The Battle of Iwo Jima was an military campaign between U.S. Marines and the Imperial Army of Japan in early 1945. Located 750 miles off the coast of Japan, the island of Iwo Jima had three airfields that could serve as a staging facility for a potential invasion of mainland Japan. American forces invaded the island on February 19, 1945, and the ensuing Battle of Iwo Jima lasted for five weeks. In some of the bloodiest fighting of World War II, it’s believed that all but 200 or so of the 21,000 Japanese forces on the island were killed, as were almost 7,000 Marines.
But once the fighting was over, the strategic value of Iwo Jima was called into question. On February 19, 1945, U.S. Marines made an amphibious landing on Iwo Jima, and were met immediately with unforeseen challenges. First and foremost, the beaches of the island were made up steep dunes of soft, gray volcanic ash, which made getting sturdy footing and passage for vehicles difficult. (Battle of Iwo Jima History.com)
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As the Marines struggled forward, the Japanese lied in wait. The Americans assumed the pre-attack bombardment had been effective, and had crippled the enemy’s defenses on the island. However, the lack of immediate response was simply part of Kuribayashi plan. With the Americans struggling to get a foothold on the beaches of Iwo Jima – literally and figuratively – Kuribayashi artillery positions in the mountains above opened fire, stalling the advancing Marines and inflicting significant casualties. Despite a banzai charge by dozens of Japanese soldiers as dusk fell, however, the Marines were eventually able to move in past the beach and seize part of one Iwo Jima airfields – the stated mission of the invasion.
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“Within days, some 70,000 U.S. Marines landed on Iwo Jima. Although they significantly outnumbered their Japanese enemies on the island (by a more than three-to-one margin), many Americans were wounded or killed over the five weeks of fighting, with some estimates suggesting more than 25,000 casualties, including nearly 7,000 deaths”. (Battle of Iwo Jima History.com) The Japanese, meanwhile, were also suffering major losses, and were running low on supplies – namely, weapons and food. Under Kuribayashi leadership, they mounted most of their defenses via attacks under the cover of darkness.While effective, the success of the Japanese forces seemed to merely forestall the inevitable.
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Just four days into the fighting, U.S. Marines captured Mount Suribachi, on Iwo Jima’s south side, famously raising an American flag at the summit. That image was captured by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal, who won a Pulitzer Prize for the iconic photograph.
"Battles raged on in the northern part of Iwo Jima for four weeks, with Kuribayashi essentially setting up a garrison in the mountains in that part of the island. On March 25, 1945, 300 of Kuribayashi men mounted a final banzai attack. All of this came about from the start of pacific theater battles”. From excerpt of Battle of Iwo Jima edited by Britannica. |