Robert Capa's greatest war photo 'was a lucky shot'

One of the most famous war photographs of the 20th century was taken during the Spanish Civil War.

It was taken in Andalusia in 1936 by one of the greatest war photographers, Robert Capa, whose centenary falls this month, and it has long been the subject of argument about whether it was staged.

First the first time, Capa's own version of the story can be heard in a radio interview from 1947 which has been discovered and released by the International Centre for Photography.

Capa explained how he obtained the image Falling Soldier, in which a Republican volunteer drops to the ground, apparently having been shot by General Franco's forces.

Brett Rogers, director of the Photographers' Gallery in London, told Today presenter James Naughtie "it puts flesh on the bones of this mythical character".

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday 29 October 2013.