The Battle of Iwo Jima

In the middle of the Pacific, only 650 nautical miles south of Tokyo, Japan, sits a tiny, desolate eight square mile volcanic island that is appropriately named Iwo Jima, meaning "sulfur island." Only sixty-two years ago, this island was the site of the bloodiest battle in Marine Corp history.

Iwo Jima's most prominent feature is Mount Suribachi, the island's five hundred forty six foot tall dormant volcano.

Before 1943 about 1,100 Japanese civilians lived on the island. They supported themselves by sulphur mining, growing cane, and sugar refining.

Late in World War II, around 1943, the Japanese identified Iwo Jima as a likely target for the American forces in the Pacific. The airfield on Iwo Jima was needed by the United States to aid in the increasing bombing raids on Japan. Japanese on Iwo Jima were also using the island to send out fighter planes to shoot down enemy aircraft headed for Japan and to detect oncoming enemy aircraft using radar.

The Japanese military assigned General Tadimichi Kuribayashi to the task of building defenses on Iwo Jima. General Kuribayashi was well-liked in Japan. He was one of few Japanese soldiers ever to be granted an audience with Emperor Hirohito. He was well educated, having gone to school in the United States and Canada. Since he had spent time in the United States he knew his American enemy well.

When General Kuribayashi first got to Iwo Jima, he immediately ordered the approximately 1,100 Japanese civilians left on the island to leave. He began developing a complex defense plan, even though he realized that once the battle began, escape for the Japanese would not be an option because of Iwo Jima's remote location. He then called for mining engineers to come from Japan to design and build a huge system of caves and tunnels on Iwo Jima. The purpose of the caves and tunnels was to protect all the Japanese troops and supplies that would eventually be stationed on the island since any surface installations would not be able to withstand naval and air bombardment.

By August of 1944, twelve thousand two hundred Japanese were on Iwo Jima preparing the island to withstand a massive invasion. About seventy-five percent of the troops on Iwo Jima were detailed to tunneling. A somewhat steady flow of supplies came to Iwo Jima from Japan, although American planes and submarines sank several Japanese supply ships enroute to Iwo Jima.

The Japanese mixed the black volcanic sand, which was plentiful on Iwo Jima, with concrete to make superior quality concrete for building heavily concealed pillboxes. They buried tanks so that only the end of the turret was showing.

The lives of the Japanese soldiers whose job was to create tunnels on Iwo Jima were very tough. When underground, the men were exposed to temperature of ninety to one hundred thirty degrees Fahrenheit. They had to pay special attention to ventilation because of toxic sulfur fumes that were often present.

All of the Japanese work paid off eventually. The tunnels, some five stories deep, were deep enough underground that they were fully immune to naval and air bombardments. They had multiple entrances and exits and many were linked together. From the fortifications in Mount Suribachi, almost anywhere on the island could be seen and fired upon. The Japanese were everywhere on the island and they were ready to defend Iwo Jima and become martyrs for the Japanese emperor whom they believed was a god.

General Kuribayashi created a strict defense plan before to the battle. He ordered all Japanese artillery to stay silent during the prelanding bombardment so they did not give away their position. He told his soldiers not to fire on the Marines when they would land, but rather to wait until the beach had become crowded and the marines got about five hundred meters inland. After doing as much damage as possible to the landing forces, the Japanese were supposed to move north to man other defenses. General Kuribayashi wanted to wear down his potential invaders. He ordered that no large counterattacks, banzai charges, or withdrawals were to take place. The Japanese were to defend their positions to the end. They knew they were going to die, so General Kuribayashi ordered that each Japanese would kill ten Americans before losing his own life.

By autumn of 1944, the United States military was trying to decide which route to take to Japan. Admiral King first came up with the idea of taking Iwo Jima. His superiors agreed and a study of the island was issued.

The United States Marines created a whole new Marine division just for the invasion of Iwo Jima. It was called the Fifth Marine Division. The Fifth Division Marines started training at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California, for the amphibious landing. On September 19, 1944, they sailed out of San Diego to Camp Tarawa in Hawaii for more extensive training. Camp Tarawa was chosen because it resembled the terrain of Iwo Jima, the island destination that only a few high ranking officers knew would be the troops' destination. In November of 1944 a small number of training staff on Tarawa were told that their destination would be Iwo Jima.

