Iwo Jima
On December 8th, 1941 the United States of America declared war on the Empire of Japan in response to its attack on Pearl Harbor the prior day. Congress drafted the “Declaration of War” an hour after the acclaimed “Infamy Speech” of Franklin Roosevelt.
The method to be employed by the U.S military in its quest to defeat the Japanese in the Pacific was to be known as the “Island Hopping” strategy. This strategy would allow the United States to gain military bases and secure the many small islands in the Pacific region. It was a long and tedious process to go from island to island, but nevertheless the Marines were able to accomplish their mission. As they approached the main land of Japan, one island was an obstruent for establishing
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a gateway for the United States to successfully attack and bomb Japan’s homeland. This island is known as Iwo Jima. On February 19th, 1945, the United States and the Empire of Japan engaged in a ferocious battle for the island. The small island was approximately 660 miles away from mainland Japan. The Battle of Iwo Jima remains one of the largest battles in Marine Corps history, with some 75,144 men being deployed to fight (Navy Departmental Library, Battle of Iwo Jima). This battle also marked the first time that American casualties were higher than Japanese casualties in an amphibious assault. Yet, after 35 long days on that island, the Marines were able to secure their objective, as always. This twelve-square-mile island was 660 miles away from the Japan and was under the control of the Japanese Empire. At the time, the U.S B-29 bombers were flying out of Saipan and the Marianas to attack Japan’s mainland, but Iwo Jima allowed the Japanese to ensure that those bombers would not be able to traverse the airspace necessary to drop munitions on the mainland. The small island held a strategic importance to the United States because it contained three airfields that could be utilized by the United States. This was one of the main reasons why Japan defended the island so heavily. Also, because of the distance between Japan and the nearest U.S base in the Mariana Islands, the securing Iwo Jima would provide emergency landing strips for crippled B-29s returning from bombing runs (Symonds, 184). Capturing Iwo Jima was critical, and necessity for the United States, but it did not come easy to them. The general in command of the Imperial Japanese forces at Iwo Jima was Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi.
During both the preparation and the battle for Iwo Jima, Lieutenant General Kuribayashi displayed that he was one of Japan’s finest leaders and tactician. In preparation for the Americans invasion, Lieutenant General Kuribayashi chose to focus his defense on the northern part of Iwo Jima covering two-thirds of the end, instead on the southern beaches –where he predicted the Americans would land. Also, instead of the beaches, Kuribayashi decided to place large artillery spots deeper into the island (Symonds, 184). The Japanese also expected a great air and naval bombardment from the Americans in which prompted the construction of a vast network of tunnels and bunkers to protect them. Not only did the tunnels provide protection from the bombing raids, but also gave the Japanese a tactical advantage when the battle began with the Marine. The reason for that was because they were able to maneuver their way through the island using the tunnel network they had constructed without being detected. This was one of the many dilemmas’ the Marines faced when they landed on the beach…not knowing the enemy’s strength and location. Despite the defenses and tactical advantage, Kuribayashi realized that Japan would not defeat the United States, simply because of the mass of forces the U.S would deploy. This was another reason he decided not to focus his efforts on the southern …show more content…
beaches but instead decided to create the strong, defensive positions in the northern areas of the island. In The Naval Institute Historical Atlas of the U.S Navy, they emphasized that Kuribayashi did not exhort his twenty-one thousand men to victory; instead, he ordered each of them (Japanese soldiers) to kill ten of the enemy before dying (Symonds, 184). The bombing of the island started the same time that Kuribayashi was assigned to Iwo Jima in June. The initial air campaign on Iwo Jima was mostly carried out by the 7th Air Force, using B-24 heavy bombers stationed in the Marianas, and continued throughout the next three months. It was not intensified until about ten days before the scheduled invasions by the United States. This is where American intelligence fell short. It underestimated Kuribayashi’s forces by at least one third, and completely missed his intent to make his last stand at the north end of the island. The bombing of Iwo Jima continued to intensify, as D-Day approached. Ultimately, these pre-invasion bombings had questionable success due to the Japanese forces being heavily dug in and fortified (Symonds, 184) in