[SAMWolf]

The photograph of Marines raising the American flag at the summit of Mt. Suribachi during the battle for Iwo Jima has become an enduring image of bravery and heroism. However, this was actually the second flag raised on the mountain's summit that day. The first flag-raising occurred a couple of hours earlier - shortly after Marines had gained the top of the mountain after hard fighting. This flag was deemed too small to be easily seen from the base of the mountain so a second, larger flag was raised.

The First Flag-Raising

Scott Tank sent us this eyewitness account of Cpl. Charles W. Lindberg, a friend and the last surviving member of the team that raised the first flag on the crest of Mt. Suribachi. Scott asked that we share Mr. Lindberg's story with you - we are honored to do so. Thank you Scott for sending us this account, and thank you Mr. Lindberg for the sacrifices you made during that bloody nightmare called Iwo Jima:



It was the job of the 28th Regiment, 5th Division, to capture Mount Suribachi. They reached the base of the mountain on the afternoon of February 21, and by nightfall the next day the Marines had almost completely surrounded it.

As part of that Marine group, 24-year-old Corporal Charles Lindberg, a combat veteran of the Guadalcanal and the Bougainville campaign, watched the intense bombardment of Iwo Jima and realized that the landing at Red Beach One would be anything but easy. "The Japs had the whole beach zeroed in. Most of the fire was coming from Suribachi," he recalled. Surrounding Mount Suribachi were cliffs, tunnels, mines, booby traps, and ravines. The hostile terrain proved to be as tough an enemy as the Japanese who were firmly entrenched on the mountain.


The first flag raising atop Mt. Suribachi. Jim Michels holds the gun with (left to right) Hank Hansen, Louis Charlo, Boots Thomas, Harold Schrier and Chuck Lindberg behind.
Photo by Lou Lowery. 10AM, Feb. 23, 1945

At 8 a.m. on February 23, a patrol of 40 men from 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, led by 1LT Lieutenant Harold G. Schrier, assembled at the base of Mount Suribachi. The platoon's mission was to take the crater of Suribachi's peak and raise the U.S. flag. As a member of the first combat patrol to scale Mount Suribachi, Cpl Lindberg took his 72-pound flamethrower and started the tortuous climb up the rough terrain to the top.

As they reached the top, the patrol members took positions around the crater watching for pockets of enemy resistance as other members of the patrol looked for something on which to raise the flag. Present at the crest were six Marines of a 40-man patrol. They were 1LT Lieutenant Schrier, Sergeant Thomas, Sergeant Hansen, Private First Class Charlo, Private First Class Michels, and Corporal Charles W. Lindberg.


A photograph of the first flag raising atop Mount Suribachi, February 23, 1945. The raising was held by Easy Co., 2/28, at about 10:30 a.m. Photo by Leatherneck's Sgt Lou Lowery

At approximately 10:20 a.m., the flag was hoisted on a steel pipe above the island. The sight of the small American flag flying from atop Mount Suribachi thrilled men all over the island. And for the first time during WWII, an American flag was flying above what was considered traditional Japanese territory. This symbol of victory sent a wave of strength to the battle-weary fighting men below, and struck a further mental blow against the island's defenders.

Marine Corps photographer Sergeant Lou Lowery captured this first flag raising on film just as the enemy hurled a grenade in his direction. Dodging the grenade, Lowery hurled his body over the edge of the crater and tumbled 50 feet. His camera lens was shattered, but he and his film were safe.


The first flag comes down as the second flag goes up.
Photo by Bob Campbell.

As Cpl Lindberg would later remark, "Suribachi was easy to take; it was getting there that was so hard!" Of the 40-man patrol, thirty-six were killed or wounded in later fighting on Iwo Jima including Lindberg himself who would be shot through the stomach and arm a week later on 1 March, 1945. For his heroism Lindberg would receive the Purple Heart and Silver Star Medal with the citation reading in part:

"Repeatedly exposing himself to hostile grenades and machine-gun fire in order that he might reach and neutralize enemy pill-boxes at the base of Mount Suribachi, Corporal Lindberg courageously approached within ten or fifteen yards of the emplacements before discharging his weapon, thereby assuring the annihilation of the enemy and the successful completion of this platoon's mission. While engaged in an attack on hostile cave positions on March 1, he fearlessly exposed himself to accurate enemy fire and was subsequently wounded and evacuated."