The Fifth Marine Division departed Camp Tarawa in the dead of night after four months of training. The four thousand mile trip to Iwo Jima was estimated to be about a three week journey. Once they were far out at sea, the Marines were told what their destination would be. For the rest of the trip, they held daily sessions about the island and final preparations. On February 11, 1944, at Saipan, the Fifth Marine Division rendezvoused with the Third and Fourth Marine divisions for the final leg of the journey.

The Navy pounded Iwo Jima for seventy-two days by air and sea before the battle began. At one point, before the start of the battle, five-thousand shell holes were counted on the island. The Marines wanted the island's defenses to be diminished as much as possible before the invasion. (Buell)

At 0200 hours on February 19, 1945, one hundred bombers attacked Iwo Jima and not long after, a huge naval barrage began, sometimes from ships only two-thousand yards offshore. By 0640 hours the transports had arrived in the transport area. Meanwhile, the US Marines and the Navy personnel who were just hours away from HHour, the time of the landing, were eating the traditional DDay meal of steak and eggs, for many of them it was their last warm meal. At 0735 hours all the LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank) were in place and at 0805 hours all the LVTs (which means Landing Vehicle Tracked) were launched. Everything was in place for HHour which was planned for 0900 hours.

HHour came and the first wave landed at 0902 hours , followed by the second wave at 0905 hours. The assault was led by sixty-eight LVT armored amtracs equipped with 75 mm canons. Then came 380 LVTs with the Marines and Navy support crews. (Alexander)

Within the first few minutes, 6,000 United States troops were ashore on the thirty five hundred yard beach that the US military had split into seven parts: Green, Red 1, Red 2, Yellow 1, Yellow 2, Blue 1, and Blue 2.

The first Marines ashore thought that the Japanese strength had been exaggerated or had been greatly weakened by the Navy bombardment prior to the battle because there was barely any enemy fire. The Marines had played right into General Kuribayashi's hands. As soon as the beaches were crowded and the naval barrage had moved further inland, (about 0915 hours) the Japanese enemy opened fire on the beach. The beaches were not heavily manned by Japanese soldiers, but the guns on Mount Suribachi and elsewhere on the island could easily target the beach as well as anywhere else on the island.

The Marine commanders had planned a "rolling barrage" for HHour. With the help of air spotters, the US Navy would concentrate their fire so that it always remained four hundred yards in front of the advancing Marines.

The unloading of equipment on the beach was extremely difficult because of the soft volcanic ash, often called "the black sands". Many vehicles and landing crafts became bogged down in the sand and had to wait for a tractor to come and pull them out. The beach quickly became full of debris. (19)

The waves of Marines kept coming ashore. Each wave was allowed thirty minutes to travel 4,000 yards to shore. By 1030 hours all eight assault waves were ashore.

Within ninety minutes of HHour, the 1^st Battalion, 28^th Marines, reached the Western shore, seven hundred yards from Green Beach. Their job was to take Mount Suribachi, one of the Marine's first objectives. The 27^th Marines reached the first airfield by about noon on DDay.

During the early hours on DDay, the most casualties were inflicted on the Seabees and other support units.

During the first eighteen hours of the battle, 548 US soldiers were killed and 1,775 were injured.

By the end of DDay, the Marines had only captured half of their original objective. They had successfully cut off Mount Suribachi from the rest of the island but had not captured it. The Marines had also captured a portion of the first airfield.

The night of February 19, 1945, was a very tough one for the Marines on Iwo Jima. The Japanese who were concealed in caves all around the Marines continually attempted to infiltrate US lines. It was said that if you fell asleep you were more than likely to have your throat cut or be killed by the Japanese in some other way. To try and protect the Marines from infiltration, the Navy lit star shells to illuminate the island.

When the morning of February 20^th came, the Marines who survived the night were extremely relieved to still be alive but were disheartened to find that a bitterly cold wind had picked up and the surf conditions on the beach were gradually deteriorating.

The 28^thRegiment who had cut off Mount Suribachi had a tough day ahead. They had to attempt to take Mount Suribachi. The rest of the force were preparing to secure the first and second airfields.

