Iwo Jima, which means Sulfur Island, was strategically important as an
air base for fighter escorts supporting long-range bombing missions
against mainland Japan. Because of the distance between mainland Japan
and U.S. bases in the Mariana Islands, the capture of Iwo Jima would
provide an emergency landing strip for crippled B-29s returning from
bombing runs. The seizure of Iwo would allow for sea and air
blockades, the ability to conduct intensive air bombardment and to
destroy the enemy's air and naval capabilities. The seizure of Iwo
Jima was deemed necessary, but the prize would not come easy. The
fighting that took place during the 36-day assault would be
immortalized in the words of Commander, Pacific Fleet/Commander in
Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who said, "Among
the Americans who served on Iwo Island, uncommon valor was a common
virtue."
Commanders for the operation, code named detachment were as follows:
Admiral Raymond A. Spruance was the operation's overall commander.
Joint Expeditionary Force commander was Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly
Turner. Second in command of the Joint Expeditionary Force was Rear
Admiral Harry W. Hill. Lieutenant General Holland M. "Howlin' Mad-
Smith was assigned as the commanding general of expeditionary troops.
The 5th Amphibious Corps was commanded by Major General Harry Schmidt. Under his command fell the 3d Marine Division commander, Major General Graves B. Erskine; the 4th Marine Division commander, Major General Clifton B. Cates; and the 5th Marine Division commander, Major General Keller E. Rockey.
Initial carrier raids against Iwo Jima began in June 1944. Prior to
the invasion, the 8-square-mile island would suffer the longest, most
intensive shelling of any Pacific island during the war. The 7th Air
Force, working out of the Marianas, supplied B-24 heavy bombers for
the campaign. In addition to the air assaults on Iwo, the Marines
requested 10 days of preinvasion naval bombardment. Due to other
operational commitments and the fact that a prolonged air assault had been waged on Iwo Jima, Navy planners authorized only three days of naval bombardment. Unfavorable weather conditions would further hamper the effects of naval bombardment.
Despite this, Turner decided to keep the invasion date as planned, and
the Marines prepared for the 19 Feb D-Day. More than 450 ships massed
off Iwo as the H-Hour bombardment pounded the island. Shortly after 9
a.m., Marines of the 4th and 5th Divisions hit beaches Green, Red,
Yellow and Blue abreast, initially finding little enemy resistance.
Coarse volcanic sand hampered the movement of men and machines as they
struggled to moved up the beach. As the protective naval gunfire
subsided to allow for the Marine advance, the Japanese emerged from
their fortified underground positions to begin a heavy barrage of fire
against the invading force. The 4th Marine Division pushed forward
against heavy opposition to take the Quarry, a Japanese strong point.
The 5th Marine Division's, 28th Marines had the mission of isolating
Mount Suribacbi. Both tasks were accomplished that day.
February 20, one day after the landing, the 28th Marines secured the
southern end of Iwo and moved to take the summit of Suribachi. By
day's end, one third of the island and Motoyarna Airfield No. 1 was
controlled by the Marines. At 8 a.m. on 23 Feb, a patrol of 40 men
from 3d Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, led by First
Lieutenant Harold G. Schrier, assembled at the base of Mount
Suribachi. The platoon's mission was to take the crater at Suribachi's
peak and raise the U.S. flag. The platoon slowly climbed the steep
trails to the summit, but encountered no enemy fire. As they reached
the top, the patrol members took positions around the crater watching
for pockets of enemy resistance as other members of the patrol looked
for something on which to raise the flag. At 10:20 a.m., the flag was
hoisted on a steel pipe above the island. This symbol of victory sent
a wave of strength to the battle-weary fighting men below, and struck
a further mental blow against the island's defenders.
Marine Corps combat photographer, Private Bob Campbell, captured this
image as the original flag was lowered, and its larger replacement was
raised Marine Corps photographer Sergeant Lou Lowery captured this
first flag raising on film just as the enemy hurled a grenade in his
direction. Dodging the grenade, Lowery hurled his body over the edge
of the crater and tumbled 50 feet. His camera lens was shattered, but
he and his film were safe. Three hours later another patrol was dispatched to raise another, larger flag. The battle for Iwo Jima is encapsulated by this historic flag raising atop Suribachi, which was captured on film by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal. His photograph, seen around the world as a symbol of American values, would earn him many awards including the 1945 Pulitzer Prize.
The 3d Marine Division joined the fighting on the fifth day of the
battle. These Marines immediately began the mission of securing the
center sector of the island. Each division fought hard to gain ground
against a determined Japanese defender. The Japanese leaders knew with the fall of Suribachi and the capture of the airfields that the Marine advance on the island could not be stopped; however, they would make the Marines
fight for every inch of land they won.