"Raising the Flag Over Iwo Jima, 1945," EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2002).

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CORPORAL
CHARLES W. LINDBERG, USMC



Marine Corporal Charles W. Lindberg, who helped raise the first American flag atop Mt. Suribachi on February 23, 1945, was awarded the Silver Star Medal during World War II for gallantry in action as a flamethrower operator on Iwo Jima.

Born June 26, 1920 at Grand Forks, North Dakota, he is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Lindberg of Grand Forks. He is a graduate of Grand Forks High School.

In addition to the Silver Star, Corporal Lindberg was awarded the Purple Heart Medal for wounds received in action against the enemy on Iwo Jima, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. He spent two years and four months overseas.


Smashed by Jap mortar and shellfire, trapped by Iwo's treacherous black-ash sands, amtracs and other vehicles of war lay knocked out on the black sands of the volcanic fortress.

After enlisting at Seattle, Washington, in January, 1942, Corporal Lindberg trained at the Marine recruit depot at San Diego, and at Camp Elliott, California, before going to the Pacific combat zone with the 5th Marine Division.

He was a member of a guard detachment at the Charleston, South Carolina, Naval Base when honorably discharged in January, 1946.

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I recently received a packet of information from the History Division regarding the Marines who took part in the first flag raising on Iwo Jima. The packet included a 30 page slick covered booklet describing the battle and flag raisings on Iwo Jima. Very professional looking publication. They also included a series of biographies of the Marines they verify and declare were involved in the first flag raising.

Biographies of Lt.Harold Schrier, Platoon Sergeant Ernest Thomas, Sergeant Henry Hansen, Corporal Charles Lindberg, a copy of a USMC casualty report on Pfc James Michels and a bio of PFC Louis Charlo.


Sixth Fleet during invasion of Iwo Jima. Mt. Suribachi in background. 02/19/1945

Over the years reporters and writer researching stories and books have flatly stated the PFC Charlo was not at the first flag raising and yet 58 years later the Historical Division continues to distribute materials saying he was. Louis Charlo's mother,when shown Lowery's pictures, said her son was not there but the Corps continues to say he was.

No less an authority on the flag raising than Colonel Severance in a letter to Leatherneck (April 2000) writes.. "There has never been an official explanation as to why Charlo was with First Lieutenant Harold G. Schrier's 40 man patrol. It was probably 1stLt Schrier who gave Charlo's name as being with the patrol. The most logical conclusion is that he was with Schrier to point out the route the four man patrol had followed earlier".

"Probably"???.. "most logical conclusion"??? Colonel Severance said that "in his mind" I was not there at the flag raising but apparently "in his mind" Charlo was there. There is not one shred of evidence that Charlo went with Lt.Schrier.


Pfc. Louis C. Charlo

Pfc Charlo was a BARman with F Company, my company.He was part of a 4 man reconnaissance patrol sent up Suribachi to check on enemy defenses. They reported back to our C.O.,Captain Art Naylor,and he passed their report on to battalion. End of story. So how did this mistake grow legs?

Based on research done by independent reporters and writers we find that the stories of Charlo and his 4 man patrol and of the raising of the first flag arrived in Washington D.C. at about the same time. Senator Mike Mansfield of Montana mistakenly put the two stories together and called a press conference to tell the country of his great pride in his fellow Montanan, Louis Charlo,who he said helped raise the flag on Iwo Jima. So incorrect folklore is born.It didn't happen. Charlo wasn't with Schrier's patrol. It was, however,carried nationally in the press and the Corps picked up on it and has been publishing it ever since.

Trying to correct the errors in the official history is a difficult job at best. Those in charge are influenced by other officials who in their minds think they are the repository of fact and truth.



A group of us have been trying for some time to accurately identify all of the people gathered around the flag pole in Lou Lowery's pictures. After a thorough and detailed analysis of Lowery's pictures we are convinced.

1. Charlo is not there
   
2. Two of the unidentified people in the photos may very well be the two Corpsmen who accompanied Lt.Schrier's patrol
   
3. the radio man is me.We continue to work on this project.

The Corps through the Historical Division has the resources to get answers to all of the questions regarding the first flag raising but apparently they would rather continue to put out obviously incorrect information.


