A Brief Summary On Iwo Jima

On February 19th, at 8:30 in the morning, the invasion started. At least 90,000 marines stormed the volcanic sands of the beachheads with huge casualties. Unable to protect themselves on the open

In June of 1944, Lieutenant General Kuribayashi arrived on Iwo Jima to find discover a rivalry between the Army and the Navy. By late July, Kuribayashi had evacuated all civilians from the island and sent back officers he considered uncooperative. The civilians and the incorporating officers were no use to him and would only drain the water and food supplies. After these acts were completed, he began his act in building the fortress. Kuribayashi split Iwo Jima into five sectors. He would control the mountain area himself and would be leaving the volcano and its 200 men as an independent command under Colonel Atsuli. Kuribayashi's departure had been normal practice for the Japanese Imperial Army, but he predicted that American air and naval bombardments would destroy any defenses on the beaches.

The fight for control of Iwo Jima lasted thirty eight days. Over that course of time the U.S. lost almost six thousand Marines with another eighteen thousand men wounded. The Japanese however lost around twenty one thousand men. This was the only battle during the war with Japan when the U.S. suffered more casualties than the Japanese. Being one of the bloodiest battles of the war, the taking of Iwo Jima served as a valuable lesson for the upcoming Okinawa campaign. In the weeks following, the battle fell under heavy scrutiny from the press and the public. Many viewed it as an unnecessary fight and loss of

Who knew that such a small island could lead to the loss of so many? Approximately 70,000 Americans against 22,000 Japanese, the outcome was already known. The Battle of Iwo Jima was expected to last about 5 days according to “American intelligence”. It quickly escalated from February 16 until March 26 when the island was successfully captured by the Americans and victory was presented in the raising of the American flag. Every inch of Iwo Jima was known as a battleground and was also the only Marine battle where American casualties exceeded those of the Japanese. Although, a significant difference in soldiers was present, the Japanese put up a hard battle. (Cyril J. O’Brien, Military.com)

The battle of Iwo Jima started off as an amphibious invasion by the Americans; a strong desire for claiming the island to create a base on the land flourishing with the ever-growing American spirit. Three U.S. marine divisions executed a carefully well thought plan during February of 1945. The Japanese were not very well prepared, having roughly 23,000 people defending Iwo Jima, a fifth of how many Americans there were. However, they did have strong beliefs and would refuse to surrender, giving their all to the battle until they died.

Operation Detachment (19 February – 26 March 1945) - The thirty six days of unforgiving hell on a small, wretched patch of volcanic sand and rock named "Sulfur Island " ( Iōjima - Iwo Jima in Japanese), will forever be immortalized in the iconic photo of the flag raising on Mount Suribachi. The American invasion of Iwo Jima had the goal of capturing the island, including its three airfields. Owning operational airfields, across the vast Pacific Ocean en route to the Japanese mainland was an invaluable commodity. American

The Marines were led by Major General "Howlin' Mad" Smith. He used the 3rd, 4th, and 5th division to assault and take the island. On February 23rd, the newly formed Marine 28th regiment fought its way up the 556 feet high extinct volcano called Mt. Suribachi. The American objective was to invade the island to take control of the islands three airstrips. On February 23rd, 1945, five soldiers went on top of Mt. Suribachi and raised the American flag during the battle of Iwo Jima. They took 3 pictures of the flag raising. The first picture was taken by a photographer named Sgt. Louis R. Lowery. As Louis was leaving, he saw the soldiers raising the flag and took one of the most famous picture that is known to the Marine Corps. In fact, this picture was made into a statue that is in front of the Marine Corps Base Quantico located in Quantico, Virginia. Another photographer named Rosenthal was going up to take a picture of the flag raising. Louis told them the flag raising was over but the Rosenthal still went up the hill. They could not find the original soldiers that raised the flag so they decided to do it again. This picture impressed President Roosevelt so much that he sent the soldiers that raised the flag home for a publicity tour. The island was finally declared secured on March 26. After the battle was over 21,000 Japanese soldiers were killed and over 3,000 captured. The battle became known as an important battle in the pacific theater due to what was captured and its

' 'No one who was at Iwo Jima can analyze the battle objectively. The carnage was so horrifying that the blood and agony of the struggle saturated one 's mind . . . Iwo was unlike any war I had ever seen. It was a fight to the finish, with no man asking for quarter until he was dead . . . all except a few score of the

