The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February - 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps landed and eventually captured Iwo Jima island from the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The invasion of America, designated by the Detachment Operation, has the purpose of capturing the entire island, including three Japanese-controlled airfields (including the South and Central Fields), to provide a staging area for attacks on major Japanese islands. This five-week battle consists of some of the heaviest and bloodiest fighting of the Pacific War of World War II.
After the huge losses incurred in combat, the island's strategic value becomes controversial. There is no use for the U.S. Army. as a staging base and useless to the US Navy as a fleet base. However, the Navy Seabees rebuilt the landing platform, which was used as an emergency landing pad for USAAF B-29.
IJA's position on the island is heavily guarded, with a dense bunkers network, hidden artillery positions, and 18km (11 mi) underground tunnels. The American ground forces are supported by extensive naval artillery, and have complete air supremacy provided by US Navy and Marine Corps aviators throughout the battle.
The Japanese battle of deaths amounts to three times the number of American deaths though, uniquely among Marine Marines warfare, total American casualties (dead and wounded) surpass the Japanese. Of the 21,000 Japanese soldiers in Iwo Jima at the start of the battle, only 216 were imprisoned, some of whom were arrested because they were unconscious or not deformed. Most of the rest died in the action, although it was estimated that as many as 3,000 people continued to survive in various cave systems for the next few days, eventually surrendering to their wounds or surrender a few weeks later.
Despite the bloody battle and the severe casualties on both sides, the American victory has been assured from the start. Incredible American superiority in numbers and arms as well as complete air supremacy - coupled with the impossibility of retreating or strengthening Japan, along with rare food and supplies - does not allow a reasonable state where America can lose the battle.
On 19 February 1945, the 133th Battalion of the Sea Battalion (NCB) joined the Marine Corps of the Fifth Marine and the Fourth Marine Division for an amphibious assault on Iwo Jima. All troops landed on Iwo Jima on D-Day with the first wave of attacks led by the Fourth Marine Division. 133 NCHB suffered a severe casualty during a battle for Iwo Jima, where he distinguished himself in front-line battles and construction. 133 NCHCs have 370 casualties, more than 40 percent of the 875 people who landed, the highest casualties as part of a battle in Seabee history.
The Associated Press photo of Joe Rosenthal about raising a US flag on 169 feet (554 feet) of Mount Suribachi by six US Marines became an iconic image of American fighting and war effort in the Pacific.
Video Battle of Iwo Jima
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After America's capture of the Marshall Islands, and a devastating air strike against the island of Japan's fortress, Truck Atoll at Carolines in January 1944, Japanese military leaders reevaluated their situation. All indications point to American encouragement to the Mariana Islands and Carolines. To combat such an attack, the IJA and the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) form a common inner line of defense northward from Carolines to Marianas, and from there to Japan via the Volcano Islands, and westward from Marianas through Carolines and the Palau Islands to the Philippines.
In March 1944, the Japanese 31st Army, led by General Hideyoshi Obata, was activated to wade through this inner line. (Note that the Japanese army is about the size of American troops, British Army, or Canadian Army.The Japanese army has many troops, but the US Army has only ten at its peak, with the 4th Army, 6th Army, 8, and the 10th Army were at the Pacific Theater, and the 10th Army only fought in Okinawa in the spring of 1945.)
The Japanese garrison commander in Chichi Jima was placed nominally at the command of the Army and Navy units in the Volcano Islands. After the American conquest of the Marianas, a daily bombing of the Mariana tribes struck the land as part of the Scavenger Operation . Iwo Jima served as an early warning station that communicated bombers reporting coming back to mainland Japan. This allows Japanese air defenses to prepare for the arrival of American bombers.
After the US seized the base in the Marshall Islands in the Battle of Kwajalein and Eniwetok in February 1944, Japanese troops and Navy reinforcements were sent to Iwo Jima: 500 from the naval base at Yokosuka and 500 from Chichi Jima reached Iwo Jima during March and April 1944. At the same time, with reinforcements coming from Chichi Jima and the islands of origin, the Army garrison at Iwo Jima attained the power of more than 5,000 people. The disappearance of the Marianas during the summer of 1944 greatly increased the importance of the Volcano Islands to the Japanese, who realized that the disappearance of these islands would facilitate American air strikes against the Islands, disrupt war production and undermine civil morals.
Japan's final plan for the defense of the Volcano Islands is overshadowed by several factors:
- The Imperial Japanese Navy has lost almost all its strength, and it can not prevent American landings.
- the loss of aircraft during 1944 was so heavy that, even if war production was not affected by American air strikes, the combined Japanese air force was not expected to increase to 3,000 fighters until March or April 1945.
- this plane can not be used from the base in the Home Islands against Iwo Jima because their range is not more than 900 km (560 mi).
- available fighter planes must be stockpiled to keep Taiwan and Japanese Japanese Islands from any attack.
- there is a serious shortage of well-trained and experienced pilots and other aircrews for Japanese warplanes - as large numbers of pilots and crew have been killed in the Solomon Islands and during the Philippine Battle of mid -1944.
