Overview

The full story of the lead up to and aftermath of the iconic raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima in 1945. The saga of the flags on Iwo Jima has fascinated America for decades. But the story of how the flags got there, and even the identity of the soldiers in the photos, has been muddied by history. Eric Hammel here sets the record straight, viewing complex events through the lens of the story of the infantry company in which all the flag raisers served. Two Flags over Iwo Jima reveals the all-but forgotten first flag raising, and the aftermath of the popularisation campaign undertaken by the post- WWII Marine Corps and national press. Not only is the full story behind the photograph revealed, but also the real heroism of the men behind this most fervent expression of American patriotism. AUTHOR: Eric Hammel is a renowned military historian who focuses on the military campaigns of the United States Marine Corps and military action in WWII. He has over 50 military history books and 70 magazine articles to his credit, alongside appearances at military education seminars and in television documentaries on Marine Corps operations. He also has his own military history publishing firm, Pacifica Press. Recent books include Always Faithful: U.S. Marines in World War II Combat (Osprey, 2011) and War in the Western Pacific (Zenith Press, 2014). 96 b/w photographs

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9781612006291

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A richly illustrated account of one of the most iconic moments in World War II. Military historian Hammel (War in the Western Pacific, 2014, etc.) begins with his own first awareness of Joe Rosenthal's famous photo of the flag-raising, which became the inspiration for the Marine Corps War Memorial sculpture. In a brief prologue, the author tells how the flag came to be raised not once but twice. He then circles back to the battle, beginning with the decision to take the volcanic island, which would give the U.S. a base for its heavy bombers within striking distance of the enemy homeland as well as capturing an integral part of the Japanese empire, an important symbolic victory. Unlike other battles in which the Japanese fought in mass banzai attacks, their plan here was for tenacious defense from a well-designed series of bunkers and strongholds, a plan buttressed with major reinforcements until a month before the landing. In short, the Marines were in for a brutal ordeal. Hammel profiles the men and officers of Company E, the main body involved in the capture of the mountain, and then follows the course of the battle through the flag-raising and its aftermath. Some men died on the island, others survived the war, and a few were singled out as heroes because of their parts in the flag-raising, a role they neither sought nor enjoyed. But the identities of the men involved in the iconic event were never clear until well after the war. Hammel describes the way the image of the flag-raising became a symbol of the Marines and the way the survivors eventually tried to get the full story made part of the official record. He documents this effort by including the reports of the Huly Board, which determined the facts, and the detailed photographic evidence the board worked from. Ultimately, readers receive a unique view of a key battle and learn how, years later, the story was put into proper context. A must for World War II buffs. --Kirkus Reviews

A richly illustrated account of one of the most iconic moments in World War II. Military historian Hammel (War in the Western Pacific, 2014, etc.) begins with his own first awareness of Joe Rosenthal's famous photo of the flag-raising, which became the inspiration for the Marine Corps War Memorial sculpture. In a brief prologue, the author tells how the flag came to be raised not once but twice. He then circles back to the battle, beginning with the decision to take the volcanic island, which would give the U.S. a base for its heavy bombers within striking distance of the enemy homeland as well as capturing an integral part of the Japanese empire, an important symbolic victory. Unlike other battles in which the Japanese fought in mass banzai attacks, their plan here was for tenacious defense from a well-designed series of bunkers and strongholds, a plan buttressed with major reinforcements until a month before the landing. In short, the Marines were in for a brutal ordeal. Hammel profiles the men and officers of Company E, the main body involved in the capture of the mountain, and then follows the course of the battle through the flag-raising and its aftermath. Some men died on the island, others survived the war, and a few were singled out as heroes because of their parts in the flag-raising, a role they neither sought nor enjoyed. But the identities of the men involved in the iconic event were never clear until well after the war. Hammel describes the way the image of the flag-raising became a symbol of the Marines and the way the survivors eventually tried to get the full story made part of the official record. He documents this effort by including the reports of the Huly Board, which determined the facts, and the detailed photographic evidence the board worked from. Ultimately, readers receive a unique view of a key battle and learn how, years later, the story was put into proper context. A must for World War II buffs. --Kirkus Reviews Of all the well-documented contributions to the history of WW II in the Pacific, none has a more heartfelt narrative, combining deep understanding and sensitive perception than Two Flags Over lwo Jima. --Leatherneck (10/01/2018) Most Americans have seen the iconic photograph of Old Glory being raised on Mount Suribachi on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima during WWII, yet confusion and controversy have surrounded the event and the photograph ever since it was taken. Renowned military historian Hammel's concise and matter-of-fact book breaks down every aspect of what happened during the battle to the summit of the volcano with precision and objectivity. The reader is then taken on a detective's journey, exploring how the photo became so significant for the war effort and the hunt for the identities of the marines depicted. Hammel includes new evidence on the mystery man with the flag-raising marines, information that was primarily gathered by amateur historians over the internet, as well as extensive photographs, award citations, and primary-document appendixes for further exploration. Two Flags Over Iwo Jima is part narrative and part legal brief and entirely valuable and worthwhile, an exciting testament to the unfinished chronicling we call history. --Booklist

Author Information

Eric Hammel’s passion for writing military history books began when he was twelve years old. He has established a formidable reputation as an author and journalist, with forty books and nearly seventy magazine articles to his name. A particular specialty is the U.S. Marine Corps at war, and he has appeared in numerous television documentaries on Marine Corps operations in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Beirut.

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