the northern part of the island. The overall invasion, designated as “Operation Detachment”, was to be carried out on 19 February 1945; the Marines marked it as D-Day for the amphibious landing. At 0900 on 19 February 1945, the first waves of Marines hit the beach. At the onset, Iwo Jima presented some challenges from both the tactical and logistical perspective. First, the ocean broke directly against the shoreline, creating powerful swells and a strong undertow. Also, when the Marines came ashore, the beach was not covered by sand but by volcanic ash. This made it hard for the Marines to dig into the ground to create foxholes and defend themselves. In the beginning, the Americans met little or no resistance by the Japanese. This was because Kuriyabashi did not want to begin firing until the beach was full of Marines and their equipment. After the Americans broke through the first line of defenses, the Japanese were positioned to ambush them. Concealed in bunkers, caves and entrenched areas, the Japanese wreaked havoc on the front line soldiers causing the Marines to take heavy casualties. With the colliding beach waves, volcanic ash, combined with the enemies ambuscade abilities, the Marines took heavy initial casualties in the first hour of the battle. One Marine described the volcanic terrain as, “trying to fight in a bin of loose wheat (Marine, Echoes of Iwo Jima).” When things seemed like they could not get any worse for the Marines, the Japanese bunkers and elaborate tunnel system caused the Americans to have a arduous time inflicting casualties and advancing on there adversaries…causing the American to get bogged down in costly attritional warfare. Taking unexpected shots from reoccupied bunkers made the American advancement slow, but once the arrival of tanks and aerial bombardment commenced on Mt. Suribachi, they were able to make it beyond the beachheads. By the evening of D-Day, the Marines succeeded in reaching the island's western shore and cutting off Mt. Suribachi from the Imperial Japanese forces. By nights end, the Americans had landed around 40,000 Marines on the southern beaches of Iwo Jima. The following morning, the 28th Marines completely secured the southern end of the island and Mt. Suribachi. On 23 February, the 28th Marines reached the top of Mt. Suribachi in which Joe Rosenthal snapped a picture of five Marines and a Navy corpsman raising the United States flag atop of the mountain. The photo he took actually was the second flag raised on top of the 554-foot mountain. The photograph became an indelible icon, being reprinted in thousands of publications, and winning he Pulitzer Prize for Photography in 1945 (Patterson, The Inside Story of the Famous Iwo Jima Photo). Later becoming a symbol for the battle, the war in the Pacific and the Marine Corps. Despite the gain on the south end of the island, Japan still held strong positions to the north. The fortifications in the north were even more bolstered than those of the south. The Marines were thus left with the task of overtaking the Motoyama Plateau with Hill 382, Turkey Knob, and an area known as the Amphitheater. These areas, especially Hill 382 was the main line of defense for General Kuribayashi and the Imperial Japanese forces, taking thousands of Marine lives and wounded thousands more. This task infamously became know as the “Meat Grinder”. Marine casualties still piled up as they moved across the flat inland because the Japanese were still able to flank them by their utilization of the tunnel system. To the Marines, it was almost pointless to move forward because this would just give the Japanese an opportunity to ambush them continuously. General Erskine ordered the 9th Marine Regiment to attack under darkness and kill Japanese soldiers when they were sleeping, which proved to be very successful. The Japanese attempted to counter American maneuver by having a suicidal charge of a thousand men under the command of Captain Samaji Inouye. The raid was a colossal failure as over eight hundred Japanese soldiers died during the evening assault; with the American death toll of that night not even breaking hundred (Chen, Battle of Iwo Jima). For the next few days, the Marines cleaned up the remaining caves and bunkers on the northern tip of Iwo Jima. However, the Japanese did not go down without a final barrage. On the night of 25 March, a 300-man force of Japanese soldiers launched a final counterattack that lasted for roughly 90 minutes and resulted in 53 Americans killed. After losing to the Americans, Iwo Jima was officially declared secure at 09:00 on 26 March. The assault on Iwo Jima was expected to take ten days with only 15,000 expected casualties.
The battle of Iwo Jima ended up lasting 36 days and resulted in over 26,000 American casualties. This was the only battle in the Pacific Campaign where the American casualty toll was greater than that of the Japanese. The Japanese death toll ultimately added up to 18,844, with 216 taken as prisoners, and 3,000 still hidden under the network of hidden tunnels and caves.