In postwar studies, Japanese staff staff described the strategies used in Iwo Jima's defense in the following terms:
In light of the above situation, seeing that it is impossible to conduct air, sea, and land/operations on Iwo Island [Jima] to the final victory, it was decided that in order to get the necessary time to prepare for the defenses of the Homeland, our troops should rely entirely on equipment an established defense in the area, checking the enemy by delaying tactics. Even suicide attacks by small groups of our Army and Navy aircraft, a surprise attack by our submarines, and the action of the parachute unit, although effective, can be considered only as a strategic ruse on our side. It is the saddest thought that we do not have the means left over for the exploitation of possible strategic opportunities over time in this operation.
At the end of the Leyte Battle in the Philippines, the Allies were left with a two-month lull in their attack operations before the planned Okinawa invasion. Iwo Jima is strategically important: it provides an air base for Japanese fighter planes to intercept B-29 Superfortress long-range bombers, and it provides shelter for Japanese naval units in desperate need of available support. In addition, it was used by the Japanese to carry out air strikes on the Mariana Islands from November 1944 to January 1945. The arrest of Iwo Jima will eliminate this problem and provide a staging area for Operation Downfall - the final invasion of the Japanese Islands.. The distance of the B-29 attack can (hypothetically) cut in half, and the base will be available for P-51 Mustang fighters to guard and protect the bombers.
American intelligence sources believe that Iwo Jima will fall within a week. Given an upbeat intelligence report, a decision was made to attack Iwo Jima and the operation was codenamed Operation Detachment . American troops are unaware that Japan is preparing a complex and deep defense, radically departing from its usual coastal defense strategy. The success of the Japanese preparations found after the battle that hundreds of tons of Allied bombs and thousands of heavy naval rounds have made Japanese defenders virtually undamaged and ready to incur losses in the US Marines.
Maps Battle of Iwo Jima
Planning and preparation
Japanese Preparation
In June 1944, Lt. Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi was assigned to lead Iwo Jima's defense. Kuribayashi knows that Japan can not win the battle, but he hopes to inflict massive casualties on American troops, so that the United States and its Australian and British allies will reconsider the invasion of the Japanese Home Islands.
Drawing inspiration from the defenses in the Peleliu Battle, Kuribayashi devised a defense that broke with Japanese military doctrine. Instead of building his defenses on the beach to face a direct landing, he creates strong defenses and supports each other deeply using static and heavy weapons such as heavy machine guns and artillery. Takeichi Nishi's armor tanks were used as disguised artillery positions. Since the tunnel that connects the mountain with the main troop never finishes, Kuribayashi organizes the southern regions of the island in and around Mount Suribachi as a semi-independent sector, with its main defense zone built in the north. It is expected that the American naval and air bombardment further encourage the creation of a wide tunnel system that links the prepared position, so that the cleansed pill box can be infiltrated. This bunker network and pill box support the defense. For example, The Nanpo Bunker (Southern Area Islands Naval Air HQ), located east of Airfield Number 2, has enough food, water and ammunition for the Japanese to last for three months. The bunkers are 90 meters long and have tunnels that run in various directions. About 500 55 gallon drums filled with water, kerosene and fuel oil for generators are inside the compound. The gasoline-powered generator allows radio and lights to be operated underground.
On February 19, 1945, the day America attacked, 11 miles of 17 miles of tunnel network had been dug up. In addition to Nanpo Bunker, there are many command centers and barracks that are 75 feet deep. The tunnel allows troop movements to go undetected to various defense positions.
Hundreds of hidden artillery and mortar positions along with landmines were placed across the island. Among Japanese weapons are 320 mm of mortgage spigot and various explosive rockets.
Nonetheless, Japanese supply is inadequate. Troops provided 60% of the standard ammunition problems sufficient for one engagement by one division, and food and food for four months.
A number of Japanese snipers and disguised machine gun positions were also established. Kuribayashi specifically engineered his defense so that every part of Iwo Jima was subjected to Japan's defensive fire. He also received several pilot kamikazes for use against the enemy fleet. Three hundred and eighteen American sailors were killed by kamikaze attacks during the battle. However, contrary to his wishes, Kuribayashi's superiors on Honshu ordered him to establish several coastal defenses. This is the only part of the defense that was destroyed during the pre-landing shooting.
American Preparation
Starting June 15, 1944, the US Navy and the United States Air Force commenced naval bombardment and air strikes against Iwo Jima, which will be the longest and most intense in the Pacific theater. It will contain a combination of naval artillery fire and a nine-month air bombing. On February 17, the destroyer of the USS Blessman bodyguards sent the Underwater Crusher 15 (UDT-15) team to Blue Beach for reconnaissance. Japanese infantry fired on them, killing one American diver. On the night of 18 February, Blessman was hit by a Japanese aircraft bomb, killing 40 sailors, including 15 UDT members.
Unaware of the Kuribayashi tunnel defense system, many Americans assume that the majority of Japanese garrisons are killed by continuous bomb attacks.