Lieutenant General Tadamishi Kuribayashi, commander of the ground
forces on Iwo Jima, concentrated his energies and his forces in the
central and northern sections of the island. Miles of interlocking
caves, concrete blockhouses and pillboxes proved to be one of the most
impenetrable defenses encountered by the Marines in the Pacific.
The Marines worked to drive the enemy from the high ground. Their goal
was to capture the area that appropriately became known as the "Meat
Grinder." This section of the island included: the highest point on
the northern portion of the island, Hill 382; an elevation known as
"Turkey Knob," which had been reinforced with concrete and was home to
a large enemy communications center; and the "Amphitheater," a
southeastern extension of Hill 382.
The 3d Marine Division encountered the most heavily fortified portion
of the island in their move to take Airfield No. 2. As with most of
the fighting on Iwo Jima, frontal assault was the method used to gain
each inch of ground. By nightfall on March 9, the 3d Division reached
the island's northeastern beach, cutting the enemy defenses in two.
On the left of the 3d Marine Division, the 5th Marine Division pushed
up the western coast of Iwo Jima from the central airfield to the
island's northern tip. Moving to seize and hold the eastern portion of
the island, the 4th Marine Division encountered a "mini banzai" attack
from the final members of the Japanese Navy serving on Iwo. This
attack resulted in the death of nearly 700 enemy and ended the
centralized resistances of enemy forces in the 4th Division's sector.
A proud moment for those who worked so hard to gain control of the
island was when the first emergency landing was made by a B-29 bomber
on 4 March .
Operations entered the final phases 11 March, enemy resistance was no
longer centralized. Individual pockets of resistance were taken one by
one. Finally on 26March, following a banzai attack against troops and
air corps personnel near the beaches, the island was declared secure.
The U.S. Army's 147th Infantry Division assumed ground control of the
island on 4 April , relieving the largest body of Marines committed in
combat in one operation during World War II.
The 36-day assault resulted in more than 26,000 American casualties,
including 6,800 dead. Of the 20,000 Japanese defenders, only 1,083
survived. The Marines' efforts, however, provided a vital link in the
U.S. chain of bomber bases. By war's end, 2,400 B-29 bombers carrying
27,000 crewmen made unscheduled landings on the island.
Historians described U.S. forces' attack against the Japanese defense
as "throwing human flesh against reinforced concrete." In the end, Iwo
Jima was won not only by the fighting spirit of the Marines, but by
the meticulous planning and support provided by the Navy and Army
through supply efforts, medical care, and air and naval gunfire.
Twenty-seven Medals of Honor were awarded to Marines and sailors, many posthumously more than were awarded for any other single operation
during the war.
Over the years, the flag raising has come to symbolize the spirit of
the Corps to all Marines. On November 10, 1954, a bronze monument of
the flag raising, sculpted by Felix de Weldon and located in Arlington
National Cemetery, was dedicated to all Marines who have given their
lives in defense of their country. Then Vice President Richard M.
Nixon said, "This statue symbolizes the hopes and dreams of America,
and the real purpose of our foreign policy. We realize that to retain
freedom for ourselves, we must be concerned when people in other parts
of the world may lose theirs. There is no greater challenge to
statesmanship than to find a way that such sacrifices as this statue represents are not necessary in the future, and to build the kind of world in which people can be free, in which nations can be independent, and in which people can live together in peace and friendship."
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The Battle of Iwo Jima - 1945 Pacific Theater - The information provided comes from Iwo Jima, by Richard Newcomb- 1982. Naval action information is from The Fast Carriers: "The Forging of an Air Navy" - Clark Reynolds.
Operation Detachment - (Reasons for the invasion of Iwo Jima)
* Strategically the island of Iwo Jima was crucial to continue B-29
raid on mainland Japan.
* The island contained 3 airstrips that the Japanese had been using
for their Kamikaze attacks.
* With this island captured the Kamikazes would have to operate from
Okinawa or Kyushu.
* The airfields would provide a base for escort planes on their raids
with the B29s.
* Iwo Jima would provide an emergency landing strip half way from
Marianas island to mainland Japan
Marine Artillery Firing Support to the Ground Troops
* The Japanese tactics would be more of a defense in-depth. No suicide
counter attacks.
* The Japanese would have built 800 pillboxes and over 3 miles of
tunnels on an island that was only 8 square miles in size.
* Marine landings all but easy.
* The volcanic ash impossible to climb through with 100 pound packs
carried by the Marines.
