Battle for Iwo Jima"The battle of Iwo Island has been won. The United States Marines by their individual and collective courage have conquered a base which is as necessary to us in our continuing forward movement toward final victory as it was vital to the enemy in staving off ultimate defeat.

By their victory, the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions and other units of the Fifth Amphibious Corps have made an accounting to their country which only history will be able to value fully. Among the Americans who served on Iwo Island, uncommon valor was a common virtue."

--Admiral Chester W. Nimitz

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."

To the Japanese leadership, the capture of Iwo Jima meant the battle for Okinawa, and the invasion of Japan itself, was not far off.

The Battle Continues

Feb. 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 Motoyama Airfield No. 1 was controlled by the Marines. By Feb. 23, the 28th Marines would reach the top of Mount Suribachi and raise the U.S. flag.

The 3rd 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 together 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 three distinct terrain features, which were 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 3rd 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 3rd division reached the island's northeastern beach, cutting the enemy defenses in two.

On the left of the 3rd 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 resistance of enemy forces in the 4th division's sector. The 4th division would join forces with the 3rd and 5th on the coast on March 10.

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 March 4. Repairs were made, refueling was completed and the aircraft was off to complete its mission.

Operations entered the final phases March 11; enemy resistance was no longer centralized. Individual pockets of resistance were taken one by one.

Finally on March 26, 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 regiment assumed ground control of the island on April 4, relieving the largest body of Marines committed in combat in one operation during World War II.

Campaign results

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.

Iwo Jima: Forgotten Valor

by Vale Fitzpatrick

In the Pacific Theater U.S. Marines engaged in some of the most brutal and costly fighting of World War II. The battle for Iwo Jima is one of the most famous of the war, and out of the battle came one of the most famous images of the war, Joe Rosenthal’s photograph of the Marines raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi. However, there were actually two flag raisings on Iwo Jima; it was the second that was immortalized by Rosenthal. This Primary Source Adventure (PSA) will examine the desperate nature of the U.S. Marines’ battle for Iwo Jima through the oral history of Texas resident Charles W. Lindberg, a Marine flamethrower operator and one of the men responsible for raising the first flag on Mt. Suribachi. With this PSA, learners will experience the battle through the eyes of a decorated Marine. His tale will take the learner from the beachhead, to bunker busting, to raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi, and finally his wounding.

Texas wholeheartedly supported America’s war effort. Texas, which had five percent of the nation’s population, provided seven percent of those who served in the armed forces. The state supplied approximately 750,000 members to the armed forces. Most served in the Army, but one-quarter were in the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. Texas suffered 22,022 casualties during the war. The 36th Infantry Division, a National Guard unit nicknamed the “Texas Division,” fought in Africa, Sicily, France, and Italy earning many battle honors. It suffered one of the highest casualty rates of any division in the army—3,717 killed, 12,685 wounded, and 3,064 missing in action. Texas became the largest training ground in the world: twenty one combat divisions numbering 1.2 million men received combat training here. A further 200,000 airmen were trained on Texas’s forty airfields. The state supplied critical agricultural goods such as meat, wheat, corn, vegetables, and citrus fruits. Coupled with the oil industry, and dramatic growth in Texas manufacturing helped build the “Arsenal of Democracy.”

The year 1944 had gone badly for Imperial Japan. Beginning with American offensives against the Gilbert Islands in November 1943, the advance across the Pacific had taken American forces 3,000 miles westward by the end of year. The conquest of Saipan and the Marianas with the accompanying battle of the Philippine Sea destroyed Japanese naval aviation, leaving open the way to the Japanese home islands. The capture of Peleliu and Ulithi islands presaged MacArthur’s return to the Philippines. By late October 1944, American troops landed on Leyte and decimated the Japanese Imperial Navy during the battle for Leyte Gulf. The capture of the Mariana Islands would provide staging areas for attacks toward Japan. By the beginning of 1945, American forces had possession of the majority of Leyte and strong bridgeheads on Luzon. The campaign to liberate the Philippines was now merely a matter of time and blood; the Japanese Imperial Navy was incapable of interfering. Further, several Japanese held islands had been bypassed and were effectively neutralized by U.S. naval and air power. The next island selected for invasion was the then relatively unknown island of Iwo Jima.

By 1944, B-29 long range bombers were based on the Marianas to enact the strategic bombing campaign against Japan. Iwo Jima was the only island in the Bonin Island chain suitable for the construction of airfields. Thus, it assumed a strategic importance. It was to be used as a forward

airbase for escort fighters and to serve as an emergency landing strip for returning damaged B-29s.

Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, Japanese Imperial Army, moved his entire command underground into a networked tunnel system with multiple entry and escape points, command posts, aid stations, barracks, and masked gun emplacements with interlocking fields of fire. The Japanese defenders pledged to dedicate themselves to the defense of Iwo Jima, and to fight to the death.1 American forces fought against hidden enemies who rarely revealed themselves, and had to be blasted out with explosives, burned out with flamethrowers, or entombed by bulldozers.

On D-Day Charles W. Lindberg’s unit, the 28th Marines, advanced through heavy resistance losing 400 men before preparing to assault Mount Suribachi on D+1 (20 February). Its base was ringed with 70 camouflaged blockhouses, another fifty peppered the slopes interconnected by caves and tunnels. By D+4 (23 February) the 28th Marines were poised to capture Mount Suribachi. The ascent was observed by Marines all over the island and by naval officers offshore. At 10:20, a.m. the U.S. flag was raised; a thunderous cheer rang out from across the island. Sergeant Louis R. Lowery photographed the event. Of the forty-man platoon that first scaled Suribachi only four made it to the end of campaign. The rest were either killed or wounded.2 Three hours later an even larger flag, immortalized by Joe Rosenthal’s photograph, went up to more cheers. The 28th Marines took Suribachi in three days, suffering more than 500 casualties.