"Well, it will be easy." The Japanese will hand over Iwo Jima without a fight. " - Chester W. Nimitz
Pre-landing landing
Major General Harry Schmidt, commander of the Navy's landing forces, called for a 10-day strike on the island shortly before the mid-February amphibious strike. However, Rear Admiral William H. P. Blandy, commander of the Amphibious Support Force (Task Force 52), does not believe such bombings will give him time to replenish his ship's ammunition before the landing; he thereby denied Schmidt's request. Schmidt then requested nine days of shootings; Blandy again refused and approved the three-day bombing. This decision left many feelings difficult among the Marines. After the war, Lieutenant. General Holland M. "Howlin 'Mad" Smith, commander of the Expeditionary Forces (Task Force 56, consisting of the Fifth Amphibian Corps Schmidt), bitterly complained that the lack of naval shots had sacrificed the Sea's life during the entire Allied city campaign.
Each heavy warship was given an area to fire it, combined with all the ships, covered the whole island. Each warship was fired for about six hours before stopping for a certain time. The bad weather at D minus 3 caused an uncertain outcome for the bombardment that day. At D minus 2, the time and attention the Japanese took in preparing for their artillery position became clear. When the heavy cruiser USS Pensacola entered within reach of the beach batteries, the ship quickly crashed 6 times and suffered 17 crew deaths. Later, 12 small planes attempting to land on the underwater demolition team were all attacked by Japanese bullets and quickly retreated. While assisting these ships, the destroyer of the USS Leutze was also hit and suffered seven crew deaths. At D minus 1, Adm. The Blandy shooter was once again hampered by rain and clouds. General Schmidt summed up his feelings by saying, "We only get fire support for 13 hours during the 34 hours of daylight available."
The limited bombing had a questionable impact on the enemy because Japan was being dug and fortified. However, many bunkers and caves were destroyed during the bombing, giving it some limited success. Japan has been preparing for this battle since March 1944, which gave them a significant start. At the time of the landing, about 450 American ships were outside Iwo Jima. The entire battle involved about 60,000 US Marines and several thousand US Navy Seabees.
Lt. (jg) Rufus G. Herring, USNR received Medal of Honor for his actions on D-Day minus 2.
Fight power
The order of American combat
Together with Expeditionary Force (Task Force 51)
Vice Admiral R. Kelly Turner, ruled
- Amphibian Force Support (Task Force 52), Rear Admiral William H.P. Blandy
- Attack Force (Task Force 53), Rear Admiral Harry W. Hill
- Expeditionary Forces (Task Force 56), Lieutenant. General Holland M. Smith, USMC
Fifth Amphibious Corps
- Commander-General: Major General Harry Schmidt, USMC
- Chief of Staff: Brig. General William W. Rogers, USMC
- Personnel Officer (G-1): Colonel David A. Stafford, USMC
- Intelligence officer (G-2): Colonel Thomas R. Yancey, USA
- Operations officer (G-3): Colonel Edward A. Craig, USMC
- Logistics Officer (G-4): Colonel William F. Brown, USMC
South Sector (Green and Red Beaches):
- Marine Division 5 (25,884 officers and registered)
- Division Commander: Major General Keller E. Rockey
- Assistant Division Commander: Brig. General Leo D. Hermle
- Chief of Staff: Colonel Ray A. Robinson
- 26th Marine Regiment: Colonel Chester B. Graham
- The 27th Marine Regiment: Colonel Thomas A. Wornham
- 28th Marine Regiment: Colonel Harry B. Liversedge
- 13th Marine Regiment (Artillery): Colonel James D. Waller
- The 5th Tank Battalion: Lieutenant Colonel William R. Collins
North Sector (Yellow and Blue Beach):
- 4th Marine Division (24,452 officers and registered)
- Division Commander: Major General Clifton B. Cates
- Assistant Division Commander: Brig. General Franklin A. Hart
- Chief of Staff: Colonel Merton J. Batchelder
- Marine Regiment 23: Colonel Walter W. Wensinger
- The Marine Regiment 24: Colonel Walter I. Jordan
- The 25th Marine Regiment: Colonel John R. Lanigan
- 14th Marine Regiment (Artillery): Colonel Louis G. DeHaven
Floating reserves (committed to the central sector February 22):
- Marine Division 3 (19,597 officers and registered)
- Division Commander: Major General Graves B. Erskine
- Assistant Division Commander: Brig. General William A. Worton
- Chief of Staff: Colonel Robert E. Hogaboom
- Marine Regiment 9: Colonel Howard N. Kenyon
- The 21st Marine Regiment: Colonel Hartnoll J. Withers
- The 12th Marine Regiment (Artillery): Lieutenant. Raymond F. Crist Jr.
Japanese battle sequence
21,060 total men under the arm Lieut. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, commander Colonel Tadashi Takaishi, chief of staff for Soldiers
- Division 109th
- 145th Infantry Regiment
- 17th Mixed Infantry Regiment
- Tank Regiment 26
- 2nd Mixed Brigade
Navy
- 125th Anti-Air Defense Unit
- Defense Anti-Aircraft Unit 132
- Anti-Aircraft Defense Unit 141
- Defense Anti-Aircraft Defense Unit
First day - February 19, 1945
amphibian landing
On that night, Vice Admiral Task Force Marc A. Mitscher 58, a large carrier troop, arrived from Iwo Jima. Also in this fleet are Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, the overall commander for the invasion, at his flagship, the heavy cruiser USSÃ, Indianapolis . "Howlin 'Mad" Smith was once again very frustrated that Mitscher's very strong carrier group had bombed the islands in Japan instead of weakening Iwo Jima's defense. The Mitscher flyer does indeed contribute to the additional surface-ship bombings that accompany the formation of seaplanes.
