Lot 321

"Jaws of Death" D-Day Photo, Type I PSA Encapsulated, One of Most Iconic Photos in History taken by Robert Sargent.

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"Jaws of Death" D-Day Photo, Type I PSA Encapsulated, One of Most Iconic Photos in History taken by Robert Sargent.

Estimate: $30,000 - $40,000

Starting Bid: $10,000

(0 Bids)

January 29, 2025 10:00 AM EST
Live Auction
Wilton, CT, US

Description:

D-Day
n.p., July 30, 1944
"Jaws of Death" D-Day Photo, Type I PSA Encapsulated, One of Most Iconic Photos in History taken by Robert Sargent.
Photograph
A stunning Type I photograph of Robert Sargent's D-Day image entitled "Taxis to Hell – and back – Into the Jaws of Death." Measuring 8" x 10", San Francisco, July 30, 1944. This photograph was printed for the San Francisco Examiner to observe the 154th anniversary of the U.S. Coast Guard (est. 1790). Anniversary Release caption adhered to the verso titled "Hitting the Coast of Normandy." With additional stamps on verso. PSA graded and encapsulated to the overall size of 9.75" x 13.25". The photograph has a small tear at the top center. Light warping and toning throughout. Mounting residue on verso. Very good.

In 2023, a lesser example which appears to be trimmed at the edge sold for $93,000 in heritage auctions, and we are thrilled to offer this example with a low estimate of 1/3 of that price.

The caption on verso reads:

"U.S. Coast Guard 154th Anniversary Release/ Hitting the Coast of Normandy
The ramp is down in the surf that laps the coast of France. Coast Guardsmen have brought this landing craft through heavy Nazi shell-fire and through thick mind fields to unload Yankee fighting men on the invasion shore. Many Coast Guard-manned landing vessels were riddled by enemy fire; a few more destroyed."

This remarkable photograph was taken by Robert Sargent during the troop landing phase of Operation Neptune, the naval component of the Operation Overlord Normandy landing commonly known as D-Day. It captures the moment soldiers of the Company E, 16th Infantry, 1st Division depart the Higgins boat and wade through waist-deep water towards the "Easy Red" sector of Omaha Beach. The boat had set out from the attack transport USS Samuel Chase about 10 miles from the coast of Normandy at around 5:30 am. On the journey to the beaches, waves continuously broke over the boat's square bow, and the soldiers inside were drenched in cold ocean water. Of the nine companies landing in the first wave, only one company landed where intended; Company E had been aiming for the "Easy Green" sector but ended up scattered across two beaches. To reach the beach troops had to wade through water sometimes neck deep and still had 200 yards more to cover once they did reach shore. The men then were subjected to heavy fire from Nazi gun emplacements overlooking the beaches, and the shore was mined and covered with obstacles such as wooden stakes, metal tripods, and barbed wire. The scattered sections of Company E were lucky to escape heavy casualties but were forced to discard most of their weapons to make the swim ashore. Operation Neptune was the largest combat operation ever performed by the United States Coast Guard and 2,500 U.S. troops lost their lives in the landing. The casualty rate for the units on Omaha Beach alone was around 70 percent.

Robert F. Sargent (1923–2012) was a United States Coast Guard Chief Photographer's Mate who is best known for capturing this iconic image on D-Day. The photograph was taken at approximately 7:40 am local time and was originally captioned "Into the Jaws of Death: Down the ramp of a Coast Guard landing barge Yankee soldiers storm toward the beach-sweeping fire of Nazi defenders in the D-Day invasion of the French coast. Troops ahead may be seen lying flat under the deadly machinegun resistance of the Germans. Soon the Nazis were driven back under the overwhelming invasion forces thrown in from Coast Guard and Navy amphibious craft." Sargent's image would go on to become one of the most widely reproduced photographs of the D-Day landings.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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    Provenance:
  • PSA/DNA LOA #85279615, June 10, 2024
  • Dimensions:
  • 9.75" x 13.25"
  • Artist Name:
  • D-Day
  • Medium:
  • Photograph

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Bid Increments
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$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000