Despite the flag raising more than a month of fighting remained for the Marines on Iwo Jima. Casualties were severe among officers. By D+12, the 2nd Battalion, 21st Marines had lost every company commander. After 36 days of combat on Iwo Jima, the island was declared secure, and the air bases were operational. The human cost for the Iwo Jima campaign was tremendous. 22,000 Japanese soldiers were killed; only 216 were taken prisoner. The fifth Marine Corp lost 25,851 casualties. Of these a total of 6,140 died, This was the highest single-action loss in Marine Corps history. Heroism was a common virtue. 22 Marines won the Congressional Medal of Honor, half awarded posthumously.3

Strategically the island’s capture brought the war to, Japan’s doorstep and provided an emergency landing field for B-29s. By wars end, 2,251 B-29s made forced landings on the island, meaning 24,716 flight crewmen were saved from crashing into the sea.

Harry George and Iwo JimaOne of World War II's most famous and lasting images is the photograph of U.S. Marines raising a flag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima. Thousands of Americans died to gain control of this tiny island. Why was it so important for American forces? The answer is simple. The U.S. needed Iwo Jima's airbases.

Safe HavenAfter American forces captured the Mariana Islands in the summer of 1944, B-29 bombers began flying their payloads to Japan. The planes had to travel almost 3,000 miles, much of it over enemy territory. Planes damaged over Japan by fighter planes or anti-aircraft fire might not be able to complete the 1,500-mile return trip to the Marianas. They needed a safe haven. Iwo Jima, halfway between Tokyo and the Marianas, was ideal. American landing strips on Iwo Jima would not only provide emergency assistance, but could also be a base for American fighter escorts.

Serious ThreatThe other reason American forces needed Iwo Jima was to eliminate the threat of the Japanese planes based there. Japanese fighters had been attacking B-29s in the air and on the ground. Initially, more B-29s were lost on airstrips in the Mariana Islands than were shot down over Japan. The Japanese set up early warning radar alerts on Iwo Jima, and took away the B-29s' element of surprise. There was no question in the minds of U.S. strategists: Iwo Jima had to be captured and its airbases turned over to American forces.

A Long and Fierce FightD-Day for Iwo Jima was February 19, 1945. The 30,000 Marines who came ashore that first day had to uproot 21,000 Japanese defenders in well-fortified underground bunkers. An open, barren, moon-like landscape provided little to no protection for the exposed American forces. It would take the Marines more than a month of yard-by-yard fighting over inhospitable terrain to secure the island. The battle for Iwo Jima was over on March 26, 1945. Less than two weeks later, on April 7, the Americans had converted it into an offensive asset: 108 P-51 Mustang fighters took off from the island, supporting a fleet of B-29s heading for Japan on a bombing raid.

Heavy LossesSecuring Iwo Jima came at a great cost to the Marine Corps and the Navy. More than 75,000 Americans fought at Iwo Jima. Almost 7,000 were killed and more than 24,000 wounded. Almost 6,000 of the dead were U.S. Marines. Nearly all of the Japanese defenders died. But the B-29 crews who had gained a new base were grateful. Harry George was a co-pilot on a B-29:

"Every time I see or meet a Marine, I'll head him to the nearest bar and buy him a drink, because [if] it hadn't been for them, I probably wouldn't be here, I know, and our crew wouldn't. Always grateful to Marines."

Proof of Iwo Jima's ValueGeorge appreciated Iwo Jima because without it, he almost certainly would have died. On the

night of May 25, 1945, just a few weeks after the U.S. had secured the island, Harry George's B-29 was hit by Japanese anti-aircraft fire:

"Over the interphone came the voice of our left gunner saying, 'I'm hit, I'm hit.' And I remember my control column flopped in my lap. The airplane commander's control column flopped this way. The rudder just went loose, left rudder pedal. In other words, the controls were starting to go."

Two of the gunners had been hit; one lost most of his jaw. They were in need of help. The plane was down to two engines. Iwo Jima was three hours away.

"When we finally got to Iwo, it was all socked in. Well, we didn't have enough gas to go on back down to our base at Tinian, which would have been another three hours of flying time. So we said we were going to stay right there over Iwo and try to get in there."

Parachuting to SafetyThe weather made landing the plane impossible. Despite gallant efforts, Harry's crew was never able to get their B-29 over the runway. Down to their last drop of gas, the engines began to cut out and the crew, all 11 including the injured men, had to bail out.

"I remember coming down in my chute and landing in a big foxhole. And this big old Army sergeant comes sliding down with all his pack on. 'You all right?' I said, 'Boy, am I glad to see you.'"

Thankful to SurviveAll 11 men from George's crew survived. Harry George was so thankful to be alive that he saved his parachute.

"I put it in a cardboard box. I said, 'Hey, take this back to the States and mail it to my fiancée.' When I arrived home in November, after the war was over in August, she had it made into her wedding gown. And I was married in November, and I still have the nylon wedding gown that was made up at that time."

By war's end, more than 3,000 B-29s in distress had used Iwo Jima's landing strips.

Admiral Chester Nimitz

Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima

U.S. Marines raise the flag on Mt. Suribachi

An aerial view of the tiny island of Iwo Jima

U.S. Marines try to take cover while fighting for the high ground as many lay dead on the beaches

Fallen U.S. soldiers buried on Iwo Jima