The Navy again bombarded the island with bombs, napalm, and shells. The 28th Regiment had only gained seventy-five yards toward Mount Suribachi by noon.

Colonel Atsuchi, the Japanese commander of Mount Suribachi, suggested to General Kuribayashi that he send his troops on a banzai attack, which was a suicidal charge against the U.S. enemy by Japanese soldiers. General Kuribayashi who had before the attack strictly ordered no banzai attacks, did not bother to reply.

The 28^th Regiment made barely any progress during the afternoon, so they dug in for the night.

At the Northern front the right (facing away from Mount Suribachi) was at the quarry and the left was swinging to try to straighten out the line. By 1200 hours most of the first airfield had been captured by the Marines. Another regiment was set to come ashore to help with fighting around the first airfield, but unfavorable surf conditions and clogged beaches made them have to return to their transports.

By the end of the day of February 20^th, the Marines had about a quarter of the island secured but at a terrible cost. During the afternoon, cold rain began falling and weather conditions deteriorated rapidly. The Marines were in for another cold, dangerous night.

Wednesday's attack plan was for the 28^th Regiment to take Mount Suribachi while the rest of the force moved north. The Marines awoke to colder and rainier weather than the day before. Six foot waves crashed into the beach, causing it to be shut down and making it impossible for new supplies and replacements to be sent ashore.

Again, the Navy provided air and sea barrages along the front lines. More than forty carrier planes launched an assault on Mount Suribachi at about 0845 hours, paving the way for the 28^th Regiment's tough task of again attempting to capture the dormant volcano. The air bombardment tore up the ground around the mountain and revealed many of the hidden Japanese pillboxes.

The Marines attempting to take Mount Suribachi had their job made even more difficult when they were not able to receive tank support because of a refueling problem. Despite the lack of tanks, the U.S. created a semicircle around the mountain and again had to dig in for the night.

At the northern front sixty-eight planes bombarded the Japanese. The Marines were pushing on toward airfield number two.

In the East, the 4^th Division was still fighting the extremely bloody battle for the quarry.

After another cold, dangerous night, the Marines were again ready to renew their attack. They awoke Thursday, February 22^nd, to even worse weather, this time icy rain and low mists. Due to the bad weather, the Navy refused air and sea support. All the areas on the island had been supplied overnight with ammo and other needed equipment and rations.

For the US personnel on the ships around the island, the day proved to be a tough one. Japanese kamikazes flew in from a nearby island and attacked the fleet. The Bismarck Sea was sunk and the Saratoga was damaged enough that it had to sail back to Pearl Harbor. Several other ships were hit, but without significant damage.

On the island, the 28^th Regiment again renewed their attack on Mount Suribachi. They attacked the Japanese so closely that tank support for the Marines was unavailable due to the close proximity of the lines. By the afternoon the Marines had Mount Suribachi surrounded. The Marines had reduced the Japanese hidden in the mountain to just a few hundred. The remaining Japanese either infiltrated American lines to go fight in the North or moved upward to the summit of the mountain. Any of the Japanese who were able to infiltrate American lines to go fight in the North were, instead of being treated as heroes, severely reprimanded for not defending their posts to their death.

In the North near the second airfield, the Marines were getting badly needed replacements because the current soldiers had received little food, water, and sleep. The Marines in the North again had only small gains, this time on 250 yards.

In the East the Marines were still fighting for the quarry. Rocket trucks were brought in to provide support.

The still-closed beach was crowded with debris and dead or wounded soldiers.

By the end of the fourth day the American personnel on Iwo Jima had suffered 4,574 casualties. The worst was still to come.

Friday, February 23, 1945, proved to be a better day weather-wise and in some cases fighting-wise for the Marines on Iwo Jima.

This day was the day the 28^th Regiment was finally able to capture Mount Suribachi. At 0800 Lieutenant Colonel Chandler Johnson ordered that Mount Suribachi's summit was to be secured. Shortly afterwards, Captain Naylor ordered Sergeant Sherman Watson to take a small reconnaissance patrol up the mountain to look for enemy positions atop the mountain. Sergeant Watson hand-picked three trusted friends to go with him to the top of the mountain. They amazingly safely made it to the top, and after a quick look around returned to their company's headquarters to report what they saw. They observed that they had not seen any Japanese, but they suspected they were dug in on top of the mountain because they did observe several emplacements inside the crater. The report was passed on to Lt. Colonel Chandler Johnson who then ordered Harold Shrier to take a larger patrol up the mountain.

