Original Item: Only One Available. Guns, tanks, and bombs were the principal weapons of World War II, but there were other, more subtle forms of warfare as well. Words, posters, and films waged a constant battle for the hearts and minds of the American citizenry just as surely as military weapons engaged the enemy. Persuading the American public became a wartime industry, almost as important as the manufacturing of bullets and planes. The Government launched an aggressive propaganda campaign with clearly articulated goals and strategies to galvanize public support, and it recruited some of the nation's foremost intellectuals, artists, and filmmakers to wage the war on that front.

The Government tried to identify the most effective poster style. One government commissioned study concluded that the best posters were those that made a direct, emotional appeal and presented realistic pictures in photographic detail. The study found that symbolic or humorous posters attracted less attention, made a less favorable impression, and did not inspire enthusiasm. Nevertheless, many symbolic and humorous posters were judged to be outstanding in national poster competitions during the war.

This 12 ½” x 9” poster was a product of one of those realistic pictures in photographic detail produced. Probably the most famous, well-known image from WW2, the Flag Raising at Iwo Jima, was the image chosen for this poster. This Pulitzer Prize winning photograph by Honorary Marine and Photographer Joseph Rosenthal, was painted by artist Cecil Calvert Beall in 1945.

The poster features the famed Flag Raising at Iwo Jima with very beautiful vividness and color. The text that can be found towards the bottom of the poster is:

7th WAR LOAN
NOW ... ALL TOGETHER

The image on the poster is absolutely beautiful and without damage, besides fold marks being present and slight separation in the center fold that is about half the width. Once laid out and framed with a narrow matted border, this image would look phenomenal! You can never go wrong with wanting to add Marine Corps related items to your collections.

The poster comes ready to be mounted, framed and displayed. Semper Fidelis Marines!

War Loans/Bonds History

War bonds are debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war. They are also a means to control inflation by removing money from circulation from a stimulated wartime economy. War bonds are either retail bonds marketed directly to the public or wholesale bonds traded on a stock market. Exhortations to buy war bonds are often accompanied by appeals to patriotism and conscience. Retail war bonds, like other retail bonds, tend to have a yield which is below that offered by the market and are often made available in a wide range of denominations to make them affordable for all citizens.

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is an iconic photograph of six United States Marines raising the U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in the final stages of the Pacific War. The photograph, taken by Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press on February 23, 1945, was first published in Sunday newspapers two days later and reprinted in thousands of publications. It was the only photograph to win the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in the same year as its publication, and was later used for the construction of the Marine Corps War Memorial in 1954, which was dedicated to honor all Marines who died in service since 1775. The memorial, sculpted by Felix de Weldon, is located in Arlington Ridge Park, near the Ord-Weitzel Gate to Arlington National Cemetery and the Netherlands Carillon. The photograph has come to be regarded in the United States as one of the most significant and recognizable images of World War II.

The flag raising occurred in the early afternoon, after the mountaintop was captured and a smaller flag was raised on top that morning. Three of the six Marines in the photograph—Sergeant Michael Strank, Corporal Harlon Block, and Private First Class Franklin Sousley—were killed in action during the battle; Block was identified as Sergeant Hank Hansen until January 1947 and Sousley was identified as PhM2c. John Bradley, USN, until June 2016. The other three Marines in the photograph were Corporals (then Privates First Class) Ira Hayes, Harold Schultz, and Harold Keller; Schultz was identified as Sousley until June 2016 and Keller was identified as Rene Gagnon until October 2019. All of the men served in the 5th Marine Division on Iwo Jima.

The Associated Press has relinquished its copyright to the photograph, placing it in the public domain.

Flag Raisers Identities

The United States Marine Corps corrected the identity of another one of the six men raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi in an iconic photo taken during the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945, after new evidence was provided by three historians.

A Marine Corps board reviewed the new information from historians Dustin Spence, Stephen Foley and Brent Westemeyer, and determined Marine Cpl. Harold P. Keller was one of the men immortalized in the famous photo taken by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal, not Pfc. Rene Gagnon, as had been previously believed.

The same happened in 2016, when the Marine Corps determined another man in the photo had been misidentified. The man was identified as Pfc. Harold Schulz, and not Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class John Bradley, who had been involved in the first flag raising. Rosenthal's photo captured the second raising, when Marines lifted a larger U.S. flag on the mountain during the battle for the strategic island where 6,500 U.S. service members lost their lives.

"The correct identification of Marines ... is important," a Marine Corps statement said, announcing Keller's identity. "Without the initiative and contributions of both private historians devoted to preservation of our history and the FBI’s support, the Marine Corps would not have this opportunity to expand on the historical record of the second flag raising on Mount Suribachi. We are extremely grateful for their dedication to helping us preserve our legacy."

The statement said the review board was contacted in July 2018 by private historians pointing out the errors in identification.

"These historians provided a significant amount of new evidence for consideration, mostly in the form of dozens of previously private photographs," the statement said.