Soldier misidentified on iconic World War II Iwo Jima photo
June 24, 2016
One of the six soldiers in the iconic World War II photograph showing the raising of the US flag at Iwo Jima was misidentified, according to a new historical study. The men have been immortalized in popular culture.
Image: AP
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A panel of historians found that Private First Class Harold Schultz, of Detroit, was in the photo and that Navy Pharmacist's Mate 2nd Class John Bradley wasn't.
Historians Eric Krelle, of Omaha, Nebraska, and Stephen Foley, of Wexford, Ireland, compared images shot of an earlier flag-raising and the raising of a second, larger flag captured by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal.
They found several discrepancies between what the men were wearing, their weapons and equipment. They suggested that Bradley participated in the first flag-raising but not the second effort that made for the famous image.
Their questions about the photo were first reported by the Omaha World-Herald in 2014.
Marines look into it
The Marines then formed a review panel and now agree that Schultz, who died in 1995 at age 70, helped raise the flag, along with Harlon Block, Rene Gagnon, Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley and Michael Strank.
"Our history is important to us, and we have a responsibility to ensure it's right," Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller said in a statement.
Bradley had participated in an earlier flag-raising on Mount Suribachi, and his role took on a central role after his son, James Bradley, wrote a best-selling book about the flag raisers, "Flags of Our Fathers," later made into a movie directed by Clint Eastwood.
Clint Eastwood directed two films based around the battle of Iwo JimaImage: AP
"My father raised a flag on Iwo Jima," Bradley said. "The Marines told him way after the fact, 'Here's a picture of you raising the flag.' He had a memory of him raising a flag, and the two events came together."
Random House, the publisher of "Flags of Our Fathers," released a statement on Thursday noting that James Bradley had already concluded his father wasn't in the famed photo.
The battle of Iwo Jima
Over 6,500 US servicemen died in the battle at Iwo Jima, a tiny island 660 miles south of Tokyo that was deemed vital to the US war effort because Japanese fighter planes based there were intercepting American bombers. The invasion began on February 19, 1945, with about 70,000 Marines battling 18,000 Japanese soldiers for 36 days.
World War I in color
What might look like Technicolor images are early examples of real color photography. Pioneer photographers chose one of the greatest catastrophes as their motif: WWI. They are both pieces of evidence and works of art.
Image: TASCHEN
Record of devastation
During the First World War, photography was mainly seen as a means of spreading propaganda and of serving military interests. Depicted here is the view over the River Maas and the devastated city of Verdun. In fall of 1916, up to 400 members of the German army were involved in aerial photography. Some civilians also took photographs documenting moments of terror - and of joy.
Image: TASCHEN
The first sunset after the war
The book "The First World War in Colour,“ edited by Peter Walther, presents more than 320 color photographs which originally came from archives in Europe, the US and Australia. They document events during the war, ranging from the mobilization in 1914 to the victory celebration in London, New York, and at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on July 14, 1919.
Image: TASCHEN
The novelty of color
The first color photographs were produced with the so-called autochrome technique which its inventors, the Lumière brothers, had patented in 1904. Tiny particles serve as color filters, bearing a small resemblance both to paintings and to modern digital photography. This photograph depicts the French blimp "Alsace," which was shot down on October 3, 1915.
Image: TASCHEN/LVR LandesMuseum Bonn
At the front
Because the autochrome technique required long exposure times, the photographs taken near the front were often carefully posed. Nevertheless, we gain insight into the daily lives of people and the horrors they had to deal with. Here, a motorized gun-carriage with a cannon used for air defense is pictured in Verdun in 1916.
Image: TASCHEN
Appeal for donations
This picture, shot by the American Committee for Devastated France (1917-24) in 1918, depicts an ammunition depot in France. The committee's aim was to alleviate the enormous suffering of French war refugees. The photographs were taken to help the Americans visualize what was going on in Europe - and to persuade them to make donations.
Image: Collection Mark Jacobs
Private photos for the family
For the first time, not only the government but also private individuals were able to take photographs during World War I. As a result, not only propaganda photos, but also soldiers' personal impressions of the front and everyday life remain. In the French army, taking photos was officially forbidden, but the rule wasn't strictly enforced. Here, a French soldier is posing in a concrete dugout.
Image: TASCHEN/LVR LandesMuseum Bonn
Aerial warfare
For the first time in history, aerial warfare came into play in the First World War. Pictured here is a French war plane. At the beginning of the war, the French and Britons together possessed as many planes as the Germans. Thanks to the air surveillance carried out by the Royal Flying Corps, the Germans could be stopped at the Battle of the Marne in 1914.
Image: TASCHEN
Rolling tanks
The first tanks were used by the Britons in the fall of 1916, in order to break open the gridlocked fronts. This British tank was photographed in Péronne near Amiens. By 1918, the Allies were able to acquire up to 6,000 tanks. At first, Germany underestimated the powerful new weapon. It wasn't until the spring of 1918 that the Germans developed and implemented a tank of their own, the A7V.
Image: Collection Mark Jacobs
The speed of war
A whole range of new weapons was developed during the First World War, from war planes to tanks and poison gas. The increased use of motorized vehicles made the front more dangerous, but it also meant that injured soldiers could be transported relatively quickly to medical facilities - for example with this British ambulance in 1914.
Image: TASCHEN
Art and evidence
The photo pioneers were able to preserve their photo chrome plates over four years of war. Their works are not only evidence of the Great War, but also impressive works of art which deserve to be rediscovered. Peter Walther's "The First World War in Colour" was published both English and German by TASCHEN.
