Placing the Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima’s Mount Orchard: How one photo shaped America’s WWII memories

Abstract: The most famous flag in World War II, naturally, belongs to the U.S. Army’s flag raised on Mount Iwo Jima’s Mount Oriflame during the Battle of Iwo Jima in February 1945.During this most tragic battle of the Pacific War, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Forrestal, who had just rushed to Iwo Jima for an inspection, and Commander Smith, 5th Amphibious Army, were thrilled to see the national flag flying on the summit of Mount Oriflame and Forrestal exclaimed: “The flag raised on Mount Folding Potato means five hundred years of honour for the Marines from now on!” American Photo Magazine commented, “At that moment, the camera recorded the soul of a nation!”

The worst and bloodiest battle of Iwo Jima.

Iwo Jima, located in the Ogasawara Islands in the Pacific Ocean, is a small island with an area of only 20 square kilometres, but because it is 1,200 kilometres from Japan in the north and 1,100 kilometres from the Marianas Islands in the south, it is almost in the middle of the two places, and by 1945, its strategic position in the Pacific War was extremely important. Because the U.S. B-29 bomber is from the Marianas Islands take off to bomb the Japanese mainland, Iwo Jima’s Japanese troops can not only provide early warning to the Japanese mainland, and can take off fighters to intercept the U.S. bomber, and can even be sent out to attack the U.S. airfields in the Marianas Islands. It can be said that the Japanese occupation of Iwo Jima for the U.S. military, is like a fish in the throat. So the U.S. Army decided to capture Iwo Jima to clear the way for the strategic bombing of the Japanese mainland.

Figure 1: The most famous photo of World War II, the Star-Spangled Banner planting on Mount Iwo Jima’s Mount Orchid

When Major General Curtis LeMay, commander of the 21st Army Air Corps, which was responsible for organising the strategic bombing of the Japanese mainland, came to consult on how the air force could support the Iwo Jima landings, Spruance, who was deeply disturbed by the possibility of heavy casualties, asked him very seriously how much the capture of Iwo Jima was really worth to the war effort. Li Mei immediately affirmed that without Iwo Jima there could be no effective strategic bombing of the Japanese mainland, and Spruance breathed a long sigh of relief: “That removes one of the burdens of my mind!” Only then did he finally resolve to take Iwo Jima at great cost.

As the U.S. Army high command feared, the U.S. Army’s combat on Iwo Jima was tragic and unparalleled among the many island landings of the Pacific War, even though the U.S. Army’s air and sea fire preparations for Iwo Jima consumed a total of more than 24,000 tons of artillery shells and bombs from August 1944 to 18 February 1945, and Iwo Jima endured an average of 1,200 tons of munitions per square kilometre, so that such a huge consumption of munitions was also Such a huge consumption of ammunition was also rare in the Pacific War. However, under such fierce air and sea fire, the Japanese army only killed or wounded 104 people, the ground fortifications were seriously damaged, but the Japanese army has long been prepared, the defence system basically rely on underground fortifications, basically did not suffer much damage. So the U.S. Army encountered an unprecedentedly bitter battle on Iwo Jima.

On 19 February, the US Army launched the Battle of Iwo Jima, which started off very smoothly, with only sporadic mortar and light weapons fire from the Japanese. The biggest obstacle encountered by the US Army was the volcanic ash on the shoreline, which was made up of all the volcanic ash on the shoreline, and the soil was so soft and soft that it was difficult to move forward with all the tracked landing vehicles, and it was difficult to move forward with all the landing craft that sailed to the shore in the back one after the other, which were blocked by the immobilised tracked vehicles, and it was simply impossible to land on the shoreline.

Figure 2: The beaches are littered with the wounded.

The landing craft behind them came ashore in waves, but were blocked by these immobile tracked landing vehicles, making it impossible to make a beach landing, and the landing soldiers on the boats had to wade ashore. But the good times don’t last long, the U.S. Army only advanced more than two hundred metres, the Japanese Army and other U.S. artillery began to extend, began to the U.S. Army on the beach and opened heavy fire. According to the data measured long beforehand, the Japanese artillery fire accurately covered the landing beachhead, for a time, the U.S. troops were accurate and intensive artillery fire completely suppressed on the beachhead, heavy casualties, the advance was blocked. Looking far away from the warships, the Japanese artillery hidden on the folding hill kept firing, and from time to time flames shot out from the muzzles of the guns, making the folding hill look like a Christmas tree hung with glittering ornaments. For a moment, the American radio traffic was filled with terrified cries of, “The situation is very bad! Enemy mortar and machine gun fire is intense!” “Clear the dead and seriously wounded immediately!” “We can’t move because of the mortar fire!” “The whole unit is pinned down by mortar and artillery fire!” “Heavy casualties! We need tank support to retreat as soon as possible!” “Encountered a strong enemy blockade, unable to continue! Unprecedented machine-gun fire!”