Iwo Jima Right Shore Line as seen from Mount Suribachi
Looking from Mt. Suribachi

I suspect that the staff of the Historical Division would love to jump on this story and accurately tell the story of the first flag raising but until they are allowed to do so the influence and prejudices from above make a mockery of the division's mandate to verify and declare.

R.W. "Dick" Gaines
GySgt USMC (Ret.)
1952-72

Additional Sources:

hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil
www.keepingapace.com
pakko13.freeyellow.com
www.geocities.com/Heartland/6350
www.iwojima.com
iwo-jima-memorial.visit-washington-dc.com
www.allposters.com
www.geocities.com/jack_lummus
www.mikeco31.com
www.otr.com
pigtrail.uark.edu
www.csulb.edu
www.arlingtoncemetery.net

[SAMWolf]

'The raising of that flag on Suribachi menas a Marine Corps for the next 500 years!'

-- James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, 23 February 1945

'In that moment, Rosenthal's camera recorded the soul of a nation.'

-- Editors of US Camera Magazine

'It was like shooting a football game. You never knew what you got on film.'

-- Joe Rosenthal, Photographer

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Over the years, the flag raising has come to symbolize the spirit of the Corps to all Marines. On November 10, 1954, a bronze monument of the flag raising, sculpted by Felix de Weldon and located in Arlington National Cemetery, was dedicated to all Marines who have given their lives in defense of their country. Then Vice President Richard M. Nixon said, "This statue symbolizes the hopes and dreams of America, and the real purpose of our foreign policy. We realize that to retain freedom for ourselves, we must be concerned when people in other parts of the world may lose theirs. There is no greater challenge to statesmanship than to find a way that such sacrifices as this statue represents are not necessary in the future, and to build the kind of world in which people can be free, in which nations can be independent, and in which people can live together in peace and friendship."

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Rosenthal, like Genaust, had been overlooked by the powers that award wartime honors. Felix deWeldon's bronze sculpture of the flag raising, located near Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, is a replica of Rosenthal's photograph. Even so, the sculpture did not contain a credit line for Rosenthal when it was unveiled in 1954. Distressed by the oversight, Rosenthal's many San Francisco friends, backed by Congressman John Burton, began a campaign to have his name placed on the magnificent, 100-ton work of art. An act of Congress, signed by President Reagan, finally allowed Rosenthal's name to be inscribed on the statue 30 years after it was erected.

Another controversy involved the fact that the flag raising photographed by Rosenthal and Genaust was not the first to take place atop extinct volcano Mount Suribachi on 23 Feb. 1945. When the first flag went up about 1030, the sight electrified tens of thousands of battle-weary Marines fighting on the island. They shouted and cheered because the flag atop 556-foot-high Suribachi meant they were a big step closer to victory.

The first flag was too small, so a second, larger flag was sent to replace it. When it rose 90 minutes later, there were no cheers. The armada of warships offshore didn't sound their sirens, bells and whistles. By then, the vicious fight to the death had resumed. Before it was over, nearly 6,000 Marines were killed or died of wounds and more than 17,000 additional Marines were wounded—one of the war's bloodiest tolls. In some ways it was the war's strangest battle, with nearly 100,000 troops fighting on an island only 4½ miles long. The estimated 23,000 Japanese were mostly underground in tunnels and caves, and Marines of the Third, Fourth and Fifth Marine Divisions attacked to dig them out.

Critics and art scholars studying the photographs of the second flag raising declared them works of highest art. Some wrote that if it weren't for Rosenthal and Genaust, the Iwo Jima battle to this day would not hold such a grip on the nation's consciousness. During the war, flags went up on every island the United States fought over, but none ever captured such a dramatic scene as the Rosenthal/Genaust pictures, largely because theirs were unplanned rather than posed and ceremonial like most other flag raisings. War is unfair ... life is unfair ... and art, itself, can be unfair toward those who are a part of it. The six men who raised the second flag will be honored by name for generations to come as the heroes of Mount Suribachi. They were Private First Class Franklin R. Sousley, PFC Ira H. Hayes, Navy Pharmacist's Mate 2d Class John H. Bradley, Corporal Harlon H. Block, PFC Rene A. Gagnon and Sgt Michael Strank.

Before the battle ended, three of the six (Strank, Sousley and Block) were dead—never learning of their fame.

