The most famous image of World War II was actually a second attempt
In short: Joe Rosenthal’s iconic photograph of Marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima is a masterpiece of wartime imagery. Yet, the shot captured a replacement flag-raising, not the first. This distinction fueled decades of rumors that the scene was staged, despite film footage confirming the authenticity of the moment.
On February 23, 1945, four days after the ground invasion of the volcanic island of Iwo Jima began, Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal climbed Mount Suribachi. He navigated through Japanese mines and enemy fire to reach the summit. There, he captured six Marines hoisting a large American flag to replace a smaller one that had been raised earlier that morning. The image became a defining symbol of the Pacific Theater, eventually serving as the inspiration for the Marine Corps War Memorial located in Arlington, Virginia.
The photograph’s impact was immediate and immense. It was used to drive the Seventh War Loan, helping the United States government secure $26 billion in war bonds. However, the reality of the battle was far grimmer than the hopeful image suggested. While the flag-raising signaled progress, the brutal fighting on the island continued for weeks. The United States did not declare the island secure until March 26, 1945, after a 36-day campaign that resulted in approximately 7,000 Marine deaths and 20,000 injuries.
Over time, the photograph became a subject of intense scrutiny. Confusion regarding the identities of the men depicted—specifically the misidentification of individuals like Harold Schultz and Harold Keller—led to persistent, though incorrect, claims that the event was staged. The U.S. Marine Corps eventually corrected these records in 2016 and 2019. Some historians have also suggested that the immense popularity of the photo inadvertently built public pressure for the use of the atomic bomb by creating a sense of impatience as the war dragged on long after the flag was raised.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Story Behind the World-Famous Photograph of U.S. Marines Raising the American Flag During the Battle of Iwo Jima
- Also: Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima
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