The reality of the situation is even more harrowing and tragic than described on the radio. Everyone’s life was in danger at all times. Joe Rosenthal, who landed with the 4th Marine Division and risked his life by walking back and forth through a hail of bullets, later described it as “running through a hail of bullets without getting shot is as incredible as walking in the rain without getting wet.” The medic, Greg? Emory was lying on his back on a slope when he happened to turn around and saw a sight he will never forget: Japanese machine gun bullets raining down on a freshly landed amphibious vehicle, and the bodies of more than 20 Marines on board being mercilessly torn apart by machine gun bullets before slamming down.

Human limbs, or parts of limbs, littered the entire battlefield, and that’s what Marine Quinn saw at the time, “The most horrific scene I can remember was a man’s chest blown open and his insides covered in sand from the island.” Decades later, Marine Norton, who fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima, recalled, “The landing beachhead was like hell on earth!” Perhaps that’s the most apt description. What made it even more difficult for the American soldiers was that they could hardly see the Japanese, who were hidden in the fortifications, and could not find a target even if they wanted to return fire.

On that day, six infantry regiments, six artillery battalions and two tank battalions, totalling about 30,000 men, had come ashore and occupied a landing field about 3,600 metres wide and ranging from 650 to 1,000 metres deep, with 548 killed in action and 1,755 wounded throughout the day, a total of about 8 per cent of the total number of casualties in the landings. For a first day of fighting, it wasn’t too bad, but the battles that followed would be much tougher.

Figure 3: Iwo Jima Battlefield after the Battle of Iwo Jima

In the end, after thirty-six days of bloody fighting from 19 February to 26 March, all but 1,083 of the island’s 23,000 Japanese troops were captured and killed. The U.S. Army paid a heavy price of 28,686 casualties, of which 5,324 ground combat troops, wounded 18,000 people, an average of up to 800 casualties per day.

The casualty ratio between the US and Japan in this battle was 1.23:1, which was the only landing battle in the Pacific War in which the casualties on the attacking side were greater than those on the defending side. U.S. landing force casualties accounted for 30% of the total number of participants in the battle, the 3rd Marine Division’s combat troops suffered 60% casualties, while the 4th and 5th Marine Division combat troops suffered casualties as high as 75%, the 5th Amphibious Army almost completely lost combat power. The high casualty rate of the Marines in this campaign was unparalleled in the Pacific War, and after the war, Nimitz gave high praise to the Marines who had fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima: “Extraordinary bravery was the common characteristic of the Americans who fought at Iwo Jima!”

Plant the flag of the United States on Mount Suribachi.

The scene where the flag was planted took place during the Battle of Iwo Jima when American troops captured the high ground of Mount Orchard.

On 23 February 1945, the morning on Iwo Jima was as overcast and cold as usual, with a violent storm, but by midday the rain had stopped and the weather was beginning to clear. Lieutenant Colonel Johnson, Commander of the 2nd Battalion, 28th Regiment, 5th Marine Division, had been closely observing the battlefield and decided that the troops were ready to begin their attack on Mount Oriflame, so he reached for the telephone and called out to the commander of Company E, which was in the southeastern part of Mount Oriflame, David? Severance ordered, “Get me a platoon over here!” Severance checked the situation of his unit, and the 2nd Platoon was scouting the foot of Mount Folding, so he chose the 3rd Platoon, the one closest to Lieutenant Colonel Johnson, to be the first U.S. unit to attack Mount Folding. Just as the forty-four men were about to depart, Lieutenant Colonel Johnson had his adjutant, Greely? Ensign Wills to produce a flag, then called Ensign Schrier aside and handed him the flag. “If you climb to the top of the hill, tree it.” Severance was very impressed with the wording of that order, “He didn’t say, when you climb to the top of the hill, but if you climb to the top of the hill.”

