Flags of our Fathers (2006) Flags of Our Fathers is the 2006 World War II film directed by Clint Eastwood and based on the book of the same name by James Bradley (Bradley's father was the Navy corpsman who had been reported to be one of the men in the iconic photograph of the American flag raising on Iwo Jima). The film follows James Bradley upon the death of his father as he looks into the lives of the men who were featured in the photograph following the Marines' fierce battle to take the island. In the same year that Flags of our Fathers was released, Eastwood told the story of the battle for the island from the Japanese perspective in the film Letters from Iwo Jima.
The following weapons were used in the film Flags of Our Fathers:
Rifles/Carbines
M1 Garand
M1 Garands are used by a vast majority of the US Marines in the film including Corporal Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), Corporal Harlon Block (Benjamin Walker), Pfc. Ralph "Iggy" Ignatowski (Jamie Bell), PFC Franklin Sousley (Joseph Cross), and Sergeant Hank Hansen (Paul Walker).
Pfc. Ralph "Iggy" Ignatowski (
Jamie Bell) fires his M1 Garand at a Japanese machine gun bunker.
Pfc. Ralph "Iggy" Ignatowski (
Jamie Bell) with his M1 Garand at the ready.
A Marine holds the Garand. Next to him is Corporal Rene Gagnon (
Jesse Bradford), also armed with an M1 Garand.
Corporal Harlon Block (
Benjamin Walker) fires his M1 Garand into a machine gun emplacement after it is destroyed by a fragmentation grenade.
US Marines firing their M1 Garands.
Corporal Ira Hayes (
Adam Beach) holds his M1 Garand fitted with a bayonet upward, impaling a Japanese soldier with it.
Sergeant Hank Hansen (
Paul Walker) aiming his M1 Garand atop Mt. Suribachi.
Sergeant Hank Hansen and Pvt. Gust (
Stark Sands) fire their M1 Garands on Mt. Suribachi.
Gust (
Stark Sands) fires his M1 Garand at the Japanese snipers on Mt. Suribachi.
Several M1 Garand rifles are propped up against a sandbagged tent. Gust (
Stark Sands) also has an M1 Garand slung around his back.
M1 Carbine
M1 Carbines are seen used by some US Marines including Sergeant Mike Strank (Barry Pepper) and Corporal Ira Hayes (Adam Beach).
M1 Carbine - .30 Carbine.
A US Marine nervously aims his M1 Carbine.
Corporal Ira Hayes (
Adam Beach) fires his M1 Carbine.
A Marine fires his M1 Carbine.
Corporal Ira Hayes (
Adam Beach) fires his M1 Carbine at Japanese soldiers killing Marines with their bayonets.
A Marine looks out at the carnage of the battle from atop Mt. Suribachi while holding his M1 Carbine.
An interesting to note that the memorial of the Marines raising "Ol' Glory" shows that the M1 Carbine slung on Corporal Ira Hayes' back is a post-WWII model with a bayonet lug. This occurred because the sculptor used a post-war carbine as a model for the full-size memorial. The original cast stone model of the memorial had the correct era M1.
Arisaka Type 99 substitute standard
An Arisaka Type 99 substitute standard rifle is used by the Japanese soldier who is impaled on Corporal Ira Hayes' (Adam Beach) rifle bayonet.
Arisaka Type 99 substitute standard (commonly called the "last ditch" Type 99) - 7.7x58mm.
A Japanese soldier drops his Arisaka substitute standard when impaled on Corporal Ira Hayes' (
Adam Beach) bayonet.
Arisaka Type 99
Japanese soldiers are mainly seen using Arisaka Type 99 rifles in the film, notably when ambushing Marines scaling Mt. Suribachi.
Arisaka Type 99 - 7.7x58mm.
A Japanese soldier hiding in a machine gun emplacement shoots a Marine with his Arisaka Type 99 rifle.
Japanese soldiers attack Marines with Arisaka Type 99 rifles fitted with bayonets.
A Japanese soldier fires his Arisaka Type 99 at Marines on Mt. Suribachi.
Another Japanese soldier fires an Arisaka Type 99 fitted with a bayonet.
Submachine Guns
M1 Thompson
Some of the US Marines use M1 Thompsons in the film, noted by their simplified "L" peep sight.
A Marine on the beach holding his M1 Thompson.
A Marine finishes off burning Japanese soldiers with his M1 Thompson.
A Marine holding his M1 Thompson.
M1928A1 Thompson
An M1928A1 Thompson is seen being held by a Marine right after the B-29 flies over.
M1928A1 Thompson with 30-round magazine and early 'simplified' rear sight that would be adopted for the M1 Thompson - .45 ACP
A Marine seen in the background behind Gust (
Stark Sands) holds an M1928A1 Thompson.
Reising M55
The real Sgt. Mike Strank is seen holding a Reising M55 submachine gun in a war photo during the end credits.
The real Sgt. Strank holding a Reising M55 submachine gun.
Machine Guns
Browning Automatic Rifle M1918A2
Browning Automatic Rifle M1918A2s are used by some of the Marines in the film.
Browning Automatic Rifle M1918A2 - .30-06.
A Marine on the beaches of Iwo Jima carries a Browning Automatic Rifle M1918A2 with the bipod folded.
A Marine takes cover while holding a Browning Automatic Rifle M1918A2. Note that in this shot, the B.A.R. is missing the bipod
A Marine uses his BAR to suppress a Japanese machine gunner (Notice how it looks like the rear sight is missing.