Unlike the days of pre-landing bombing, D-Day started bright and sunny. At 8:59, one minute ahead of schedule, the first wave of Marines landed on the beaches of the southeastern coast of Iwo Jima. Major Howard Connor, signal officer of the 5th Marine Division, has six Navajo code speakers working all the time during the first two days of combat. These six people send and receive over 800 messages, all without error. Connor later stated, "If it were not for Navajos, the Marines would never take Iwo Jima."
The situation at the beach
Unfortunately for the landing troops, the planners at Pearl Harbor have completely misjudged the situation that Marin General Schmidt will face. The beaches are described as "extraordinary" and the inland landscape is expected to be "easy". In fact, after crossing the coast, the Marines were faced with a 15 foot slope of soft black volcanic ash. This ash allows for a secure foothold as well as the construction of a foxhole to protect the Marines from enemy fire. However, the ashes helped absorb some fragments from Japanese artillery.
Marines are trained to move forward quickly; here they can only work. The weight and the amount of equipment is a tremendous obstacle and various items are quickly discarded. The first to go was the gas mask...
The lack of a strong response led to the Navy concluding that their bombardment had suppressed the Japanese defense and well the Marines had begun to be deployed on the coast of Iwo Jima. General Kuribayashi is far from beaten, however. In a deadly silence, US marines landed slowly stepping into the interior, unaware of the dangers. After allowing the Americans to pile up people and machines on the shore for more than an hour, Kuribayashi unleashed the unabated power of his retaliation. Shortly after 10 o'clock, everything from machine guns and mortars to heavy artillery began raining down on crowded beaches, which quickly turned into horrific bloodshed.
At first it sounded like a barrage of machine-gun fire, which gradually grew lower and fiercer until finally all the pent-up anger of hundreds of storms seemed to hit American heads. The shells were shrill and falling, every hummock spit in an automatic fire and a very soft ground beneath the feet erupted underground with hundreds of exploding land mines... The Marines walked upright and crashed. Konkusi picks them up and slams them, or tears them off...
Time-Life Correspondent Robert Sherrod described it as just a "nightmare in hell."
The heavy Japanese artillery at Mount Suribachi opened their steel-bolted doors to shoot, and then closed them immediately to prevent reprisals from marines and naval shooters. This makes it difficult for American units to destroy Japanese artillery. To make matters worse for Americans, the bunker was connected to a complicated tunnel system so that bunkers cleaned with flamethrowers and grenades were re-occupied shortly by Japanese troops moving through the tunnel. This tactic caused many casualties among the Marines, as they walked past the re-occupied bunker without expecting to suddenly take a fresh fire from them.
In response to heavy coastal resistance, the 147th Army Infantry Regiment was ordered to ascend from a landing craft with a grappling hook to scale a high ridge about 3/4 of a mile from Mount Suribachi. Its mission is to shoot enemies opposed to the Marines landing on the beaches below. They were immediately shot at by heavy Japanese fires, and engage in relentless battles for 31 days before they could be relieved.
Moving beaches
Amtrac, can not do more than just stirring black ash, making no progress on the slopes; Their sea passengers have to go down and work hard on foot. People from the Naval Construction Battalion (CBs or Seabees), challenging enemy fire, were finally able to bulldoze the way to the slopes. This allows Marines and equipment to make some progress in the interior and out of the jam-packed beach. "Even so, in almost every shell hole there is at least one Marine dead..."
At 11:30, several Marines made it to the southern end of No. Airfield. 1, which has one of the original American destinations (very unrealistic) for the first day. Marines are caught 100 people who are fanatical by Japan, but are able to maintain their toeholds at Airfield No. 1. 1 at nightfall. It's in this sector that Sergeant. Darrell S. Cole of the 23rd Marine died after singling himself several boxes of pills and bunkers, earning Medal of Honor.
Crossing the island
In the far left sector, the Americans managed to achieve one of their goals for that day's battle. Colonel Harry B. "Harry the Horse" Liversedge The Marine Regiment 28 drove across the island with the narrowest width (about one and a half miles), thus isolating the Japanese excavated at Mount Suribachi.
