Raising a flag over the Reichstag

 

Author: Yevgeny Khaldei
Picture date: 2 May 1945
Publish date: 15 May 1945, Ogonyok magazine.

This photograph depicts a historic moment where Soviet soldiers are raising the flag of the Soviet Union on the German Reichstag building. The photograph became instantly popular, and became on of the most symbolic photographs of the World War II. It gained very wide recognition and was printed by newspapers all over the world. The German Reichstag building was erected in 1894 and it was magnificent for its time. Even though it was not used for military purposes after the fire since 1933, it was still a symbol of the enemy of the Red Army.

Photograph was taken on the last day of the Battle of Berlin, the final major offensive of the European theatre of World War II. Many photographers took photos of flags on the roof, but it was Khaldei's image that became the most successful and recognized. Identity of the photographer was not unknown until the fall of the Soviet Union. The photo itself is just a reconstruction of the actual moment that happened earlier but had been missed by the camera.