* The high angle of the slope made return fire very difficult during
the initial landings.
* The Japanese started a mortar barrage that began at 9:15A.M.
* Beaches and slopes leading from the beaches all zeroed in by the
Japanese gunners.
* Anti-tank mines on the slopes effective against the LVT that are
being used to deliver the Marines ashore.
* The first objective was Mt. Suribachi located on the southern end of
the island.
* Until Mt. Suribachi was taken the Japanese could fire on any
position the Marines had established.
* It would be the Seabees and other support units that would have high
casualties in the early stages of the invasion.
* By the end of the first day the Marines had not captured half of
their original objective but they had over 30,000 troops ashore to
begin moving in land with force.
* Mt. Suribachi had been isolated and cut off, and part of Airfield #1
had been captured.
2/19 U.S Marines land on Iwo Jima at 8:59A.M.. This comes after 10
weeks of bombing from carrier based planes and medium bombers. The
preliminary bombardment had been the heaviest up to that point in the
war. A total of 70,000 U.S. Marines available for the invasion,
against 27,000 Japanese. The operation is under the overall command
of Adm. R. A. Spruance, Commander Fifth Fleet. Vice Adm. R. K. Turner
is the Joint Expeditionary Force Commander and Lt. Gen. H. M. Smith,
USMC, commands the Expeditionary Troops.
2/20 Marines start their advance south to Mt. Suribachi and north to
the airfields.
* The fighting up the mountain was some of the most intense during the
war.
* Japanese soldiers entrenched in the mountain would have to be taken
out by flame throwers and satchel charges.
* Close air support by Naval and Marine pilots was sometimes only a
few hundred yards from advancing Marines.
* Use of Cruisers and Destroyers for close bombardment on Japanese
defenses.
* No Banzai attacks by the Japanese. This would insure a long drawn
out battle.
* Marines even have to resort to setting fire to the ravines with
gasoline to force the Japanese out.
2/21 Marines continuing their advance North and South on the island.
* Intense Kamikaze attacks strike U.S. naval invasion ships.
* The carrier Bismark Sea is sunk and carrier Saratoga is also
damaged.
* Fighting on the island now a bitter frontal attack reminiscent of
the trench warfare of WW I.
* Daily gains are measured in yards with long bitter fighting for each
objective.
2/22 Marines finally have Mt. Suribachi surrounded and begin to move up the face of the mountain.
2/23 First units of Marines now at the top of Mt. Suribachi after
bitter fighting.
* Patrol led by Lt. Harold Schreir raises a small flag on top of Mt.
Suribachi. at 10:20 A.M.
* Later a larger flag is brought from an LST(Landing Ship Tank) and
raised. This was the famous photograph by Joe Rosenthal seen by the
rest of the world.
* Advancements to north now have advanced to the second airfield which
is located in the center of the island.
2/24 4th and 5th Marines attack after a 76 minute naval bombardment, followed by an air strike and supporting artillery. It would be the tanks that led the way for both divisions.
* The Japanese soon stop the tanks with ant-tank guns and mines.
* By the end of the day the 5th had only gained 500 yards
* 3rd Marine division called in to lead the attack on the center of
the Japanese line.
2/25 3rd Marine division begins attack on the center of the Japanese
line at 9:30 A.M.
* This area was the strongest point of the Japanese defenses.
* Flame throwing tanks brought in to burn out the Japanese defenders
in their pillboxes.
* At high casualties the movement forward by the Marines was very
slow.
2/28 Marines finally occupy the high ground over looking airfield #3.
* The objectives had been achieved but a number of hills around
airfield #3 were still occupied by Japanese.
2/31 Marines begin to attack hills 382 and 362A.
* Both hills were much smaller than Mt. Suribachi. the size very
misleading
* The hills had both been hollowed out and turned into huge
blockhouses.
* They contained pillboxes, antitank guns and concealed artillery.
* The smaller hills, besides the two in this area were given nicknames
like the Turkey Knob, Meat Grinder and the Amphitheater
* Some of the most intense fighting was fought to capture hill 382
3/1 Marines finally take hill 382 and now move on to capture 362A
3/2 For the attack on hill 362A the Marines decide on a night attack.
* The tactics did surprise the Japanese but fierce fighting and
difficult terrain delayed the hills capture until March 8th.
* Even with the Marines occupying the strategic points on the island
the Japanese still continued to fight in smaller pockets.
3/4 First damaged B29 lands in Iwo Jima while fighting continues all
around the island.
3/6 First P-51 begin arriving on the capture airfields to provide air
support for the Marines. This also relieves Task Force 58 to begin
preparations for Okinawa on 4/1.
