Battle of IwoJima 1945
Iwao Jima 1945 Map File , view by Google Earth
Iwao Jima 1945 Map File , view by Google Earth
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Less than 8 kilometers long, and a little less than 4 kilometers at its widest, this little island was a battlefield of hell. Having gained control of Saipan, Guam, Tenian, and other islands, the American B29 bombers long range bombing raids began to approach the Japanese home land, but, because the problem of the flight range of fighter escorts, the taking of Iwo Jima close to the home land, had become an early object of military planning. The Japanese Defenses Because the Imperial Headquarters predicted the American forces would take Iwo Jima, it evacuated the entire civilian population. It launched a program to convert Iwo Jima's caves into underground fortresses. The deepest of these were from 12 to 15 meters. Of the total of 28 kilometers of planned tunnels, 18 kilometers had been constructed before the invasion, but in Mount Suribachi only a few of the tunnels facing the American forces were completed Total number of military personnel: about 21,000 Ogasawara (the name of the island group of which Iwo is a part) Army Corps 109th Division, Mixed Second Brigade, 27th Flight Squadron, Youth Corps The Defensive Battle Plan 1 Take no action until the American bombardment was finished and their forces had landed.. 2 After the American forces had landed, when they had advanced 500 meters, begin concentrated fire. |
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Military strength of the American side: 800 warships, 4000 aircraft, 250,000 personnel Friday, February 16, 1945 Heavy navel and aerial bombardment of Iwo Jima began. Monday, February 19, 1945 2 a. m. The American flagship's guns gave the invasion signal, 100 bomber planes attacked the island, and the ships' guns continued rapid fire. 8:30 a. m. 9,000 U. S. Marines in about 130 landing craft began landing on Okina ("Old Man") Beach. The American forces gathered before 169 meter Mt. Suribachi, and having no natural cover and unable to dig foxholes in the coarse volcanic ash, suffered the rapid fire raining down from the Japanese forces. inch by inch they advanced....living and dying....the Americans cried out....@ but, by evening, about 30,000 more marines had arrived to encircle Mt. Suriban.... and little by little, approached the summit. Wednesday, February 21, 1945 Thirty two planes of the Second Shield Corps Kamikaze Special Attack Four made successful suicide attacks on the U. S. carrier Saratoga, damaging the bow, the ship's side, the bilge, and the deck, destroying 36 of her aircraft, killing about 30 personnel, and rendering the ship inoperable. Later, the flight deck of the escort carrier Bismarck Sea was attacked by 4 suicide attack planes, and that ship, after repeated explosions, sank with the loss of 350 of its crew. On Mt. Suribachi, inch by inch, yard by yard, the battle continued.... The defending Japanese troops also sustained a desperate blood bath.... Friday, February 23, 1945 10:15 a, m. U. S. Marines gained control of the summit, and the Stars and Strips was raised above Mt. Suribachi. Saturday, February 24, 1945 9:00 p. m. A Bomber plane piloted by navel aviator Ensign Nemoto flew over Iwo Island and passing through ferocious anti-aircraft fire. He was unable to land, and dropped 12 six-kilogram bombs on the American occupied area before returning to his base. The inevitable deaths of the Japanese troops continued. Friday, March 16, 1945 The American forces sent a letter to the Japanese forces advising surrender. Saturday, March 17, 1945 The heroic fight of Japanese troops continued. Lieutenant General Kuribayashi transmitted a farewell message to Imperial Headquarters. After that, until the end of June, the Japanese forces continued their hard fighting. On the Japanese side, 20,129 were killed in action and 1,033 survived. On the American side, 6,821 were killed in action and there were 21,865 casualties. On this small island in the Pacific Ocean.......... Pressing one's hands together in prayer. |
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