Residents of Alençon, France, welcomed American troops during the town's liberation in August 1944

A wall of raised hands reaches toward the sky in this photograph taken by Robert Capa in Alençon, France, during the summer of 1944. American troops had just arrived to free the town after years under German occupation, and a group of young girls responds by cheering, waving, and shouting with everything they have. Right in the center, a nun laughs and lifts her arms just as high as the children beside her, her joy matching theirs completely. Their faces say more about the meaning of freedom than any caption could.

Capa built his reputation as one of the great war photographers of his century, famous for pushing right into the heart of dangerous moments. His often quoted rule was simple: if your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough. This image shows a softer side of that instinct, catching the human relief that comes after the fighting rather than the fighting itself. Liberation, the scene reminds us, was never only about armies and battle lines. It was also about regular people, girls in cotton dresses and a laughing nun, finally free to raise their voices and celebrate.