3 Platoon Leader Butz? Thomas was the first to order a departure, “Patrol commencing, destination hilltop! Come on, let’s get going!” As the four dozen or so men serpentine forward, gradually climbing higher and higher, and emerging on that near-vertical hill, they attracted everyone’s attention, with the Marines along the beach and on the land to the north all focusing their eyes on them. Even the soldiers on the warships at sea began to turn their eyes to these men, and almost everyone was thinking: they’re about to make it. But these men were so nervous at the time that Corpsman Bradley wondered how many of them would actually make it back alive. “At the bottom of the hill, not one of the forty of us thought we could pull this off,” he said in an interview shortly after the battle. “We all guessed that there would be a lot of Japanese shooting wildly at us along the way.” Being a medic, he had one more anxiety than the others, “All the way up the mountain I wondered, how am I going to carry the wounded down the mountain?” So, when going up the mountain, whenever you saw a bunker, you threw grenades into it. There were no paths to climb on Mount Folding, and there were bombed-out rocks everywhere. One could only climb upwards by crawling on one’s knees and grabbing whatever objects one could with one’s hands. Many of them were carrying weapons, others flamethrowers, and all were terrified. About two-thirds of the way up, Ensign Schreyer sent out covering troops to both sides simultaneously. “We were on edge,” Robert? Riedel said, “with the constant thought that the enemy would suddenly jump out, or that one of us would suddenly step on a mine. It took us almost 40 minutes to get to the top of the hill, even though there were no Japanese shooting at us on the way.”

Butz Thomas ordered, “Find a flagpole to put that Stars and Stripes up.” Riddle found a good sized stick from the Japanese bunker to use as a flagpole. They tied that flag to it. By this time, everyone knew that their historic action was about to be recorded on camera, and everyone was thrilled. The four men, Schreyer, Thomas, Sergeant Hansen and Corporal Lindberg, repeatedly looked at the flagpole. Cameraman Lou Rovoli recorded it all in a continuous shot. He then told them how they should pose, as the boys were all apparently a bit squirmy and shy when it came to the camera. Then Rovoli joined the four, and at about 10.20pm they got the flagpole up in the gale, and Rovoli, wanting to add some comedic effect to the picture, suggested that Jim Mitchell, in the back, crouch down with his carbine in his hand. Mitchell to crouch down with his carbine in hand. At this point, Rovoli suddenly shouted at the Marines, “Wait a minute!” , because he had run out of film and needed to replace it. Lindberg frowned and cooed at him to hurry up, as the soldier with the flagpole in his hand was an obvious target for sniping.

Figure 4: This is the first photo of the Iwo Jima American flag planting

As Rovoli loaded a new roll of film, the historic moment arrived: Thomas, Schreyer firmly gripping the flagpole, Lindbergh standing a step or two away watching them, and Michelle in the background adding comedy to the photo. This is the first photo of the US flag planting on Iwo Jima. Lieutenant Colonel Johnson later ordered the American flag to be taken down the mountain and preserved properly, which necessitated a new and larger American flag being re-erected on the peak. He again rang Severance, by this time 2 Platoon had just completed a reconnaissance mission at the base of the mountain. Severance then ordered Michael, Harlon, Ira, and Franklin to go ahead and complete the mission and then place the second flag of the United States on the top of Mount Folding Bowl.

“When you reach the top of the hill, tell Schrell to keep that little Stars and Stripes in good condition.” Strunk ordered in a low voice, “Let’s go!” With that, several men set off with telephone cables, batteries, and the American flag, while Bradley was still at the top of the mountain. They reached the top at noon, and Michael explained to Schreyer what Lieutenant Colonel Johnson had meant. When Rainey handed this replacement American flag to Sergeant Michael, the latter felt the need to explain the mission. He shouted to everyone, “Lieutenant Colonel Johnson wants this huge Stars and Stripes to fly high so that everyone on this island can see it!”

He ordered Ira and Franklin to find a longer stick for the flagpole, and himself and Harlon began clearing an area of land for the flagging site. The flagpole Ira and Franklin found was a drainpipe weighing over 100 pounds, and as they carried it to the site, Lieutenant Schreyer suggested that Michael’s platoon perform this flag-planting task, as he wanted the lowering of the first flag to coincide with the raising of the second. Michael tied the American flag to that drain pipe and prepared to erect it. Several photographers took their places as well, and at the time there wasn’t much attention paid to the series of events on the summit, as everyone did their own thing. Associated Press reporter Joe? Rosenthal documented this classic scene, and when we revisit the photo today, it’s as if we can see what all went on in that moment: Harlon bent down and crouched at the point of the flag-tree, ready to take over the base of the pole. Michael was on the other side, directing the group to slowly hand the flagpole to Harlon. He and his four other companions gathered around the flagpole, padding up on their toes one step at a time, looking as if they were walking in the snow. That’s when Michael saw Bradley walking by carrying a large bag of bandages and called out to him to come over and give him a hand. Bradley immediately put down the bandages and came over to the flagpole and stood between Michael and Harlon. Franklin is supporting the flagpole from the angle of the front of the photo, and Rainey is supporting the flagpole from the angle of the back of the photo, with his rifle slung over his shoulder; he was standing behind Bradley, so we can’t see him from the front of the photo. The men are clustered in a group behind the bent-over Harlon, with Bradley in the centre of the photo, his hands gripping the flagpole tightly.

