On  July 13, 1944 , approximately five weeks after the Allied landings in Normandy, a  wounded German soldier is escorted  from a  landing craft at a port in southern England  by two  American medics  . The prisoner had been wounded during the fighting in Normandy and is now being transported to British soil for further medical treatment.

After the successful D-Day operation on  June 6, 1944  , numerous German soldiers were taken prisoner by the Allies. Wounded prisoners were often evacuated to England – partly for humanitarian and partly for logistical reasons. Care in rear-facing hospitals was better organized, and at the same time, front-line capacities were preserved.

The scene is an example of the  practical implementation of the laws of war , particularly in the treatment of wounded prisoners of war. Despite the hostility between the armies, medical assistance was provided – in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. Transport across the English Channel was mostly carried out by small landing craft or hospital ships.

In the background of this scene is the large-scale Allied advance through northern France, which gathered momentum in the summer of 1944. The German Wehrmacht was tied up on several fronts, and resistance in Normandy was becoming increasingly uncoordinated—leading to the capture of thousands of German soldiers.