|
On February 19, 1945 about 30,000 United States Marines of the 3rd, 4th
and 5th Marine Divisions, under V Amphibious Corps, landed on Iwo Jima and a
battle for the island commenced. The landing was called Operation
Detachment.
Following the American victory, a group of US Marines reached the top of
Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945 and raised the American flag. They were
persuaded to re-enact the event shortly afterwards by AP photographer Joe
Rosenthal. Of the six men pictured (Michael Strank, Rene Gagnon, Ira Hayes,
Franklin Sousley, John Bradley, and Harlon Block) only three (Hayes, Gagnon,
and Bradley) survived the battle. The photo later won a Pulitzer Prize (the
only photo to win in the same year it was taken) and is the subject of the
USMC War Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. Their story is told by
Bradley's son James in Flags of Our Fathers
The battle ended on March 16, 1945 but small pockets of Japanese
resistance persisted.
Background of the Battle
In the opening days of 1945, Japan faced the prospect of invasion by the
Allied Forces. Daily bomber raids from the Marianas hit the mainland in an
operation called Scavenger. Fighters and Kamikaze at Iwo Jima provided a
measure of defense. Eventually the Allies would have to take Iwo Jima, part
of the Japanese homeland for over 600 years. The Japanese were ready. The
island was garrisoned by 22,000 soldiers and fortified in a network of
underground bunkers.
The defense of Iwo Jima was to exact such a price on Allied Forces as to
discourage invasion of the mainland. Each defender was expected to die in
defense of the homeland, taking 10 enemy soldiers in the process.
The Allies, led by the United States of America, wanted Iwo Jima not only
to neutralize threats to its bombers and shipping, but to use its airfields
for fighter escort and emergency bomber landings. On February 16, 1945, they
commenced a three-day air and gun assault on the island with unprecedented
ferocity, but little effect on the sheltered garrison of Japanese troops.
Invasion of Iwo Jima
At 2 AM on the morning of February 19, battleship guns signaled the
commencement of D-Day. Soon 100 bombers attacked the island, followed by
another volley from the naval guns. At 8:30, Marines disembarked toward the
shores of Iwo Jima. Their objective -- Suribachi Mountain, at the south of
the island, which guarded the beaches.
The Marines faced heavy fire from Suribachi and inhospitable terrain,
rough volcanic ash which allowed neither secure footing or the digging of a
foxhole. They were sitting ducks. Still, by that evening, the mountain had
been surrounded and 30,000 Marines had landed. About 40,000 more would
follow.
The climb up Suribachi was fought by the yard. Gunfire was ineffective
against the Japanese, but flame throwers and grenades cleared the bunkers.
Finally, on February 23, the summit had been reached. The erection of the
American flag that day proved an inspiration not only to the combatants but
to a grateful nation for years to come.
Securing the Island
With the landing area secure, more Marines and heavy equipment were
landed and the invasion proceeded north to capture the airfields and the
remainder of the island. Iwo Jima was declared secure on March 26. As
commanded, the Japanese defended the homeland to the death. Of over 20,000
defenders, only 1,000 were taken prisoner.
The Allied Forces suffered 25,000 casualties, with nearly 7,000 dead.
Over 1/4 of the Medals of Honor awarded Marines in World War II were given
for conduct in the invasion of Iwo Jima.
|
