IWO JIMA. JOE ROSENTHAL

Signed Print of Rosenthal's famous photograph showing the Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima, Signed and Dated in the lower left corner, "Joe Rosenthal / Photographer / Iwo Jima, 1945." The black and white print measures 8 inches wide by 10 inches high. In addition, the photo bears the commemorative 3¢ postage stamp of the photo of the flag raising, one commemorating the U.S. declaration of war on Japan, and a Christmas stamp. Dated on the first day of issue, November 15, 1974. Also stamped from Phoenix, Arizona on September 3, 1991.

Iwo Jima was the most difficult and costly battle of World War II. The raising of the American flag atop Mt. Suribachi was both a real and a symbolic victory. It followed several days of intense fighting. On the fifth day, when the flag appeared, everyone could see it. Ships in the harbor blew their whistles; cheers went up all over the island. It was the first time any nation had raised their flag on Japanese territory. Joe Rosenthal, the photographer, knew he had a good photograph, but he didn't know how good until it was developed on Guam. The photograph would become one of the most famous images of World War II. It symbolized the courage, bravery and indomitable spirit that was and still is American. Tragically, half of the soldiers seen raising the flag in the photograph died in the fighting on Iwo Jima. Almost immediately, the photograph became a poster, and a postage stamp, and ultimately, an inspirational monument.

The importance of Iwo Jima was its location half-way between the American bomber base on Tinian Island and Tokyo, fourteen hundred miles away. The Americans needed to eliminate the Japanese fighter base on Iwo to halt the attacks on B-29's, and to use for the crippled American bombers that couldn't make it all the way back to Tinian.

For the Japanese it represented an opportunity to make the Americans pay a terrible price, to show how vicious the fighting would be in an invasion of Japan. The entire island was honeycombed with caves and tunnels by slave laborers and the 23,000 Japanese soldiers knew they would never leave; they would die for the Emperor protecting the Homeland. Iwo was in fact part of Japan, Tokyo Prefecture specifically, and no Japanese territory had ever been invaded.

Five thousand nine hundred thirty marines were killed, 17,400 were significantly wounded and all but 1,000 Japanese were killed in thirty-four days of round the clock fighting on this barren volcanic island barely four miles by two miles in size.

Framed (in a silver frame, with a dark blue outer mat and a cream inner mat) dimensions: 13 7/8 inches wide by 17 1/8 inches high.

This item is associated with these categories in our inventory:

• Military
• World War II