Yevgeny Khaldei (1917-1997)

[raydm6]

Denied copyrights to his own photographs, which were often published un-credited, Khaldei never gained the fame of many of his contemporaries, such as American photographers Margaret Bourke-White and Robert Capa, who presented him with a Speed Graphic camera when they met during the Nuremberg Trials.

Greatest photos of War and Victory by Yevgeny Khaldei

40+ PHOTOS of WWII by the legendary Yevgeny Khaldei

Video: Traces of Conflict

 

[p.giannakis]

Thank you for posting this- I always enjoy watching the pictures of great photographers.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Horrible war, but great photography.

Erik.

 

[Out to Lunch]

If I remember correctly, this photo was heavily redacted in the darkroom: in the original version, the person below the one sticking in the flag was wearing not one but several watches -war booty, and this was not the image the Soviets wanted to propagate. Cheers, OtL

 

[Coldkennels]

If I remember correctly, this photo was heavily redacted in the darkroom: in the original version, the person below the one sticking in the flag was wearing not one but several watches -war booty, and this was not the image the Soviets wanted to propagate. Cheers, OtL

It does look like he had one "watch" on each arm, which yes, would suggest he'd been looting - an action punishable by execution, supposedly. The original version (along with a couple of other shots taken at the same time) is viewable here: https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/soviet-flag-reichstag-berlin-1945/

It's been claimed one of them was something called an "Adrianov compass". It's believable - they were used by the Red Army and do look a lot like a wristwatch.

 

[Out to Lunch]

In The Fall of Berlin - 1945, Anthony Beevor describes how Berliners referred to Russian soldiers as ''Uri, Uri", since that is what they wanted: watches. Besides, the watches are not the only issue with this picture: the smoke was added in the darkroom. Not that we should be surprised: Khaldei was a Lieutenant in the Red Army and it was his job to produce quality propaganda.