Photographed by Marine Sgt Louis R. Lowery, the six men who raised the first flag were not just forgotten; some of them were never mentioned. They were Sgt Henry O. Hansen, Platoon Sergeant Ernest I. Thomas Jr., PFC Louis C. Charlo, First Lieutenant Harold G. Schrier, PFC James R. Michels and Cpl Charles W. Lindberg.

Three of them (Thomas, Hansen and Charlo) were later killed in action. Of the 40 men in the patrol who raised both flags, 36 were dead or wounded before the Battle of Iwo Jima ended. After the war, Rosenthal—a man of highest ethics—was surprised and disappointed when the nation's news media accused him of posing his prize-winning photo. The criticism went on for years. It didn't stop until photo experts who viewed the Genaust film declared it proved conclusively there was no way for Rosenthal to have posed the six men. Rosenthal, now nearly 90 years old, rarely discusses his photo and its controversial aftermath. "If I'd posed it," he said, "I would've ruined it."

[The Mayor]

What a great thread!

Thank you guys!

[Johnny Gage]

Air Power
Lockheed's P-38 Lightning

The Lightning designed by Lockheed engineer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson and his team of designers, represented one of the most radical departures from tradition in American fighter development. The Lightning was a complete break-away from conventional airframe design, power, and at long last, armament. Not only did it have twice the power and almost twice the size of its predecessors, but with no less than four .50 cal. machine guns plus a 20 mm cannon, the P-38 had enough firepower to sink a ship--and sometimes did. Concentrated in the central fuselage pod, the guns fired parallel which eliminated a need for a propeller synchronizer.

The Lightning tricycle landing gear and twin-boom configuration completed the list of major deviations from what might he considered conventional Army fighters. In this respect, it was very unusual that the Lightning design progressed beyond the testing stage; such radical concepts seldom achieved production status. But the simple fact was that the P-38 design worked and the Army seemed to have found its dream plane in this 400 mph fighter.

The XP-38, 37-457, was built under tight secrecy and made its maiden flight on January 27, 1939, with Air Corps test pilot and P-38 project officer, Lt. Benjamin S. Kelsey, at the controls. The P-38's performance justified Lockheed's investment of nearly $6,000,000 of its own funds to complete the prototype. The Army was so delighted with the big new fighter, it lifted the wraps of secrecy from the plane for a transcontinental speed dash on February 11, 1939. This event was marred by a crash when Kelsey undershot the runway at Mitchell Field, NY. Kelsey survived the crash and remained an important part of the Lightning program. The airplane was written off, but Lockheed received a contract for thirteen YP-38s along with the usual list of improvements.

The XP-38 had been powered by two liquid cooled, Allison V-1710 engines turning 11 1/2 foot Curtiss Electric, inward turning, counter-rotating propellers. With the YP-38s and all subsequent Lightings, the propellers rotated outward negating torque when both engines were operating (A batch ordered by Britain did not have counter-rotating propellers.) One XP-38A was built with a pressurized cabin. Armament on the YPs was altered by replacement of two of the .50s with .30s, and the 20 mm cannon gave way to a 37 mm. But even before the YP-38s were completed, the original machine gun arrangement was standardized for production types. The first production order was 35 P-38Ds, followed by 210 P-3XEs which reverted back to the 20 mm cannon. These planes began to arrive in October 1941, just before America entered World War II. With the P-38D came self sealing fuel tanks and armor protection for the pilot. The Lightning was ready for war!

A major problem surfaced with the loss of control in a dive caused by aerodynamic compressibility. During late spring 1941, Air Corps Major Signa A. Gilke encountered serious trouble while diving his Lightning at high-speed from an altitude of 30,000 ft (9,120 m). When he reached an indicated airspeed of about 320 mph (515 kph), the airplane's tail began to shake violently and the nose dropped until the dive was almost vertical. Signa recovered and landed safely and the tail buffet problem was soon resolved after Lockheed installed new fillets to improve airflow where the cockpit gondola joined the wing center section. Seventeen months passed before engineers began to determine what caused the Lightning's nose to drop. They tested a scale model P-38 in the Ames Laboratory wind tunnel operated by the NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) and found that shock waves formed when airflow over the wing reached transonic speeds and became turbulent. Lockheed never remedied this problem but the firm did install dive recovery flaps under each wing in 1944 to restore lift and smooth the airflow enough to maintain control when diving at high-speed

