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Identity of WWII Soldier in Iconic Photo Revealed

3/25/2026

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Story summary
  • An unidentified soldier in a famous World War II photograph is Charles Theodore Plog of Poughkeepsie, New York.
  • The photo, taken March 26, 1945, shows Plog near two U.S. soldiers on the Nibelungenbrucke Bridge in Worms, Germany.
  • Karen Cox, living in Worms, and Joseph van Meesen confirmed Plog's identity using military records.
  • Plog, a Private-First-Class, was killed on March 20 or 21 and buried in France before moving to Poughkeepsie.