GySgt. "Manila" John Basilone (recipient of Medal of Honor for his actions in Guadalcanal), fought in the 27th Marine just to the right of the 28th Liversedge Regiment, died leading his machine-gun section. Corporal Tony Stein, a former tool-maker, has turned a wing weapon from a faulty fighter into what he calls "stinger." With this unusual weapon, he methodically killed the occupants of several pill boxes, allowing the demolition personnel to follow him to destroy his position. For this action, he (posthumously) was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Action on the right side
The rightmost landing area is dominated by the Japanese position at Quarry. The 25th Marine Regiment conducted a two-way attack to silence these weapons. Their experience can be summarized by the ordeal of Second Lieutenant Benjamin Roselle, part of a ground team that directs naval shots:
Within a minute a mortar exploded between the group... his left leg and ankle hung on his leg, held by a meat ribbon... Within minutes, a second round landed nearby and the flakes tore off the other foot. For almost an hour she wondered where the next shell would land. He immediately finds out when a shell explodes almost on it, injuring him for the third time on the shoulder. Almost instantly another explosion bounced a few feet into the air and hot shards torn into both thighs... as he raised his arm to watch this watch, a mortar bomb exploded just a few feet away and blew his watch from his wrist and tore off the body big. jagged hole in his forearm: "I began to know what it was like to be crucified," he then said.
The 3rd Battalion of the Marines has landed about 900 people in the morning. The Japanese resistance in Quarry is so fierce that at night only 150 are left in battle conditions, an incredible death rate of 83.3%.
At night, 30,000 Marines have landed. About 40,000 more will follow. On the Eldorado command ship, "Howlin 'Mad" Smith looked at the long reports of victims and heard the slow progress of ground troops. To the war correspondent who covered the operation he confessed, "I do not know who he is, but the Japanese general who runs this show is one of the smartest bastards."
D-Day Honorary Medal : Sgt. Darrell S. Cole, USMCR (posth.); Corporal Tony Stein, USMCR (posth.)
Next battle
In the days after the landing, the Marines expect the usual Japanese cost of banzai at night. This is Japan's last defense strategy in the previous battle against enemy ground forces in the Pacific, such as during the Battle of Saipan. In the attack, in which the Marines were prepared, the majority of Japanese attackers have been killed and Japanese forces greatly reduced. However, General Kuribayashi strictly forbade this "human wave" attack by Japanese infantry because he considered it futile.
The beach battles at Iwo Jima are fierce. Marines' progress was stalled by defensive positions coupled with artillery. There, the Marines are ambushed by Japanese troops who sometimes jump out of the tunnel. At night, the Japanese leave their defenses under the shelter of darkness to attack American shelters, but US Navy ships fired stellar bullets to deny them covering the darkness. In Iwo Jima (and other Japanese islands held), Japanese-speaking Japanese soldiers are used to harass and/or deceive Marines to kill them if they can; they would shout "corpsman" who pretended to be a wounded Marines, to lure US Navy medical officers who were tied to Marine infantry companies.
Marines know that firearms are relatively ineffective against Japanese defenders and effectively use flamethrowers and grenades to drive out Japanese troops in the tunnels. One technological innovation of the battle, eight medium tank Sherman M4A3R3 equipped with flamethrowers ("Ronson" or "Zippo" tank), proved to be very effective in clearing the Japanese position. Sherman is difficult to disable, so defenders are often forced to attack them in the open, where they will become victims of larger numbers of Marines.
Close air support was originally provided by fighters from an offshore escort carrier. It shifted to the 15th Fighter Group, flying P-51 Mustangs, after they arrived on the island on March 6th. Likewise, the round of illumination (flares) used to illuminate the battlefield at night was originally provided by the ship, shifting then to the landing style artillery. Navajo code speakers are part of American land communications, along with walkie-talkies and radio sets of SCR-610 backpacks.
After running out of water, food and most supplies, Japanese troops became desperate towards the end of the battle. Kuribayashi, who opposed the banzai attack at the start of the battle, realized that defeat was imminent.
Marines are beginning to face more night attacks; this is only rejected by a combination of machine gun position and artillery support. Sometimes, Marines do hand-to-hand combat to repel Japanese attacks. With a secure landing area, more troops and heavy equipment came ashore, and the invasion moved north to catch the airfield and the rest of the island. Most of the Japanese soldiers fought to death.
Flag the flag at Mt. Suribachi
"Fly Flag on Iwo Jima" is a black and white photograph taken by Joe Rosenthal depicting six Marines from E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, lifting the US flag at the top of Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, in the second flag of two flags - raisings on the site of the day. The photo was very popular, reprinted in thousands of publications. Later, it became the only photo to win the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in the same year as its publication, and was eventually regarded as one of the most significant and recognizable war images, and perhaps the most reproduced photograph of all time.. In 1954, the flag-raising image was later used by Felix de Weldon to carve out the Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial), which is located adjacent to the Arlington National Cemetery.
Three of the six Marines depicted in the picture, Sergeant Michael Strank, Harlon's Corporal Block, and Private First Class Franklin Sousley, were killed in action a few days after flag-raising. Two of the three flag raisers survived, First Class Rene Gagnon and First Class Warrior Ira Hayes, along with members of the John Bradley Navy corps, became celebrities after their participation in a tour of the sale of war bonds after the battle. Two subsequent Marine Corps investigations into the identity of the six men in the photo determined in 1946 and 1947 that Henry Hansen incorrectly identified as the Bloc (both Marines died 6 days after the photo), and in May and June 2016 that Bradley was not in the photo and Pfc. Harold Schultz first.