Browning M1917
After the Marines plant the first flag, a Browning M1917 is briefly seen behind Corporal Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford).
Browning M1917 machine gun .30-06 with tripod and ammo box
Browning M1919A4
Browning M1919A4s are seen used by Marines that land on Iwo Jima.
Browning M1919A4 on M2 tripod - .30-06.
A Marine fires a Browning M1919A4 while receiving orders. Note how the belt is loaded with crimp-nosed blanks.
A Marine fires a Browning M1919A4.
Browning M2HB
Browning M2HBs are used by Marines on LVTs to shoot at Mt. Suribachi.
A Marine fires a Browning M2HB at Mt. Suribachi from an LTV.
A Marine fires a Browning M2HB.
Nambu Type 99 Light Machine Gun
Nambu Type 99 Light Machine Guns are used by some Japanese soldiers to shoot at Marines.
Nambu Type 99 Light Machine Gun - 7.7x58mm.
A Japanese soldier fires a Nambu Type 99 at the Marines.
A Japanese soldier fires his Nambu Type 99 at Marines scaling Mt. Suribachi.
Two Japanese soldiers man the same gun before being killed.
Nambu Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun
Many Japanese soldiers fire on the US Marines with Nambu Type 92 Heavy Machine Guns in the film.
Nambu Type 92 HMG - 7.7x58mm.
A Japanese gunner fires a Nambu Type 92 at Marines on the beach.
Another gunner fires a Nambu Type 92 from Mt. Suribachi.
A Nambu Type 92 used by the Japanese as an Antiaircraft gun from Mt. Suribachi.
The muzzle of a Nambu Type 92 protrudes from a deactivated bunker.
Shotguns
Winchester Model 1897
A Marine is briefly seen behind "Doc" (Ryan Phillippe) holds a Winchester 1897 shotgun while scaling Mt. Suribachi.
Winchester 1897 "Trench" - 12 Gauge.
A Marine is briefly seen behind "Doc" (
Ryan Phillippe) holding a Winchester 1897 shotgun.
Handguns
M1911A1
Many of the US Marines in the film carry M1911A1 pistols in their holsters. When scaling Mt. Suribachi, Medic John "Doc" Bradley (Ryan Phillippe) keeps his drawn and fires a few rounds at Japanese soldiers.
Sgt. Mike Strank (
Barry Pepper) with an M1911A1 in his holster.
U.S Navy Corpsman John "Doc" Bradley (
Ryan Phillippe) with his M1911A1 on Mt. Suribachi.
"Doc" Bradley with his M1911A1 as he and several fellow Marines carefully approach a cave on Iwo Jima.
Nambu Type 94
Among the gear found by dead Japanese soldiers in a tunnel (who committed suicide with their Type 97 hand grenades, (seen in greater detail in Letters from Iwo Jima) is a Nambu Type 94 pistol in its holster.
Nambu Type 94 - 8x22mm Nambu
A Nambu Type 94 is found in a holster in one of the Japanese tunnels.
Other
M7 Rifle Grenade Launcher
PFC Franklin Sousley (Joseph Cross) is seen using an M7 grenade launcher mounted on his M1 Garand. Gust (Stark Sands) is seen attaching a Mk 2 hand grenade fitted with an M1 rifle grenade adapter.
M7 rifle grenade launcher
Mk 2 grenade with M1A2 rifle grenade adapter
Gust attaches another M17 Rifle Grenade to Sousley's M1 Garand.
M2 Flamethrower
An M2 Flamethrower is used by Corporal Charles W. Lindberg (Alessandro Mastrobuono) to burn a Japanese pillbox.
M2 Flamethrower - Seven second burn time.
A war photo from Iwo Jima shows a Marine running with an M2 Flamethrower in the credits.
A Marine holding an M2 Flamethrower in the credits.
MK II Hand Grenade
US Marines carry MK II hand grenades in pouches. One if seen used by a Corporal Harlon Block (Benjamin Walker) to attempt to clear a machine gun emplacement before it is suddenly functional again.
Sgt. Strank tosses Corporal Harlon Block (
Benjamin Walker) a MK II grenade.
Corporal Block prepares to throw a MK II grenade into a machine gun emplacement.
Oerlikon 20mm Cannon
A pair of Oerlikon 20mm Cannon is seen manned on one of the US Naval ships approaching Iwo Jima.
A pair of Oerlikon Cannons are seen at the top of the image.
Bofors 40mm
Mounted on several of the US Naval ships are Bofors 40mm Quad Mounted guns, which are used to shell the coast of Iwo Jima through out much of the battle.
Bofors 40mm L/60 quad mounting - 40×311mmR
Marines fire 40mm Bofors guns at the coast of Iwo Jima.
Marines unload a quad Bofors (possibly on USS Leutze) before being destroyed by a Japanese heavy gun.
M116 75mm Pack Howitzer
U.S. Marines fire a M116 75mm Pack Howitzer on the beach.
M116 75mm “Pack” howitzer.
U.S. Marines try to set up the howitzer.
U.S. Marines fire the howitzer
Type 89 "Knee Mortar"
Seen among the dead Japanese soldiers in the tunnel is a Type 89 "Knee Mortar".
Type 89 "Knee Mortar". In reality it was translated as "Leg Mortar" but poor translation changed it to Knee.
A Type 89 "Knee Mortar" is seen next to a dead Japanese soldier.
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