Latest image on frontpage

I am new to wordpress and I am looking for this functionality:
– When I make a post, I would like to be able to attach an image. This image will probably be used in the post itself (could be multiple images) I think this functionality is already included?
– I want to be able to get the image (or first or “highlighted”) to display as a “headline” item, seperately at the top of the homepage, with a link to the full article.
It should also contain the headline itself of course.

Can I do all this with the basic WP functionality? I have not found out yet how.
I am able to code it into it if you guys give me some lead where I should look for the necessary WP functions. Also for images; I understand that I cannot add a lot from the admin interface. Do I need a seperate galery plugin?

I hope this clears up what I would like to do, but don’t hesitate to ask for more information!