The 40-man patrol led by Harold Shrier (also known as Hal Shrier) journeyed up the mountain toward the summit. No one expected them to make it to the top, and everyone on the island and on the boats off the island watched anxiously. Before they started to the summit, Johnson handed Shrier a small flag and said, "If you get to the top, put this up." Miraculously, they made it to the top without much event. Shrier immediately ordered the Marines to create a defensive perimeter facing inward toward the crater. Harold Shrier then ordered a small group of Marines to find a pole and put the flag up. They found a Japanese water pipe that had several bullet or shrapnel holes in it. They tied the small flag to the pole and raised it. This was the first American flag ever raised on Japanese home territory. Sergeant Lou Lowery, a photographer for Leatherneck magazine, photographed the whole event of climbing the mountain and raising the flag. Immediately a loud roar rang out over the island. The ships rang their bells, and marines on the island yelled and banged things together.

The Japanese, enraged that the Americans had raised the flag began to come out from their caves around the summit. The Marines easily repelled their attacks and spent most of the rest of the day mopping up the Japanese emplacements atop Suribachi. The only casualty on Suribachi that day was Lou Lowery, who had photographed the flag raising. He was injured while trying to dodge a Japanese grenade and fell into the crater. He broke his camera but his film was fine.

About an hour after the first flag raising it was decided that the flag was too small and that it needed to be taken down and be preserved as an extremely important historical artifact. A larger flag was given to runner Rene Gagnon who took it to the top of the mountain. He along with four other Marines and a Navy Corpsman strung the flag to a pole and raised it at the same time the first flag was taken down. The second flag raising was photographed by Joe Rosenthal. Rosenthal was talking with Bill Genaust, a man standing next to him with a motion picture camera, and almost missed the flag raising but was able to take a quick shot. His now famous photo of the second flag raising received much attention and was the focus of the 7^th War Loan Drive. It is the most reproduced photograph ever. This is discussed more in depth later in this paper.

In the North, the day was mostly a day of replenishment, but a stalemate was occurring south of the airfield and north of the quarry. A major offensive was being planned for the next day to break the stalemate.

February 24, 1945, was going to be a tough one for the Marines. The Navy provided a heavy barrage along the front lines which were now confined to the North since Suribachi had already been captured and secured. The front was also pounded by carrier aircraft and by Marine artillery and mortars.

A mass of tanks had gathered at the airfields, but the Japanese Colonel Ikeda had anticipated that move and had mined the area. The first few tanks were disabled by mines, so tank support had to be cancelled. The Marines had to take out the pillboxes with small arms. The Japanese were hidden in the high ground while the Marines attacked in the open. The Japanese defenders then came out of their caves and pillboxes, and the two enemies started fighting hand to hand with knives, bayonets, swords, and even clubs. Eventually, after very tough fighting, the Marines were able to take the high ground. They were determined to keep their gains, and they dug in for the night. Throughout the night, the Seabees on tractors and trailers bravely brought in load after load of ammunition and other supplies.

February 25, 1945, had many objectives for the Marines. The ships off shore were still packed full of supplies but were beginning to be needed elsewhere so the supplies had to be unloaded. The problem with this was that the Japanese still occupied much of the high ground around airfield number two and could easily bomb the beach. Therefore, the Marines' first objective was to take the high ground at the second airfield. Harry Schmidt, the 4^th Marine Division commander, also hoped that the middle of the front line would soon be able to press all the way to the North coast in order to split the Japanese in two.

Despite the fact that it was still in the range of Japanese artillery, over two thousand Seabees were fixing the first airfield so it could be used for crippled bombers coming back from Japan, and for a better way for supplies to be brought to the island.

Taking the high ground near the second airfield meant taking "Hill Peter," a 360 feet hill right next to the runway. It was the most fortified Japanese position. The 1^st Battalion 3^rd Division continually stormed "Hill Peter" without any luck. They were only able to gain about two hundred yards.