On the morning of February 23, Mount Suribachi was effectively cut off on the ground from all over the island. The Marines know that Japanese defenders have an extensive network of underground defenses, and that regardless of the above ground isolation, the volcano is still connected with Japanese defenders through the tunnel network. They expect a fierce battle for the summit. Two small patrols from two rifle companies from 2/28 Marines were sent to the volcano for reconnaissance routes on the north face of the mountain. Popular accounts (embroidered by the press after the release of photos) led to the Marines fighting to the top. Although the Marine guards were expecting an ambush, one patrol found only a small group of Japanese defenders over Suribachi. The majority of Japanese troops live in the tunnel network, only occasionally attacking in small groups, and generally all killed. The surveillance patrol made it to the top and rushed down again, reporting every contact to the 2/28 Marine Commander, Colonel Chandler Johnson. Johnson then asked for a platoon-size patrol reinforced from E Company to climb Suribachi and seize and occupy the symbol. The patrol commander, First Lieutenant Harold Schrier, was handed the battalion American flag to rise above to signal the capture of Suribachi, if they reached the top. Johnson and the Marines anticipated a fierce battle, but the patrol found only a small number of small arms fire on the road up the mountain. After the top was secured by Schrier and his men, a Japanese water pipe was found there among the ruins, and the American flag was installed in the pipe and then lifted and planted on Suribachi Mountain which became the first foreign flag to fly on Japanese soil. Photographs of the first "flag-raising" scene, taken by Marines photographer Louis R. Lowery, were not released until late 1947.
As the flag rose, Navy Secretary James Forrestal had just landed on the beach at the foot of Mount Suribachi and decided that he wanted the flag as a souvenir. Colonel Johnson, the battalion commander, believed that the flag belonged to the 2nd Marine Battalion 28, who had captured parts of the island. Johnson sends Pfc. Rene Gagnon, the envoy for E Company, to take the second larger flag up the volcano to replace the first flag. It was because the substitute flag attached to another heavy pipe went up, Rosenthal took the Fly Flag on Iwo Jima .
The flag flew on Mount Suribachi until it was lowered on March 14, when an American flag was officially raised at Kitano Point on the northern tip of the island by command of all the troops at Iwo Jima, Lt. Gen. Smith, who witnessed the event with Major General Graves B. Erskine, commander of the Third Marines Division, and divisional troops.
Northern Iwo Jima
Despite Japan losing Mount Suribachi at the southern end of the island, Japan still holds a strong position at the north end. Rocky terrain is well-liked defense, even more than Mount Suribachi, which is much easier to hit with naval artillery fire. Coupled with this, the fort built by Kuribayashi is more impressive than at the southern tip of the island. What remains under Kuribayashi's command is the equivalent of eight infantry battalions, a tank regiment, and two artillery and three heavy mortar battalions. There are also about 5,000 shooters and naval infantry. The heaviest task left for the Marines is overtaking the Motoyama plateau with typical hill 382 and the Turkish key and the area of ​​which is called the Amphitheater. This forms the basis of what came to be known as the "meatgrinder". While this is achieved on the right side, the left clears Hill 362 with as much difficulty as possible. The overall goal at this point is to control Airfield No. 1. 2 at the center of the island. However, any "penetration seems to be disastrous" when "units are taken from the pelvis, chewed, and sometimes obliterated.Tanks are destroyed by a flame that is interlocked or lifted into the air in buried balls of fire". As a result, the fighting stalled, with American casualties piling up. Even catching these points is not the solution to this problem because the previously safe position can be attacked from behind by using hidden tunnels and pill boxes. Thus, it is said that "they can take this height at will, and then regret it".
The Marines still find ways to win in this situation. Observed that during the bombing, the Japanese would hide their weapons and themselves in the cave only to reappear when troops would advance and lay a devastating fire on them. The Japanese have long studied the basic strategy of America, which is carrying out large bombs before infantry attacks. As a result, General Erskine ordered the 9th Marine Regiment to attack under cover of darkness without any initial attack. This became a huge success with many Japanese soldiers killed while still asleep. This was an important moment in the capture of Bukit 362. It holds vital importance that the Japanese organize a counterattack the following night. Although Kuribayashi has banned suicide allegations familiar to other battles in the Pacific, the regional commander decided on allegations of banzai with the optimistic aim of reclaiming Mount Suribachi. On the night of March 8, Captain Samaji Inouye and his 1,000 men attacked the American line, causing 347 casualties (90 deaths). The Marines counted 784 Japanese soldiers who died the next day. On the same day, elements from the 3rd Marine Division reached the north coast of the island, dividing Kuribayashi's defense into two. There were also air raids on the ships docked at sea on February 21, which resulted in the sinking of the USS Bismarck Sea aircraft carrier, severe damage to the USS Saratoga , and minor damage to aircraft carrier carrier USS Lunga Point , LST, and transportation.