There still remains a dispute to this day on whether that the tiny island and its three airstrips were worth 26,000 casualties. Nevertheless, the brave soldiers who took the courage to step out onto that volcanic ash formed the basis for a reverence of the Marine Corp and embodied the American free, national
spirit. From an historical standpoint, one may argue that the heroism and patriotism displayed during the Pacific campaign of World War II surpassed that of many earlier conflicts since our nations birth. Men and women from all over our country, both young and elder, came together with their hearts filled with pride, and volunteered to be in the armed services to fight for their nation. However, the price of winning the war was too costly, as the war came to an end with the U.S suffering an astonishing 400,000 casualties. These campaigns that resulted in these deaths, will be remembered to this day, showing that the members fought valiantly and bravely making the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Many Americans remember the losses made storming the beaches of Normandy, landing on Guadalcanal, Battle of the Bulge, and all the way to the Battle of Okinawa, but the United States of America very own Marine Corp fought no campaign with more tenuousness, courage and boldness than they did on this small island in the central Pacific: Iwo Jima. Chester H. Nimitz stated, “Among the Americans that served on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue” (Navy Department Library, Battle of Iwo Jima).
However, they didn’t know where or how the attack would occur. The surprise attack turned out to be a launch on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This angered Americans to the extent that the US declared war on Japan the next day. Even though the US favored neutrality, the United States was forced to enter war. The progressive violent actions of the Japanese government against the US economic interests are what ultimately triggered the United States’s declaration to enter the war.
“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941- a date which will live in infamy- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan” (1). These are the words Franklin Delano Roosevelt chose to begin his Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan. FDR’s speech was a call to arms, and in his speech he expressed outrage towards Japan and confidence in its inevitable triumph. The speech was a request to declare war against Japan and to bring the United States into World War II. FDR’s speech was successful in bringing the United States into World War II.
Iwo Jima is on Japanese home soil only 650 miles from Tokyo. No foreign army in Japan's 5000 year history has fought on Japanese soil. To the US, Iwo Jima was important because of its location, midway between Japan and American bomber bases in the Marianas. Iwo Jima with its three airfields was an ideal location for fighter-escort stations and as a safe haven for damaged bombers. TRANSITION:
President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the United States Congress following the unexpected attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor the previous day. As a result, Roosevelt asked the Congress to declare war on Japan. In his speech to Congress, President Roosevelt stated that the previous day, which was December 7th, 1941, was a date that they will live in notoriety. President Roosevelt said that the United States of America was abruptly and intentionally attacked by naval and air forces of the Japanese emperor.
The Battle of Pearl Harbor was one of the most atrocious events that happened in U.S. history. On December 7, 1941, Japan made a surprise aerial attack on the United States naval base and airfields at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than two thousand Americans died and a thousand two hundred were wounded. Eighteen ships were badly damaged, including five battleships. The next day, President Franklin Roosevelt with the support of the Congress, declared war on Japan. It led United States’ official involvement in World War II. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor because of a deteriorating relationship with the U. S. The “New World Order”, expansion and resources, and economic sanctions were factors that conducted to another disaster on the Second World War.
December 7, 1941 was a day of great tragedy. At 07:48 in the morning the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on the United States at the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii. This attacked caused the destruction of seventeen ships and one hundred and eighty eight aircraft as well as killing two thousand four hundred and three Americans. The next day, President Franklin Roosevelt took to the microphone to address congress and the American people. This speech by President Roosevelt was effective in convincing congress to declare war on Japan by using ethos, pathos, and also logos.
Initially, Japanese strategists assumed that the tiny island would be overwhelmed in a matter of hours. However, they underestimated the fighting spirit of the military personnel and civilians stationed on the island. For sixteen days these brave men fought against overwhelming odds, but demonstrated both to the Japanese and to their fellow Americans back at home that the Americans could and would put up a courageous fight.
The Japanese commander in charge of Iwo Jima was General Kuribayashi. General Kuribayashi believed that America would attack Iwo Jima just the same as they had attacked every other target, with a massive aerial bombardment. Kuribayashi was ordered to build up Iwo Jima the same as every other Japanese base even though they had proven to be useless against the aerial bombing techniques that America used. Despite what other Japanese officers above General Kuribaya...