The 5^th Division's lines on the left were already four hundred yards ahead of the 3^rd Division's line.

On the left, the 4^th Division was encountering some of the toughest fighting seen through the whole battle. They were battling for the "Meatgrinder," a 382 foot tall hill, the "Amphitheatre", a shallow depression, "Turkey Knob," named because one Marine called the fighting here "a turkey shoot," and Minami, the old Japanese village.

At 0800 hours, a Naval barrage started against the "Meatgrinder." Thirty-eight hundred Marines began trying to take the hill. One group of Marines was able to make it to the top, only to be counterattacked by a group of Japanese soldiers. Many were killed and wounded, but some were able to escape through the thick smoke. Darkness came and the Marines settled in for the night, not yet taking the "Meatgrinder." In the dead of night a few brave men ventured out to the "Meatgrinder" to rescue ten wounded marines still trapped there after the Japanese counterattack.

The Marines awoke Monday, February 26, to a sunny but chilly day. It had been a week since the Marines first landed on the island.

In the center, the 3^rd Division was still fighting for "Hill Peter." They had plenty of tank support. One tank with a flamethrower was able to infiltrate the Japanese line and burn several fleeing Japanese to death. Despite this, the hill still was defiant and the 3^rd Division's gains were few.

The 5^th Division was attacking Hill 362A which was near the Japanese village of Nishi. They had ample tank support but were only able to gain about one hundred yards.

The Marines at the "Meatgrinder" were replaced by a new regiment so a fresh attack was ready on the hill. The Marines quickly gained a hundred yards but supporting fire from the "Turkey Knob" halted their advance. They had to retreat under the cover of smoke grenades and then stop for the night.

For most of February 27, the 3^rd and 4^th Divisions would gain a little towards their objectives then get pushed back, gain a little then get pushed back, etcetera. Both divisions were able to gain a little bit. The 5^th Division were also able to gain only a little bit of ground.

Tank support for all three divisions was beginning to be hard to get. As the fighting pushed north, the terrain became worse. Tankdozers, a tank fitted with a bulldozer, had to be brought in to clear the way for regular tanks.

By the cover of darkness, a few brave Japanese pilots flew in from a nearby island and attempted to parachute badly needed supplies to the Japanese. Three of the planes were shot down, but a few parachutes were dropped and the Japanese got a little bit of food and ammunition. This was the only time during the battle that the Japanese military attempted to supply the Japanese soldiers.

February 28^th was the day that the battle was predicted to have been won. The Americans were not even close to their objective.

The 3^rd Division had a good day. The 3^rd Battalion was able to quickly push on toward the North Coast under a huge naval and air barrage. They came to the ruins of Motoyama, the largest village on Iwo Jima, before the Japanese evacuated the island. The Marines took out a few Japanese snipers and scattered emplacements around the village and then pushed on to the high ground around the third airfield. The 1^st and 2^nd Battalions mopped up the Japanese emplacements that the 3^rd Battalion had bypassed as they quickly pushed forward.

On the left, the 5^th Division was still fighting for hill 362A. Rocket trucks were brought in to support the Marines. A group of Marines reached the top of the hill but were quickly pushed back by the Japanese. The only battalion in the 5^th Division to have significant gains was the 1^st Battalion which gained about three hundred yards. One of the 5^th Division's supply dumps was hit by a Japanese shell. The result was a huge pyrotechnic display as the shells and bullets exploded. The 5^th Division lost about a fourth of their total supplies.

On the right, the 4^th Division was still fighting the bloody battle for the "Meatgrinder" and "Turkey Knob." It seemed that they could never gain any ground against them. Repeated attempts to surround them failed.

March 1^st was the tenth day after DDay.

The 3^rd Division was hoping for a day as successful as the previous one. By noon they were across the runway of the third airfield which was still under construction. They continued to push forward but were stopped by Hill 362B and Hill 362C. Their quick advance ended here. They did not make it any further on this day.

The 5^th Division on the left renewed their attack on Hill 362A. They could not advance until this hill had been captured. After an intense shelling by the U.S. Navy, the Japanese abandoned the hill and through their series of tunnels escaped to Nishi Ridge. Nishi Ridge was a cliffline two hundred yards farther north.

