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Battle of Iwo Jima Would First B-29S Land on Iwo Jima

Battle of Iwo Jima Would First B-29S Land on Iwo Jima

CHRONOLOGY: PARTICIPANTS: and • Feb. 19, 1945: Marines attack multiple landing COMMANDERS: zones on the southern section Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz (U.S. of the island and reach part of Navy), Gen. Holland “Howlin’ Airfield #1. Mad” Smith (U.S. Marine ), Lt. Gen. (Japan) • Feb. 23: 28th Marines plant American flag STRENGTH: atop . United States (110,000 personnel, more than 26,000 total casualties, • Feb. 27: 6,821 killed), Japan (20,000 to Airfield #2 is taken. 22,000 personnel, all but approxi- mately 200 dead or missing) • March 3: Airfield #3 is cleared. SURVIVOR’S SON: • March 4: “The battle of would First B-29s land on Iwo Jima. quickly turn into a primitive contest of gladiators: Japanese gladiators • March 25: fighting from caves and tunnels The last pocket of Japanese resis- like the catacombs of the Colos- tance is defeated. seum, and American gladiators aboveground, exposed on all sides, • April 18: using liquid gasoline to burn their Last Marines leave Iwo Jima. opponents out of their lethal hiding places.

“All of this on an island five and a SOUTH, THEN NORTH: half miles long and two miles wide. American forces started attack- An area smaller than Doc Bradley’s ing Iwo Jima on Feb. 19, 1945, hometown of Antigo, but bearing 10 making landfall in different zones times the humanity. A car driving 60 that were identified by colors. miles an hour could cover its length They moved southward to secure , 1945 – March 26, 1945 in five and a half minutes. For the Mount Suribachi, which provid- The Battle of Iwo Jima was the first time United States forces directly attacked slogging, dying Marines, it would ed a high-ground advantage for territory that was part of Japan during World War II. The objective was to capture take more than a month.” viewing the battle. Marines even- the remote island and use its airfields to launch strikes on the Japanese main- tually moved north and captured – author , referencing his land. The U.S. invasion, called Operation Detachment, began on Feb. 19, 1945, father, John Bradley, an Iwo Jima survi- three airfields, two that were fin- and lasted until March 26 – five weeks of some of the bloodiest and most in- vor, in the book “” ished and one under construction. tense fighting of across a small, desolate, volcanic island.

BATTLE FACTS: • The name “Iwo Jima” means • Under Lt. Gen. Tadamichi Kurib- • On March 25, 300 “Sulfur Island.” ayashi’s leadership, the Japanese Japanese mounted a • Iwo Jima is located about 760 mounted most of their defenses final banzai attack. miles from , covers 8 square with attacks under the cover of The U.S. Marines miles and is 5 miles in length. darkness. withstood the and declared victory • The southwestern tip, Mount Su- • Battles raged the island’s north the next day. ribachi, was a dormant volcano and side for four weeks, with a Japa- much of the island was covered nese garrison occupying the moun- • Two Japanese sol- with volcanic ash and sand. tains and their caves. diers hid in caves and • Invading Marines struggled to • Marines spent weeks searching scavenged food and An aerial photo shows Mount Suribachi on the Iwo Jima island on Aug. 6, 2014. get off the beaches due to soft vol- for and killing or capturing Jap- supplies until 1949 – ( The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images ) canic sand, suffering casual- anese holdouts who refused to almost four years after the end of the war. • West Virginia native Hershel ties from Japanese . surrender and opted to fight. Woodrow “Woody” Williams is • Marines moved off the beaches • The Japanese had dug trenches • The U.S. government awarded the last surviving at dusk to capture a key airfield and tunnels that they used to move 27 soldiers the Medal of Honor for recipient who served in the South despite a by dozens around the island during fighting. their bravery during the battle. Pacific and fought at Iwo Jima. of Japanese soldiers. Sources: U.S. Marines, History.com, National World War II Museum

“We are sorry indeed we could not have defended the island successfully. Now I, Kuribayashi, believe that the enemy will invade Japan proper from this island. … I am very sorry, because I can imagine the scenes of disaster in our empire. However, I comfort myself a little, seeing my officers and men die without regret after struggling in this inch-by-inch battle against an overwhelming enemy with many and being exposed to indescribable bombardments. … I would like now to apologize to my senior and fellow officers for not being strong enough to stop the enemy invasion.” – Lt. Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi, commander of the Japanese forces at Iwo Jima, in his last radio transmission to Japanese military headquarters Layout design by Caroline Feightner and research by Dave Sutor, both of The Tribune-Democrat

Advancing U.S. troops spot a Japanese nest ahead of them during the invasion on Iwo Jima, in February U.S. Marines of the Fourth Division shield themselves in abandoned Japanese trenches and bomb craters formed 1945. One of the men is establishing its location on the map, so they can forward the information to artillery or during U.S. invasion and amphibious landing at Iwo Jima on Feb. 19, 1945, in World War II. A battered Japanese ship mortar units to wipe out these positions. (AP Photo) is in the background at right. (AP Photo/)

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