19 February 1945 marked the beginning of one of the fiercest and bloodiest; and more decisively, the most strategically important battles fought during World War II. A total of 6,821 U.S. Marines had lost their lives, along with 19,217 wounded over the five-week span of the battle for Iwo Jima. Of the 22,000 Japanese soldiers on the island, only 212 were taken prisoners. “Iwo Jima was the only battle by the U.S. Marine Corps in which the overall American casualties (killed and wounded) exceeded those of the Japanese, although Japanese combat deaths were thrice those of the Americans throughout the battle (O'Brien, 1987).”
Even before the battle started, America saw his attack coming. Japan had bombed the Dutch harbor in Alaska on the days of June 3rd and 4th. Japan landed there instead of on the islands of Attu and Kiska, in fear the United States might be there. There attacks failed when the plan to get the American fleet from Midway to aid the freshly bombed Dutch harbor. At 0900 hours an American patrol boat spotted the Japanese fleet seven hundred miles from Midway. At that point admiral Soroku Yamamoto’s plans of a sneak attack were over. Admiral fletcher commanded the U.S.S. Yorktown before it was sunk by the Japanese. Then at 0750, japan spots nine enemy (American) planes fifteen miles out. Tones, a Japanese cruiser, opened fire on the American pilots. Almost instantly if an American bomber plane were hit it would explode and go down. The bombers dropped their torpedoes to far from their targets, so the torpedoes didn’t land a single blow to Japan. At 1040 japan sent from Hiryu,...
President Roosevelt stated, “Yesterday, December 7, 1941-- a date which will live in infamy--the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan…. Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation. As commander in chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense….I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire,”¹
On December 7th 1941, Japanese Planes and submarines attacked the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor. This event singlehandedly brought the U.S from its then neutral stance in World War Two to a fighting member of the “Allied Powers.” Pearl Harbor was the first of a long series of confrontations between the U.S and the Japanese in an effort to gain control of the Pacific. Unlike the “War in Europe” the Pacific strategy was dominated by naval and aerial battles, with the occasional land-based “Island Hopping” Campaign. As such, one of the most important factors in the war in the pacific was Fleet Size, the more ships a country could send to war, the better. Pearl Harbor was the Japanese’s way of trying to deal with the massive U.S Pacific fleet. However, Pearl Harbor was not the turning point of the war. After December 7th the United States began work on numerous technological developments which would ultimately help them in one of the most important battles of WWII, the largest naval confrontation of the war, The Battle of Midway. The battle, which took place from June 4th to June 7th , 1942 is widely considered the turning point of the Pacific Theater (James & Wells). Through the Post-Pearl Harbor desire for “Revenge” and various technological advantages including code breaking and radar, the U.S were able to outsmart the Japanese at Midway and ultimately win the battle, eventually leading to a victory in the Pacific.
Because it was the last major battle of WWII, the battle of Okinawa used lessons learned and TTP’s from all previous battles with the Japanese to successfully employ combined striking power of the services and techniques of amphibious operations. Operation Iceberg was the official Okinawa campaign name. Because of its strategic importance to both the Japanese and the American’s, the Thirty-second Japanese Army commanded by General Mitsuri Ushijima, was ordered to defend Okinawa at all cost. The Japanese forces would change their typical tactics of strong defensive positions at the beaches and water’s edge as seen in the other pacific battles notable the battle of Iwo Jima. Instead they used burial tombs as forts so the Americans would have to bring the fight to them.
Slowly, though, the Allies gained ground and continued to push back the defensive lines of General Ushijima and his troops. The Japanese tried to use kamikaze air and land attacks as successful offensive measures, but these continued to produce little effect and failed each time. Finally, the Allies started to gain ground quite quickly. The Japanese had to move their defensive lines several times because the Americans were boxing them in. At last, General Ushijima ordered every man to fight to the death, and the fighting became very disorganized.
This case study will introduce the events leading up to the largest surrender of US forces in history and examine the most daring rescue attempt of WWII. The paper follows the planning and execution of the 6th Ranger Battalion’s Great Raid on the Japanese prison camp of Cabanatuan. Lastly, the events of that raid will be examined in order to discover and evaluate the repercussions and lessons learned.