On the right, the 4^th Division still couldn't advance because of the "Meatgrinder" and "Turkey Knob." The battle there went back and forth, but again the Marines barely made any gains. Many blamed the stalemate on the lack of training of the replacements that were constantly coming to help. Many of the replacements had worked on mess duties or other non-combat training roles, so when they were called into combat they had no idea what to do.

March 2^nd proved to be a fairly good day for the 3^rd and 5^th Divisions, but the 4^th Division was still locked in a stalemate at the "Meatgrinder."

The 3^rd Division, only fifteen hundred yards from the North Coast, was the most successful of the day. They pushed on toward Hill 362B and 362C. The area leading up to the hills was easily targeted by surrounding Japanese gun and artillery replacements. The Marines used the cover of tanks to push forward toward the hills. By the end of the day, they were able to gain five hundred yards.

The 5^th Division was anxious to capture Nishi Ridge. Tanks blasted the cliffs, as the Marines advanced. They made it to a ravine between the ridge and Hill 362A, which they had earlier captured.

At the 4^th Division lines before dawn, a single battalion from the 25^th regiment infiltrated the Japanese lines around the "Meatgrinder" but were easily pushed back when the sun came up. By the end of the day, the 26^th Regiment was able to capture all the way to the bottom of the "Meatgrinder" but at terrible costs.

By March 3, 1945, only seven thousand of the original twenty-one thousand Japanese remained on the island. The U.S. citizens back home were getting anxious because the battle's time and casualty numbers far surpassed anything anyone expected.

The 3^rd Division was not making many gains, so Hill 362B was transferred to the 5^th Division's sector.

The 5^th Division had a great day. Not only did they capture their newest objective, Hill 362B, but they also captured Nishi Ridge. There was no celebrating though, because the day's great gains came at extremely high costs.

The 4^th Division's woes continued to worsen. They just could not take the "Meatgrinder" or "Turkey Knob." Tank support was becoming difficult because of the rough terrain. Engineers came in and worked, with little success, to create a way for the tanks to pass.

March 4 wasn't a very good day weather-wise. An icy drizzle, fell and thick clouds covered the island. Naval and air bombardment were out of the question due to the harsh weather. The Japanese were beginning to run low on supplies, but they were determined to die a brave death for their country.

Neither the 3^rd or 4^th Divisions made significant gains.

The 5^th Division continued taking out enemy pillboxes and caves.

During the day, the crippled American B29 Superfortess "Dinah Might" made an emergency landing on the island's newly restored first airfield. The bomber had been damaged during an air raid over the Japanese mainland. Seeing the bomber land on Iwo Jima greatly strengthened the Marine's morale, because they were reminded of why they were fighting for the island.

March 5^th was declared a day of rest and replenishment. Fresh food, ammunition, and other needed supplies were brought to the front. The Japanese continued to bomb the American lines, despite the fact that the Marines were not attacking. Several ships in the U.S. Navy's fleet left to prepare for other invasions. Several U.S. Mustang and Black Widow fighter planes landed on the island and readied themselves in case they were needed.

March 6^th was not a good day for the Marines, especially considering that they had had a day of rest and were expected to be ready for a hard day of fighting.

The day began with a huge bombardment by the Navy, one of the heaviest during the battle. In just over one hour, 22,500 rounds were shot at the Japanese line. Several planes strafed and bombed the island.

In the middle, the 3^rd Division barely made progress. One group of men were able to reach a ridge, and from there they could see the North coast and the ocean, but they were quickly driven backwards.

The 5^th Division was pinned down by machine gun and mortar fire. Support from flamethrower tanks, nicknamed "Zippos", did not have much positive effect for the Marines. It was said that hill 362B was pretty much destroyed by the 5^th Division.

The 4^th Division made little progress, but the 1^st Battalion was able to gain a little over 350 yards.