3/8 The Japanese attempt to launch a counter attack between two Marine regiments (23rd and 24th)
* The attack was stopped because the Japanese were without artillery
support and were caught in the open by the U.S. Marine artillery.
* The Japanese lost 650 men in that attack alone.
3/15 Resistance continues in many small pockets located on the island.
* Many Japanese are infiltrating behind the U.S. lines to disrupt
communication and attack headquarters.
3/25 Last pocket of Japanese resistance was secured at Kitano Point.
* That night over 200 Japanese infiltrate behind U.S. lines
* Legend says that the Japanese commander of the island led the attack.(Gen. Kurbayashi)
* The next morning over 250 Japanese lay dead around the Marines
lines.
* That was the end of the resistance and the island was declared
secure on 3/26.
4/7 100 P51's now stationed on the island are escorting B29's on raids to Japan.
Total Losses - U.S. personnel 6,821 Killed - 19,217 Wounded - 2,648
Combat Fatigue. Total 28,686
Marine Casualties 23,573
Japanese Troops 1,083 POW and 20,000 est. Killed
Final Analysis of the Battle
* The Naval bombardment of only 3 days leading up to the invasion was
far shorter than what was required. The Marines had requested 13 days
of prelanding bombardment but were denied this request because of
commitments to MacArthur's campaign in Luzon.
* The U.S. had underestimated the Japanese strength on the island by
as much as 70 percent.
* The change in Japanese tactics was never contemplated because of
earlier invasions on Saipan, Tarawa and Peleliu. These had early
Banzai attacks that were easily defeated and turned the tide of each
invasion. This would not be the case with Iwo Jima.
* The nature and the difficulty of the soil on the island was never
examined before the invasion.
* The estimates made on the U.S. casualties were underestimated by 80
percent (23,000 Casualties out of 70,000 Marines). Over one third of
the total Marines who participated in the invasion were either killed,
wounded or suffered from battle fatigue..
* This would be a strong warning of what was to come with the invasion
of Okinawa.
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Battle of Iwo Jima Significant Events
AUG 1944-Preliminary bombardment and air strikes begin.
16-19 FEB-Naval bombardment begins by six old battleships, four
cruisers and one light cruiser
19 FEB-DDay - At 0830, the first wave of 68 LVT's head for the beach
(Assault Battalions of the 4th and 5th MarDiv).
By 0920, troops along the line come under fire, particularly heavy on
both Yellow and Blue beach. By 1030, all eight Assault Battalions are
on the beach and at 1035, elements of Company "C" cross the island and
gain a foothold. Southern end of island is secured after six days of
bitter fighting by the 28th Marines. Flag is raised on Mt. Suribachi
20-25 FEB- Northern end of island attack begins, as seven front line
Battalions of V Amphibious Corps start their drive into the main
Japanese defenses. 4th and 5th Marine Divisions renew attacks after
gunfire from artillery, rockets and naval air and ships, lifts at 0815
23 FEB- DDay +3 - The battle is almost entirely in the hands of the
21st Marines, in the center of the line.
24 FEB - First phase of the battle ends with 50,000 Americans
ashore. Battle for securing the airfields begins with the assault of
the 3rd. MarDiv, hills Peter and OBOC fall; most of Airfields One and
Two fall
25 FEB- DDay +6 - Attack on the Meat Grinder by 23rd and 24th Marine
Regiments
27-28 FEB- 4th MARDIV presses forward their advance to both sides of
the Meat Grinder
2 MAR- 28th Marine Regiment enters the fight for the first time since
they took Suribachi.
3 MAR- Airfield One - 1,000 yard section opened
4 MAR- First disabled B-29, "Dinah Might," lands on Iwo Jima, mopping
up, V Amphibious Corps orders that no attacks should take place this
day. Also, 3rd. Regiment of 3rd.MarDiv sails away.
6 MAR- General Groves Erskine, CG 3rd.MarDiv receives approval to
conduct night attack against hill 362-C
Final Phase - 4th MarDiv operations continue against the Meat Grinder;
3rd. MarDiv breaks through to the sea; Japanese force now split in
two. The end is in sight. 3rd. MarDiv completes reduction of
Cushman's Pocket (it takes six days); 4th MarDiv during same period,
subdues last major resistance in their sector and elements begin
leaving the island. 5th Division reaches area of LTGEN Kuribayashi's
109th Div Headquarters; battle of Bloody Gorge becomes the last
Japanese resistance on the island
25 MAR - BATTLE FOR IWO JIMA ENDS
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A Son's Remembrance
James Bradley walked to the podium set up before the Iwo Jima memorial
yesterday and paused to look at the sculpture, turning away
momentarily from the audience that had gathered to commemorate the
55th anniversary of the U.S. landing on the Japanese island.