Iwo Jima was known for one of the most bloody battles in not just the Marine but American history too. The battle began on February 19, 1945 as part of the campaign of the Pacific theatre, and lasted for thirty-six days. Around twenty six-thousand Marines were wounded, which caused Union losses during the battle at Gettysburg. Near the beginning of summer of 1944, American B-29 bombers were ruining the islands. “Iwo Jima proved itself an indispensable asset to the Pacific command.” “Thousands of fighters took off from its runways, and this ‘stepping stone’ served as a staging ground for countless Allied advances.”

he Battle of Iwo Jima was one of the bloodiest and fiercest battles of the Second World War in which the US Armed Forces captured the Iwo Jima Island from the Japanese. More than 6800 American servicemen lost their lives in the battle and thus the battle has come to known as the deadliest battle in Marine Corps history. Iwo Jima was an island strategically positioned and highly fortified as its three airfields were used to stage attacks on the US at the Pacific War. It was therefore Americas target to capture the island and use it to stage attacks on Japans mainland and use the airfields as emergency landing strips for the US Navy planes damaged during war. According to The Washington Post a small group gathered on Thursday February 18th

Brown led the Army’s 7th Division of three regiments of infantry, four battalions of artillery, the 13th Combat Engineer Battalion, and the attachment of the 50th Combat Engineer Battalion.1 Nearly a year before the battle took place, June 3rd, 1942, the Japanese seized Attu with only natives living there. The Japanese reestablished a base on Attu on October 29, 1942 under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Hiroshi Yanekawa.1 The Japanese set up strong defensive positions with antiaircraft and numerous caches of arms, ammunition and food spread across different locations on the island. U.S. forces did not have such advantage and had a difficult time with logistics due to the unforgiving elements. The islands beaches consisted of muskeg which created very difficult circumstances for U.S. vehicles that the engineers were crucial in resolving. Although the harsh climate and terrain caused many problems for both sides, it was more impactful against the Japanese due to the long period of acclimation they endured.2

the flag on when the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions reached Iwo Jima is actually on top of a mountain the Marines secured, Mount Suribachi. Even though Iwo Jima is a very small island, it had several large mountains upon it. Iwo Jima is actually one island of many islands a part of the Volcano Islands archipelago. The island changed its name to Lo Island in 2007. Felix W. de Weldon was the sculptor who made the memorial. Joe Rosenthal, a member of the associated press, was the man took the very memorable photo of the soldiers raising the flag in Iwo Jima. This photograph made way to a man on duty in the U.S Navy, and inspired him to construct this memorial. Felix de Weldon served in the U.S Navy and was so moved by the photo he decided to create the life-size model that eventually wound up being the memorial we see today. Only three of the five men who originally raised the flag survived this horrific battle. That just goes to show how terrifically messy this battle

Patriotism can be defined as devoted love, support, and defense against one’s country. John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural address stated, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” The soldiers at Iwo Jima were patriots that fought wars and lost men for our country. They were devoted to America and this is evident because the remaining soldiers raised the Flag in awareness. The citizens that died on September 11, 2001 were not soldiers, however, they did lose their lives for our country. That is why the firemen raised the flag in the wake of this horrible tragedy. Patriotism takes on many aspects and this is evident within the photographs for these two events. The raising of the flag at Iwo Jima and at Ground Zero have striking similarities such as valor, fearlessness, and unwavering loyalty for our country.

The Pacific Theater of World War II saw some of the most destructive and deadly battles in the history of the United States. Many of these battles played out over the course of several days and involved countless casualties from both American and Japanese forces. The Battle of the Philippine Sea is one such battle that marks a major win for the United States in the Pacific. The battle, which took place during June of 1944, took out most of the enemy’s carrier-based planes, along with their pilots, leading to the successful invasion of the Philippines and Marianas, which served as land-based airfields that were close enough to launch attacks of the Japanese homeland. As the battle raged, Admiral Spruance made a controversial decision to not

Sources A, E and F. offer various contradictory recollections and eyewitness reports about conditions on the beach and whether the bombing had a destructive effect. These are all anecdotal evidence that reflect the opinions of