March 7^th was a daring one for the 3^rd Division, in the middle. General Erskine ordered a night attack in an attempt to take Hill 362C, one of the few heavily fortified areas holding the 3^rd Division back from the North Coast. The 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Battalions began their daring advance at about 0500 hours. They were able to slowly and quietly advance for thirty minutes but a single Japanese machine gunner heard the 1^st Battalion and opened fire on them. The 1^st Battalion continued to advance and stormed the hill, feeling relieved that they had safely reached their objective. Their joy did not last long though because when their commander checked his map, he realized that they were on Hill 331 instead of Hill 362C. The rest of the 3^rd Division was moving along on the 1^st Battalion's right. They were surrounded by a Japanese tank regiment and were trapped. The Marines were trapped until the next day, and fighting continued in the area, later named "Cushman's Pocket" after the Lietenant Colonel who led them there, for six days.

On the left, the 5^th Division advanced to Nishi Village, where they found little or no Japanese resistance. They climbed the ridge near the village, and suddenly the whole ridge disappeared in a large explosion. The Japanese had mined their command post on the ridge. Forty-three Marines were buried in the rubble.

In the East, the 4^th Division made a clever strategical move, by beginning one way and suddenly swinging another way. The Japanese did not know what to do, so a banzai attack was planned even though General Kuribayashi had strictly forbidden them. At about midnight, the Japanese charged. They wielded swords, grenades, small arms, and bamboo spears. Their goal was to infiltrate the American lines and to raise a Japanese flag on Mount Suribachi. They thought that the airfields would be lightly manned so they could slip past and destroy the American flag and then raise the Japanese flag to inspire the Japanese troops on the island. Almost all the Japanese participating in the charge, nearly 800, were killed by machine gun fire and hand to hand fighting.

March 8^th was not very eventful. The 3^rd Division was still fighting for Cushman's Pocket so they could continue their push for the sea. The 4^th Division was still in a stalemate near "Turkey Knob." Nothing of much significance occurred in the 5^th Division lines.

On March 9^th, the 3^rd Division finally succeeded in making it to the North Coast, cutting off the Japanese right and left lines from each other. The 3^rd Division Marines immediately began celebrating and jumping in the ocean, but their celebration turned dangerous as the Japanese started firing mortars at the area. The Marines quickly dashed for the cliffs.

The 4^th and 5^th Divisions made very few gains for the day.

Many consider March 10^th the climax or at least near the climax of the battle.

The 4^th Division and the 5^th Division had yet to make it to the North Coast. The 4^th were still fighting near "Turkey Knob" and the 3^rd in "Cushman's Pocket."

The Japanese were quickly running out of men, ammunition, food, and water.

By March 11^th, the battle was winding down. Organized Japanese resistance was confined to three small areas; Cushman's Pocket, an area on the East coast between Higashi village and the sea, and Death Valley, the area from which General Kuribayashi was leading the remaining Japanese forces and that he had set up for the Japanese to take their last stand. The Japanese and American lines came so close that artillery and tank fire were often not safe and, therefore, unavailable because of the risk of hitting their own troops.

On March 14^th, in an attempt to diminish public outcry over the high casualty numbers among the Americans during the battle, the island was declared secure. It was said that this ceremony, held near Mount Suribachi, declaring the island secure, was so ironic because the reader of the statement, Harry Schmidt, had most of his words drowned out by an artillery barrage on the North side of the island. The battle still had eleven days left and many more young Marines were destined to die.

In the North, the 3^rd Division was still engaged in heavy fighting in and around Cushman's Pocket. The Marines fought on until the Japanese had exhausted their supply of ammunition and were easily killed, or in rare cases, captured.

Japanese prisoners estimated that there were only about three hundred fighting men left in the area east of Higashi. They began the hard and dangerous task of killing off the rest of the Japanese near Higashi. It took another four days until the three hundred Japanese were killed.

The only area still containing organized Japanese resistance was "Death Valley", which was estimated to be about seven hundred yards by four hundred yards. The Marines attacked from three sides. The main part of the fighting for Death Valley lasted about one week. On the evening of March 23^rd, the last radio transmission, "All officers and men of Chichi Jima,- goodbye from Iwo," was received on Chichi Jima from the Japanese on Iwo Jima. By March 24^th, the Japanese were confined to a fifty square foot section of Death Valley.