Bradley's gaze fell on the second figure from the right, one of six
men depicted in the sculpture struggling to raise the American flag,
rippling in the wind on the brisk, sunny day.
"There's my dad, in a big bronze statue," Bradley, 46, finally said,
turning to face the gathering of hundreds of veterans, family members
and Marines. "That's about all we knew about him on Iwo Jima, growing
up. Any time we asked him about it, he would always change the
subject."
John Bradley, a Navy corpsman, died in 1994 at age 70, the last
survivor among the six men captured in a World War II photograph shot
by Joe Rosenthal showing the American flag being raised atop Mount
Suribachi on the fourth day of the battle. The photograph was the
model for a memorial that has come to symbolize victory and sacrifice.
It was not until after his death, rummaging through boxes kept in a
closet, that James Bradley learned more about the battle's lasting
effect on his father. In the years since, Bradley has conducted
extensive research among Iwo Jima veterans preparing a book, "Flags of
our Fathers," to be published this spring.
"I would like to salute you guys, you ordinary guys, you heroes of Iwo
Jima," Bradley said.
His remarks drew many tears from onlookers and captured the
significance of a battle that stands at the forefront of Marine Corps
history. More Marines died at Iwo Jima than in any other battle in
the Corps' history. In all, 6,800 Americans and 22,000 Japanese died
in the 36-day battle fought over a volcanic rock in the ocean, a
critical stepping stone for U.S. bombers attacking the Japanese
mainland.
The commemoration, a three-day event involving 400 veterans that
culminated with yesterday's wreath-laying service, may be the last
major gathering of Iwo Jima veterans, according to Marine Corps
officials and organizers.
"This might never happen this way again," said Cy O'Brien, 81, a
Marine combat correspondent from Silver Spring who covered the
fighting on Iwo Jima and helped organize the commemoration. "These
are all old guys. Look at these guys. Just think: These are the guys
Japan feared more than anything else."
The elderly men sitting in metal folding chairs facing the memorial
during yesterday's ceremony had been little more than boys when they
landed. Many of them were only 18 years old.
One of the men at yesterday's commemoration, Tom Fields, of
Hyattsville, had been an All-American middle-distance runner at the
University of Maryland who enlisted in 1942.
Fields, 81, was a company commander with the 5th Marine Division when
it landed on a volcanic ash beach on Iwo Jima on Feb. 19, 1945.
"Christ, I was 26, I was an old man," Fields said.
"We hit the beach with 224 of us," Fields said. "Thirty-six days
later, 24 of us were left. My heroes are the 18-year-old Marines who
day after day got out of their holes and went forward."
Routing the Japanese defenders from their intricate maze of caves and
bunkers was bloody and desperate. "So many times I've gone over it,
thinking there had to have been an easier way to do it without
spilling so much blood on that damn rock, but there was no other way,"
Fields said.
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Battle for Iwo Jima - World War II - February 19 to March 16,1945 - Historical Facts and Figures
* Location: Approximately 650 miles south of Tokyo, Japan.
* Size of Island: Approximately 2 miles wide, 4 miles long; 8 square
miles
* Iwo Jima was the fist native Japanese soil invaded by Americans in
W.W.II. Approximately 60,000 Americans and 20,000 Japanese
participated in the Battle.
* The American Flag Raising on Mt. Suribachi took place on February
23, 1945 - the fifth day of battle. The Battle continued with
increased intensity for a month more. Almost 7,000 Americans were
killed in action at Iwo Jima - more than 20,000 American casualties.
* Approximately one-third of all Marines killed at Iwo Jima - the
worst Battle in Marine Corps history.
* Twenty-seven Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded in the
Battle - more than were awarded to Marines and Navy in any other
Battle in our country's history.
* Three of the men who raised the flag in the Joe Rosenthal photo were
killed before the Battle was over.
* After the capture of Iwo Jima, more than 30,000 American Airmen's
lives were saved when more than 2,400 disabled B-29 bombers were able
to make emergency landings at the Iwo Jima Airfield after making
bombing flights over Japan.
* Approximately 132 Americans killed at Iwo Jima were unidentifiable
and listed as unknown.
* More than 50b 4th Division Marines died of wounds aboard ship and
were buried at sea.
* The U.S. government returned the Island of Iwo Jima to the Japanese
government in 1968, after the bodies of the men in the 3rd, 3th, and
5th Division cemeteries were removed to the United States.
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