1. The Battle of Iwo Jima
By Kyle South

2.  The Allied Forces towards the end of 1944 were pushing the Japanese back from
their earlier conquests.
 The United States Navy and Marine Corps followed an “island hopping
campaign” under the command of Admiral Chester Nimitz.
 The United States 20th Air force captured the Mariana Islands
 This led to a large scale eruption against the industrial centers of Japan.

3.  Iwo Jima (Sulfur Island) played an essential role for fighter escorts on long
range bombing missions against the Japanese Empire because the island could
be used to repair and refuge damaged aircrafts.
 This capture would provide air bases and landing strips for many of America’s
bombardments against the Japanese, allowing repair and resupply.
 It was necessary to eliminate the launch of Japanese air attacks targeting the
Marianas.
 This airbase also had a radar station that could give up to two hours warning of
an impeding raid.

4.  The third, fourth, and fifth divisions of the U.S. Marine Corps all associated
with each other on attacking the Japanese at Iwo Jima.
 Due to the strong defenses that the Japanese possessed at Iwo Jima, the
Marines decided to weaken those defenses first by a mass bombardment.
 The United States sent more Marines to Iwo Jima than to any other battle
during World War II.
 This consisted of 110,000 Marines in 880 ships.
 This convoy of 880 ships sailed from Hawaii to Iwo Jima in 40 days.
 This was the largest armada invasion up to that time in the Pacific War.

5.  Lieutenant General TadamishiKuribayashi of Japan commanded the Japanese
ground forces and focused much of his energy on moving his troops to the
central and Northern sectors of the island.
 One of his strategies for fighting against the United States was to use an
underground system to fight off the Americans.
 Dug 1,500 rooms in rocks, caves, concrete block houses, and pillboxes that connected
with 16 miles of tunnels for a secret gunfire attack.
 The second main strategy he proclaimed is that there would be “no Japanese
survivors.”
 The last and final strategy General TadamishiKuribayashi emphasized to his
troops was to kill 10 Americans before you die in battle.

6.  Carrier Raids against Iwo Jima began in June 1944.
 Would suffer the longest, most intensive shelling of any Pacific island during World
War II.
 The 7th Air Force supplied B-24 Bombers and the Marines requested a 10 day
pre-invasion bombardment.
 Navy planners authorized 3 days of Naval Bombardment.
 The bombardments all played a key role into the D-day of Iwo Jima.

7.  D-day began on February 19, 1944 and more than 450 ships massed off Iwo Jima
still bombarding it.
 Marines of the 4th and 5th divisions landed on Iwo Jima roughly around 9 a.m.
 There was little enemy resistance, but volcanic sand slowed most Marines and their
vehicles down.
 Japanese attacked from their underground positions, but the Marines pushed
forward due to the protection of naval gunfire.
 4th Marine Division took Quarry, a Japanese strongpoint.
 5th Marine Division isolated Mount Suribachi.

8.  On February 20th , the 28th Marines secured the southern end of Iwo Jima along
with Mount Suribachi.
 1/3 of the island and the Motoyama Airfield were now controlled completely by
the Marines.
 February 23, 1944 the 28th Marines reached the top of Mount Suribachi and
raised the United States Flag.

9.  The 3rd Marine Division began securing the center of the island.
 The Japanese knew that the Marines would surpass them, but they were going
to die trying to stop them.
 The Marines worked together to drive the enemy to higher ground because the
Japanese fought below ground.
 There were no front lines. The Marines fought above ground and the Japanese fought
below. Marines rarely saw active Japanese soldiers, but the Japanese could see the
Marines clearly
 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 points on the Northern part of the island.
 This section also included an area know as “Turkey Knob” which housed a large
enemy communications center and the “Amphitheater” an extension of the hill.

10.  The 3rd Marine Division encountered the most heavily fortified position when
they moved to take Airfield Number 2.
 Frontal assault was the method used to make it past rigorous defenses.
 At nightfall the 3rd Division reached the northeastern beach, cutting the enemy
defenses in two.
 The 5th Marine Division pushed up the Western coast from the central airfield
to the Northern tip.
 The 4th Marine Division held and seized the Eastern part of the island, but
encountered a “mini banzai” attack.
 700 enemy forces were killed ending the resistance of enemy forces in the 4th
Division’s sector.

11.  The 3rd ,4th, and 5th Marine Divisions met on the coast of Iwo Jima on March 10,
1944 in unison.
 On March 4, 1944 the first emergency landing was made by a B-29 bomber and
with repairs made and refueling complete the aircraft was ready to complete its
mission.
 On March 11 operations entered its final phases.
 Enemy resistance was no longer centralized and individual pockets of resistance were
taken one by one.
 March 26 1944, the island of Iwo Jima was declared secure.
 On April 4, 1944 the U.S. Army’s 147th Infantry regiment assumed ground
control.
 They relieved the largest body of Marines committed in combat in one operation
during World War II.

12.  26,000 American casualties
 6,800 died
 Of the 20,000 Japanese defenders only 1,083 survived.
 The Marines efforts proved vital to the U.S. chain of bomber bases.
 2,400 B-29 bombers carried 27,000 crewman as a result of unscheduled
landings on the island.
 27 Medals of Honor were awarded to Marines and sailors.
 More than were awarded for any other single operation during the war.

13.  On February 23, 1944 at 8 a.m., 40 men from 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd
Battalion, 28th Marines, led by 1st Lieutenant Harold G. Schrier raised the U.S.
flag atop Mount Suribachi’s peak.
 This symbol of victory moved and strengthened with Americans below, and
sent a mental blow to the Japanese.
 This flag and event symbolizes the spirit of the Corps to all Marines.

14.  http://search.proquest.com.proxygsu-
cel1.galileo.usg.edu/docview/1011296170/abstract?source=fedsrch&accountid=9
988
 http://search.proquest.com.proxygsu-
cel1.galileo.usg.edu/docview/1009878371/citation?source=fedsrch&accountid=9
988
 http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/battleiwojima.htm
 http://www.iwojima.com/
 http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_iwojima.html
 http://www.history.com/topics/battle-of-iwo-jima