Wednesday, August 6, 2008

On to Berlin and the end of my tour at the Reichstag

One of the most famous Soviet Propaganda images of World War II

The Germans trapped in the basement of the Reichstag finally surrendered and on the morning of May 2, 1945 they left the building under a White Flag. It was on this same day, while the German’s surrendered below, Khaldei the photographer and some men found their way to the slippery blood soaked roof and posed what would become one of the most famous pictures of World War II, the raising of red Hammer and Sickle above the Reichstag.

The soldiers in the image were chosen for political reasons. Meliton Kantaria to hold the flag and supporting Kantaria is Mikhail Yegorov. Kantaria, a Georgian sergeant, was picked to please Stalin who himself was from Georgia and Yegorov a Russian fighter represented the motherland.

No comments: