Flight of Refugees Across Wrecked Bridge in Korea
Flight of Refugees Across Wrecked Bridge in Korea is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph by Associated Press photographer Max Desfor, taken on December 4, 1950, at the destroyed Taedong Bridge over the Taedong River near Pyongyang, North Korea. Desfor was covering the Korean War at the time.[1]
Background
[edit]As U.S. and South Korean forces entered Pyongyang after the Battle of Inchon, KPA troops blew up the central span of the bridge in an attempt to halt their advance.[2] United Nations forces continued to pursue the KPA but were in retreat after the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River that marked China's entry into the war, and the Chinese and North Korean forces were by December poised to retake Pyongyang.[3][4]
Taking the photo
[edit]Desfor, a photographer for the Associated Press, traveled with front line troops, even taking part in a parachute jump with the 187th Infantry Regiment.[5][6] After American troops started fleeing south, Desfor was able to commandeer a Jeep with two other reporters and an army signal corpsman headed south. They crossed the Taedong River at a United Nations pontoon bridge. While driving along the river's southern shore they observed Korean refugees crossing the river on foot where it was iced over, and using small boats where the river was open. Further down the southern shore they came across a destroyed bridge where they saw thousands of Koreans trying to cross the shattered girders of the bridge.[7] It was December 4, 1950, at the beginning of winter, and Desfor had trouble working his camera because of the freezing temperatures.[8]
Desfor's 2010 visit to Korea
[edit]In June 2010, Desfor returned to Korea for the 60th anniversary of the war and he shared some of his thoughts. "I ask anyone who'll listen – why do they celebrate the start of the war? They celebrate the start, of course, because it's never ending – it's still going on."[5] Desfor also talked about his time on the front line with the troops and, while proud of his Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph, believes that he took better photos during the war. Regarding the war itself he says, "The Korean War is labelled 'the Forgotten War', and the main reason is [American GIs] never got a parade when they got back, they never got relief, they never were cited for their effort for the work that was done. They were just completely forgotten."[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Max Desfor of Associated Press". pulitzer.org. 1951. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
- ^ Corfield, Justin (2014). Historical Dictionary of Pyongyang. London: Anthem Press. pp. 16–17. ISBN 9781783083411.
- ^ Breaking News: How the Associated Press Has Covered War, Peace, and Everything Else. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. 2007. p. 323. ISBN 9781568986890.
- ^ Faber, John (1978). "48". Great News Photos and the Stories Behind Them (Second ed.). New York: Dover Publications. p. 106. ISBN 9780486236674.
- ^ a b c Hartzenbusch, Lara (June 25, 2010). "US photographer Max Desfor relives Korean War". BBC News. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
- ^ West & Sŏ 2001, p. 83
- ^ Rubin, Cyma; Newton, Eric, eds. (2011). The Pulitzer Prize Photographs. Newseum Inc. ISBN 978-0-9799521-3-5.
- ^ Lucas, Dean (July 17, 2010). "Escaping over the Taedong Bridge". Famous Pictures Magazine. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
Sources
[edit]- "Korean War Refugees Flee". AP Images. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
- West, Philip; Sŏ, Chi-mun (2001). Remembering the "Forgotten War": the Korean War through literature and art (2001 ed.). M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 978-0-7656-0697-6.
External links
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