Early in the morning of March 26, the Marines were sleeping, most of them not alert because they believed the battle was pretty much over. In the final organized violence of the battle, about two or three hundred remaining Japanese infiltrated the American lines, making it to an American tent encampment. The Japanese stabbed sleeping men, slashed tents, threw grenades, and fired small arms. The Marines, and other support units who were encamped in the area, engaged the Japanese in vicious hand-to-hand fighting. By dawn, after the Japanese had been killed or captured, the American death toll for the morning was tallied to be forty-four airmen and nine Marines. One hundred nineteen were wounded. Only eighteen Japanese were captured, the rest being killed during the struggle. The battle was officially over, although there was still a little bit of mopping up of Japanese caves and pillboxes to be done. (Wright),(Buell)

The Marines left Iwo Jima in late March and early April, and Army units took control of the island. After the battle, the Army killed or captured an additional one thousand six hundred Japanese soldiers who were still hiding around the island. The Army had the tough task of cleaning up the island, mainly the beach. Most of the debris was bulldozed away and cut up for scrap metal.

The final American death toll for Iwo Jima was 6,821. 19,217 Americans were wounded, and 2,648 suffered combat fatigue, for a total of 28,868 casualties. Of the 6,821 killed 5,931 were Marines, 633 Navy pilots and personnel on ships, 195 Navy corpsmen, fifty-one seabees, two doctors, and nine Army units. More than one third of the Marines taking part in the battle were a casualty.

An incredible twenty-seven Congressional Medal of Honors were awarded, more than one-fourth the total number awarded during the entire Second World War.

Out of the original estimate of twenty-two thousand Japanese on the island, 1,083 were taken captive, and the rest were killed or committed suicide.

Although many historians questioned whether Iwo Jima was even worth the cost, it certainly was a help to the Americans' attempt to end the war as soon as possible. After the battle, a total of 2,251 B29 Superfortresses made emergency landings on the island. The planes carried a total of 24,761 crew members, who would have died in crash landings into the ocean if Iwo Jima had not been taken.

Only four men of the forty man patrol that first climbed Mount Suribachi walked off the island unhurt. The rest were either killed or wounded. (Buell)

Of the six raisers of the second flag, only three survived the battle. John Bradley, Rene Gagnon, and Ira Hayes were brought home from the island to lead a large war bond drive to raise money for the United States's war effort, whose money had already been far expended. The drive was based on the famous flag-raising picture that had captured the heart of millions of Americans. The drive raised an amazing 23.3 billion dollars, more than twice the goal. The flag-raising picture was eventually made into a postage stamp and put on just about anything you can imagine.

None of the three flag raisers was happy with his new fame. Ira Hayes, who became an alcoholic during the tour, died in the 1950s. Rene Gagnon never really got a good job after the bond tour. He died a janitor. John Bradley went on to open up a funeral home in Wisconsin. He died in the 1990s.

The famous Iwo Jima flag raising picture was used as the symbol for the Marine Corp Memorial which was dedicated on November 10, 1954. The huge sculpture of the flag-raising took eight years to complete.

The Americans returned control of the island to Japan in 1968, upsetting many Marines who had made great sacrifices during the battle. There is now a runway down the middle of the main part of the island. A small Japanese base is located on the island. The American military sometimes uses the island for tactical training. It has long been rumored that the Americans have nuclear weapons hidden on Iwo Jima. The American flag is flown on the island only four times a year.

In modern times, every year, American and Japanese veterans return to Iwo Jima, this time in peace to honor their lost comrades. A ceremony involving both nations is held at exactly noon each year at the Reunion of Honor Memorial on the island. The island still contains the remains of twelve thousand soldiers from both sides. Many pillboxes, blockhouses, artillery, and other signs of the battle can still be seen on Iwo Jima today. Americans wishing to travel to Iwo Jima can only go once a year for the Reunion of Honor, unless they have special permission from the Japanese government. Japanese families are allowed to travel to Iwo Jima a little bit more often since most of their dead still remain on the island.

Most of the island's vegetation has grown back and Mount Suribachi has risen about thirty feet since the battle.

The Battle of Iwo Jima changed the lives of many of the soldiers who fought in it, as well as many who did not. The number of Iwo Jima veterans is quickly dwindling. The battle helped defeat Japan, produced the most widely reproduced photograph in history, ruined families, and left a never-ending legacy for later generations.