2. American forces raising the flag at Iwo Jima… but many don’t know that this picture captures the second raising of the flag that day.
At the beginning of 1945, Iwo Jima was under Japanese control. The island was of strategic importance and value to the United States Army as it could potentially serve as a base for U.S. fighter planes to accompany U.S. heavy bombers en route from bases in Saipan. Between February 19-21, 1945, two U.S. Marine divisions landed on the island, who were followed by a third division later that month. Japanese forces had entrenched themselves in caves on the island which had offered protection from preliminary U.S. air and naval bombardment.
After a month-long battle American forces took control of the island. Two of the hardest fought battles were for possession of “Meatgrinder Hill” in the north and Mount Suribachi, an extinct volcano in the south. It was on the latter where one of the most iconic photos of the Pacific War was taken. Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal’s Pulitzer Prize award-winning photograph captured the moment that American soldiers were raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi on Friday, February 23, 1945.
Rosenthal’s image actually captured the second raising of an American flag on Mount Suribachi. The original American flag that was flying was too small to be seen by U.S. troops from different parts of the island so it was replaced by a much larger American flag. Rosenthal’s photo captures the fives marines and a navy corpsman raising the larger replacement flag. The image was widely reproduced and featured on a war-bond poster which raised $26 billion in 1945. Within a few months of being taken the image was emblazoned on a U.S. postage stamp on July 11, 1945. Nine years later the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va modelled a commemorative statue after Rosenthal’s photo.
So impressive was Rosenthal’s image that the Pulitzer panel made an exception for the photo (under normal circumstances only journalistic work from the previous calendar year would be considered for the prize). Rosenthal was awarded the Pulitzer prize just two months after taking the photo.