Although the island was declared safe at 18:00 on March 16 (25 days after landing), the 5th Marine Division still faces Kuribayashi fortress in a 640 m (700 m) canyon on the northwest tip of the island. On March 21, the Marines destroyed a command post in the canyon with four tons of explosives and on March 24, the Marines sealed the remaining cave at the northern tip of the island. However, on the night of March 25, a 300-man Japanese force launched its last counterattack around Airfield No. 1. 2. Army, Seabees and Marines pilots from 5th Pioneer Battalion and 28th Marines fought against Japanese forces for up to 90 minutes, suffered heavy casualties (53 dead, 120 injured). Two Marines from the 36th Depot Company, an African-American unit, received a Bronze Star. First Lieutenant Harry Martin of the 5th Pionir Battalion was the last Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor during the battle. While it is still a matter of speculation because of the conflicting accounts of surviving Japanese veterans, it has been said that Kuribayashi led this latest attack, which unlike the harsh burden of the previous battles, was marked as a silent attack. If ever proven true, Kuribayashi will be the highest ranked Japanese officer who personally led the attack during World War II. In addition, this would also be Kuribayashi's last act, an escape from the normal practice of Japanese commanding officers who committed seppuku behind the line while the rest were killed in allegations of banzai, as happened during combat in Saipan and Okinawa. The island is officially declared safe at 09:00 on 26 March.
After the island was officially declared safe, the Army's 147th Infantry Regiment seemed to be there to act as a garrison army, but they soon found themselves locked in a fierce struggle against thousands of loyal supporters who were involved in the last guerrilla campaign to annoying Americans. Using well-supplied caves and tunnel systems, Japan rejected American progress. For three months, the plane hit the island, using flamethrowers, grenades, and bag loads to unearth enemies, killing about 1,602 Japanese soldiers in small action units.
Weapon
United States M2 flamethrower is widely used in the Pacific. It features two tanks containing fuel and compressed gas each, which are combined and ignited to produce a fluid stream lit out of the tip. This flamethrower is used to kill Japanese people in boxes, buildings, and caves. One battalion will assign one flamethrower per platoon with one spare flamethrower in each group. Flamethrower operators are usually more dangerous than regular troops because their short range of weapons requires close combat, and the visibility of fires on the battlefield makes them a prime target sniper. Still they are important to destroy the enemy and one battalion commander calls the flamethrower "the best single weapon of operation."
The Marines then experimented to put flamethrowers on tanks that were also deployed during the battle. Their effectiveness is more limited due to rough terrain Iwo Jima. The fire spray tank will have a range of about 100 y (90 m), carry 300 gallons of fuel and have a firing time of 150 seconds.
Aftermath
The last of these arrests on the island, two Lieutenant Toshihiko Ohno, Yamakage Kufuku and Matsudo Linsoki, survived four years without being caught and finally surrendered on 6 January 1949.
Although ultimately won, the American victory at Iwo Jima came with a terrible price. According to the official website of the Navy's Library Department, "The 36-day attack (Iwo Jima) resulted in more than 26,000 American casualties, including 6,800 people killed." By comparison, the much larger 82-day Okinawan Battle that lasted from early April to mid-June 1945 (involving five US Army and two Marine Corps divisions) resulted in more than 62,000 US casualties, of which more than 12,000 were killed or missing. Iwo Jima is also the only US Marine battle in which American casualties exceed Japan, although Japan's combat death amounts to three times more American deaths. Two US Marines were arrested during the battle, no survivors of their captivity. USS Bismarck Sea is also missing, the last US aircraft carrier sank in World War II. Since all civilians have been evacuated, there are no civilian casualties in Iwo Jima, unlike in Saipan and Okinawa.
Strategic interests
Behind, considering the number of victims, the need and the long-term significance of the island's capture of the outcome of the war have been a controversial and contentious issue. The Marines, who suffered actual casualties, were not consulted in planning the operation. In early April 1945, Retired Chief of Naval Operations William V. Pratt stated in Newsweek magazine that considering "the expenditure of manpower to acquire a small island, abandoned by God, is of no use to the Army as a basic staging and not useful for the Navy as a fleet base... [one] wondering whether the same type of airbase can not be achieved by obtaining another strategic location at a lower cost. "
Lessons learned from Iwo Jima serve as a guide to the following Okinawa Battle and a planned invasion of the Japanese homeland. For example, "because the victim was taken at Iwo Jima on the first day, it was decided to make the heaviest preparatory bombardment yet sent to the Pacific island". Also, in planning for potential attacks on Japanese home islands, it was calculated that about a third of the troops committed to Iwo Jima and again in Okinawa had been killed or injured.
Justification for Iwo Jima's strategic importance to the United States war effort is that it provides landing and refueling sites for long-term combatant fighters. This escort proved impractical and unnecessary, and only ten such missions were ever flown from Iwo Jima.
Japanese fighter based on Iwo Jima sometimes attack AAF aircraft, which are prone on the way to Japan because they are full of bombs and fuel. However, although some Japanese interceptors are based on Iwo Jima, its impact on American bombing efforts is marginal; in the three months before the invasion only 11 B-29 were lost as a result. The Superfortresses felt no need to do a detour around the island.
The Japanese at Iwo Jima have radar and thus can inform their colleagues at the arrival house of B-29 Superfortresses that flew from the Mariana Islands. However, Iwo Jima's arrest did not affect the Japanese early warning radar system, which continued to receive information about B-29s coming from Rota island (which was never raided).