Not many people paid much attention to this operation, as it was only a substitution of flags. The important one – the first flag – had been taken down the hill to Lieutenant Colonel Johnson, who took custody of it. This replacement flag flew there for three weeks until it was broken by a strong wind. After planting the flag Rosenthal called the Marines together and suggested they take a group photo around this American flag. In this photo we can see Ira Hayes is smiling and he is the only one sitting on the ground in the photo. Michael is standing next to Lieutenant Schreyer, his thumbs in his shirt pockets, and judging by his mouth, it looks as if he is shouting, “Wow!” Franklin and Bradley stood behind Michael, left and right; Franklin was grinning with excitement and excitedly held his rifle aloft in his right hand; Bradley later said, “We were so happy!” His appearance graphically illustrates this: he had a big smile on his face and was waving his helmet in his right hand.

At that time Rovoli and Bob Campbell also both took a number of photographs, and Joe Rosenthal took the most famous picture, but he didn’t care for this one at the time because he had just arrived and had already missed the first flag-planting, and as the six soldiers planted their flags, Rosenthal stood on his hands and knees on a nearby rocky outcrop, struggling to keep his balance while hastily pressing the shutter.

Figure 5: Stamps based on photographs of American flag planting

The photo then travelled around the world, and the American Photo Magazine commented, “At that moment, the camera recorded the soul of a nation!” This photo, which fully demonstrated the bravery and fearlessness of the American troops, became one of the most famous photos of World War II, especially in the United States, where it appeared frequently on various occasions and became a household name. According to incomplete statistics, in the United States, there are 1 million shops, 300,000 railway stations, 200,000 factories, 16,000 cinemas, 15,000 banks and 5,000 giant advertising boards have posted posters with this photo, the U.S. Postal Service, according to the public’s strong demand, in 1945 to this photo as the basic design of the design of the stamps issued by the total number of issues up to 1.37 million sheets! In 1995, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, the US Postal Service again issued a stamp featuring the photograph. In 1995, the U.S. Postal Service reissued a stamp featuring the photograph to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Because the photographs caused such a sensation when they were published in the press, United States President Harry S. Truman ordered that the names of the six survivors be identified and honoured. Three of the six survivors of the Warriors were later received by President Truman, the picture below is a photo of the three in the White House when they were received by President Truman, is pointing to the poster drawn based on the photo to the President to introduce the scene is Ellen Gagnon, to his right is Ira Hayes, the photo of the left on crutches is the Battle of Iwo Jima in the leg of the wounded John Bradley.

Figure 6: President Truman receives surviving flag-planting warriors

All three survivors are invited by the organisers of the war bond issue to tour various major cities, including New York and Boston, to participate in the marketing of the war bond issue as representatives of the war heroes, but Ira refuses the prize money offered to him. And that American flag, which has witnessed gunfire and recorded glory and splendour, is in the collection of the Naval Museum in Washington, D.C., as a precious souvenir.

After the war, it was first the California legislature that proposed to the federal government the construction of a monument to the Battle of Iwo Jima, a proposal that was echoed by millions of people. The famous sculptor Felix Davidson took seventy-two hours to make a model in clay of the famous photograph.

In November 1954, the photo as the motherboard of the huge bronze statue in the town of Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia, across the river from Washington, D.C., was completed, each flag-raising hero is 32 feet (9.7 metres) high, the flagpole is 60 feet (18.3 metres) high, 78 feet (23.8 metres) high in the flagpole in the wind, which is the tallest bronze statue, the total cost of $850,000 (1954), the total cost of $4,000,000 (1954) It is the world’s tallest bronze statue, costing US$850,000 (1954 dollars) and funded entirely by voluntary private donations.

Figure 7: Statues with photographs as motherboards

When the monument was built, three of the survivors of the Six Warriors came to participate in the celebration, remembering their comrades who died in the battle and reminiscing about the unforgettable combat experience. Today, the monument is surrounded by green grass, has been a leisure resort, but Iwo Jima smoke filled battle scenes, still remain in people’s memories, the great trauma of the war is more difficult to calm, so that people cherish peace!

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