Stalin." The rest of the footage was lost a result of the invasion itself and of one junior officer, a Maj. W.A. Ullman, who unceremoniously dropped much of the footage shot on the American-led Omaha and Utah beaches [into the English Channel](). An entire duffel bag, filled with D-Day footage. ![d-day document]() *Major Ullman's orders to to transport the D-Day footage from Omaha Beach. Good job, Major. (NARA Photo)* On Utah and Omaha beaches, combat cameramen [carrying bulky 35mm cameras and film]() made for easy targets for Nazi machine gunners defending Hitler's shores. Even cameras mounted to landing craft didn't survive the carnage. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration occasionally goes through its extensive records. One writer, Audrey Amidon, found what she believes is a once-secret film reel possibly shown to Allied troops in France on D plus 7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fvQnDj4aqw She found the reels in separate, non-sequential Army Signal Corps catalogs, identified as combat footage taken from D-Day to D plus 3 — the first documentary of the invasion of Fortress Europe by the Allies. NARA cites a document from the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force that could be proof the documentary film found by Amidon is the one shown to the troops in France. It refers to the above film as "an uncensored film of the assault on the French Coast." The fierce fighting on D-Day and the clumsiness of one Major are the reason we see the same footage of D-Day over and over again. --- *Feature image uploaded by Pierre Markuse via [Flickr]()* ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()