Two Flags Over Iwo Jima: Solving the Mystery of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Proudest Moment

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