The Reichstag building was built in 1894 and was more of a pleasant sight than most buildings at that time. It became a significant part of German History. The Red Army even considered it to be a symbol of their enemy.
This picture of the Soviet flag over the Reichstag was taken in a memorable moment that changed Germany’s tides. On May 2 1945, the Soviets captured the Reichstag.
Yevgeny Khaldei’s photograph of two Soviet soldiers raising a flag above the Reichstag building in Berlin is one of the most famous pictures of World War II. Rosenthal’s Iwo Jima photo inspired the picture.
As a result of the publicity Iwo Jima’s picture got, high-ranking officials in the Soviet Union had Yevgeny Khaldei fly to Berlin to take a similar picture. The photo was taken to make a statement; The soviet victory over Germany.
Yevgeny Khaldei brought a giant flag that his uncle had sewn from three tablecloths. When he got to Berlin, he chose the Reichstag, although Soviet soldiers raised a flag over the building a couple of days ago.
On May 2, 1945, he got a couple of soldiers and set the scene for his picture. The Soviet censors who examined the image in Moscow discovered that one of the soldiers had a wristwatch on each arm; this signified he had been looting.Â
They asked Yevgeny to remove one of the watches. He did that and darkened the smoke in the background. Soon after, the picture was published in Ogonjok magazine and eventually became famous.
Some Soviet sources rectified that extra wristwatches were Adrianov compasses. The image was altered because it could be mistaken as a watch from looting a corpse instead of as equipment.
The Adrianov compass was a military compass designed by Vladimir Adrianov, a Russian Imperial Army topographist, in 1907. The Red and Soviet Army commonly used the Wrist-worn versions of the compass.
The photo has, over the years, continually been altered. Sometimes, the flag is lifted by the wind; other times, it may be colourized. Yevgeny Khaldei refused to answer questions about changing this picture that has become a significant historical piece throughout his life.