The fastest of the Lightnings was the P-38J with a top speed of 420 mph, and the version produced in the greatest quantity was the "L", of which 3,735 were built by Lockheed and 113 by Vultee. The P-38L was powered by two 1,475 hp Allison V1710-111 engines. As with any long-term production aircraft, the P-38 underwent many modifications. The P-38J intakes under the engines were enlarged to house core-type intercoolers. The curved windscreen was replaced by a flat panel, and the boom mounted radiators were enlarged. Some were fitted with bombardier type noses, and were used to lead formations of bomb-laden P-38s to their targets. The P-38M was a two-seat radar-equipped night fighter, a few of which had become operational before the war ended. One interesting variation had an elevated tail assembly on upswept booms; another one had an elongated center pod and was used for airfoil evaluation.

The dimensions of the P-38 remained the same throughout production, its wing spanning 52 feet with an area of 328 square feet. overall length was 37 feet 10 inches; height was 12 feet 10 inches. The P-38L weighed 12,800 pounds empty and 17,500 pounds gross. Thus, the P-38 was the largest, heaviest, and fastest "P" type to date. An internal fuel capacity of 410 gallons could be increased to 1,010 gallons with two external drop tanks and gave the Lightning a range of 450 miles, making it the first fighter suitable as a long-range bomber escort. In addition to its devastating nose armament, the P-38 could carry up to 4,000 pounds of external weapons including bombs and rockets.

Specifications:
Primary Function: Pursuit (fighter)
Contractor: Lockheed
Crew: One
Unit Cost: $115,000
Powerplants: Two Allison V-1710-111/113 of 1,475 hp. ea.

Dimensions:
Length: 37 ft 10 in
Wingspan: 52 ft
Height: 12 ft 10 in
Weights: Gross: 15,340 lb / Loaded: 17,500 lb

Performance :
Speed: 414 mph
Ceiling: 40,000 ft
Range: 1,100 miles

Armaments:
Four .50-cal. machine guns and one 20mm cannon.
External bomb load of 4,000 lbs. or ten 5 in. rockets.

All photos Copyright of Global Aircraft.Org

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.......................Lockheed P-38 Lightning

USA

The P-38 Lightning introduced a new dimension to American fighters - a second engine. The multi-engine configuration reduced the Lightning loss-rate to anti-aircraft gunfire during ground attack missions. Single-engine airplanes equipped with power plants cooled by pressurized liquid, such as the North American P-51 Mustang, were particularly vulnerable. Even a small nick in one coolant line could cause the engine to seize in a matter of minutes.

P-38 Lighting USAAF, 20th FG.

The 370th Fighter Group formed on 25 May 1943 and activated on 1 Jul 1943. The Ninth AF, equipped with P-47s and then P-38s in Feb., trained until May 1, 1944 when the group entered combat. They dive-bombed radar installations and flak towers, and escorted bombers that attacked bridges and marshalling yards in France as the Allies prepared for the invasion of the Continent.

P-38 Lighting USAAF, 485th FS-370th FG.

Richard Bong was America’s all-time leading fighter ace. He held the US record of forty victories in combat. In San Francisco Richard Bong looped-the-loop around the Golden Gate Bridge. He then buzzed Market Street in his Lightning and waved at the stenographers staring in astonishment out of office windows. Though General Kenney had given him a stiff talking to, he knew that Dick Bong had the makings of a first-rate fighter pilot. At the age of 24, Major Richard I. Bong lost his life in the fiery crash of a P-80 jet he was testing for the Air Force On August 6, 1945 (the day the B-29 Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.)

P-38 Lighting USAAF, 5th AF, 9th FS-49th FG. Richard Bong.

Major McGuire scored 38 aerial victories in a P-38, making him our nation's second highest scoring ace. Among his many decorations was the Medal of Honor awarded for his actions on December 25-26, 1944 when he shot down seven enemy aircraft. On January 7, 1945, he crashed to his death on Los Negros Island in the Philippines while risking an extremely hazardous maneuver at low altitude in an attempt to save the life of a comrade. McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey is named in his honor.

P-38 Lighting USAAF, 5th AF, 431 FS-457 FG, Maj. Thomas B. McGuire.

Many Thanks to, and all info/pictures Copyright of Aviation-History.Com

[Samwise]

Like most Americans, I love that picture. Thanks for the story behind the photograph.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Evening friends.