At the beginning of March 4, 1945, when the battle was still in progress, B-29 Dinah Might of Group Bom 9 USAAF reported that they lacked fuel near the island and demanded an emergency landing. Despite enemy fire, the plane landed on the part of the South-controlled island, without incident and serviced, refueled and departed.
Overall, 2,251 B-29 landings in Iwo Jima were recorded during the war. Moskin noted that 1,191 combat bodyguards and 3,081 attacks were abruptly flown from Iwo Jima against Japan.
Some of the fallen B-29 crew were rescued by air-sea rescue planes and ships operating from the island, but Iwo Jima is just one of many islands that can be used for such a purpose. Regarding the island's importance as a landing and refueling site for bombers, Sea Captain Robert Burrell, then a historical instructor at the US Naval Academy, suggested that only a fraction of 2,251 landings were for actual emergencies, a large majority for minor technical inspections, training, or refueling. According to Burrell,
This justification became prominent only after the Marines seized the island and inflicted heavy casualties. The tragic expense of Operation Detachment depresses veterans, journalists, and commanders to focus on the most visible rationalizations for combat. The enormous, expensive, and technologically sophisticated B-29 landing scene at the island's small airfield clearly connects Iwo Jima with a strategic bombing campaign. As the myth of flag-raising at Mount Suribachi reaches legendary proportions, so does the emergency landing theory to justify the need to raise the flag.
In publishing Ghost Iwo Jima , Texas A & amp; M University Press says that losses form the basis for "respect for the Marine Corps" which not only embodies the "American national spirit" but ensures the "institutional viability" of the Marine Corps.
Medal of Honor Recipient
Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration provided by the United States government. This is given to members of the United States armed forces who differentiate themselves by "... Ã, the glaring valor and bravery with the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaging in action against the enemy of the United States..." Because of its nature, the medal is generally awarded posthumously; since its creation during the American Civil War only presented 3,464 times.
Medal of Honor awarded to 27 US Marines and US seafarers (14 posthumous), during the battle of Iwo Jima. 22 medals were presented to Marines (12 posthumous) and 5 were presented to the sailors, 4 of whom were hospital personnel (2 posthumous) attached to the Marines infantry unit; 22 Medals of Honor are 28% of the 82 awarded to Marines in World War II.
Hershel W. Williams (Marine Corps) is the only recipient of the Medal of Honor who lives from the Battle of Iwo Jima. Williams (age 94 2018) is one of four Medal of Honor recipients living from World War II; three soldiers and one marine.
Legacy
The Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) was dedicated on November 10, 1954.
The United States Navy has commissioned two ships under the name USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) (1961-1993) and USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) (2001-present).
On 19 February 1985, a 40-year landing at Iwo Jima, an event called "Honorary Reunion" was held (the event has been held annually since 2002). The veterans of both sides who fought in the battle of Iwo Jima attended the event. It was the beach where the US troops landed. A memorial where the inscription is carved by both sides is built in the middle of the meeting place. Japan attends on the side of the mountain, where Japanese inscriptions are carved, and Americans attend on the beach side, where English inscriptions are carved. After the opening and offering of the flowers were made, representatives from both countries approached the warning; after meeting, they shook hands. The combination of the Japan-US memorial service on the 50th anniversary of the battle was held in front of the monument in February 1995. Further warning services have been held in the anniversary later.
The importance of the battle for Marines today is shown in the pilgrimage to the island, and particularly the summit of Suribachi. Marines will often leave dog tags, the rank of badges, or other tokens in the monument as a tribute. Iwo Jima Day is observed every year on February 19 at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with a ceremony at the State Building.
The Japanese government continues to search and retrieve the remains of Japanese military personnel killed during the fighting.
Movies and documentaries
- To Iwo Jima Beach , a 1945 American documentary produced by the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.
- Glamor Gal , a 1945 film about marine artillery.
- Sands of Iwo Jima , a 1949 American movie starring John Wayne.
- The Outsider , a 1961 movie starring Tony Curtis as the conflicting flag carrier, Ira Hayes.
- Episode 23 of the famous 1973 documentary Thames Television The World at War .
- League of Grateful Sons , a 2005 documentary by the Vision Forum.
- Our Father's Flag and Letter from Iwo Jima , two 2006 films directed by Clint Eastwood. Flags of Our Fathers were filmed from an American perspective and based on a book by James Bradley and Ron Powers ( Our Father's Flag ). Letters from Iwo Jima (originally titled Red Sun, Black Sand ) were filmed from a Japanese perspective.
- Battle Rats: Iwo Jima (2009) (TV).
- Part 8 of the HBO miniseries 2010 The Pacific , produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, is part of the Battle of Iwo Jima from John Basilone's point of view from the beginning of the invasion until his later death.
See also
- List of naval and ground operations at the Pacific Theater during World War II
- Fly Flag on Iwo Jima
- South Field (Iwo Jima)
- North Field (Iwo Jima)
Note
References
Online
External links
- Media related to Battle of Iwo Jima in Wikimedia Commons
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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