Its black sand beaches are known worldwide by courageous fighting men and is home to one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. Today it is still an icon of courage and sacrifice, a source of national pride. It is Iwo Jima.
The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 by the Japanese signaled the start of Japanese military control throughout the Pacific and the start of World War II. June of 1942 the Japanese Navy is defeated at the Battle of Midway and it is considered by most to be the turning point of the war. The American military began a campaign of island hoping to take control of strategic islands in the south pacific. Even with the islands they had already controlled Americans knew if they wanted to win they would have to capture the entire island of Iwo Jima, including its three airfields, to provide an area for damaged bombers and other aircrafts. Iwo Jima is needed to save the lives of the Americans flying the B-29 bombers to help prevent losing more Americans in the dangerous Pacific Ocean. The decision was quickly made to attack and take the island of Iwo Jima, code named operation detachment. June 1944, Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi was chosen as command of Iwo Jima (National Geographics). Kuribayashi had lived and trained in the United States so knew the only way to have a chance against the American’s superior fire power was to fight the battle from underground where they would be protected (Hickman). Iwo Jima was an important island for the Japanese because it provided an area of attack and functioned as a buffer zone for Americans attempting to bomb their homeland. Initial bombing raids against Iwo Jima began in June 1944 (Navy Department Library). The B-29’s and naval ships’ bombing destroyed ...
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.... March 11th operation detachment entered the final phase. During this phase the Marines took out small section of enemy forces and by March 26 the island was officially secure. The “36-day assault resulted in more than 26,000 American casualties, including 6,800 dead” and only “1,083” out of “20,000 Japanese survived” (Hickman).
Iwo Jima was won by the relentless fighting spirit of the Marines, strategic planning and support provided by the Navy and Army. The Americans won this war with superior fire power and strategic fighting tactics planned days in advance; however, the Japanese put up a well fought battle considering the few resources they had. The Battle of Iwo Jima is a battle of sacrifice and one that will never be forgotten. It is a source of pride due to the strategic accomplishes made by the United States. The Battle of Iwo Jima will never be forgotten.
In May of 1942, Japanese Admiral Isorosku Yamamoto devised a plan to draw the US Pacific fleet into battle where he could completely destroy it. To accomplish this master plan of his, he sought out the invasion of Midway Island which would provide a base for the Japan troops to attack Hawaii. Unfortunately for Yamamoto, America decrypted Japanese radio transmissions and Admiral Chester Nimitz was able to establish a counter attack against this offensive. Nimitz sent three aircraft carriers, The USS Enterprise, The USS Hornet and The USS Yorktown to destroy the Japanese. This is just a short overview of The Battle of Midway, or as commonly referred to as, the battle that changed the war. People argue that it had no affect on the war, but those critics couldn’t be farther from the truth. The Battle of Midway was the turning point of the war because it fully enters America into the war, it kicked off the Pacific Campaign, and it had Japan on the defensive, thus preventing them from helping The Axis Forces.
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.
General Hideki Tojo was the Premiere of Japan. He and other Japanese leaders did not like the fact that Americans were sending war supplies to China and other countries in Asia. A surprise attack was ordered by Japan on December 7, 1941. The target was the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 360 planes bombed the naval base killing about 3,000 people and destroying many warships, aircraft carriers, and submarines. This was a catalyst that brought the United States into World War II.
This battle was the start of America taking control of the war over the Pacific. This battle took place six months after Japan first struck Pearl Harbor. Many historians say this was the greatest air battle of all time. America not only proved that numbers didn’t matter, but showed that only leaders with clear eyes and soldiers with heart can win a battle of any size. Even before the battle started, America saw his attack coming.
Last and biggest of the Pacific island battles of World War II, the Okinawa campaign (April 1—June 22, 1945) involved the 287,000 troops of the U.S. Tenth Army against 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese Thirty-second Army. At stake were air bases vital to the projected invasion of Japan ("Battle of Okinawa," 1996). The Battle of Okinawa remembered more for its iconic photograph of US Marines raising the US flag on Okinawa more so than any other war or battle ever fought. Okinawa the largest of the Ryukus islands played a major role in the American forces overall strategic efforts to advance to the mainland’s of Japan. 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.
...er 'Phelps' finished off the 'Lexington' with five torpedoes, the Lexington sank. Japanese later called off trying to capture Port Moresby, for they feared that the American still has the power to destroy many of their landing crafts. The Japanese came out the best in Battle of Coral Sea. The loss of the 'Lexington' was great and far outweighed the loss of the “Shoho'. In total the Japanese lost 43 planes to the Americans. The battle is seen as an American victory because in the end it stopped the Japanese from doing what their plan was to do, and that is capture Port Moresby and it excluded Australia. This was a great victory for the Americans. The Battle of Midway did more damage to the Japanese, then the others did.
In the course of history, the United States Military has participated in numerous and significant conflicts with other nations that have led to dramatic and essential changes in the world. Several of these wars created good relations and alliance with other countries that remained to this date, and others affected the way nations relate to each other. One of the most remembered battles was the Battle of Okinawa, also known as Operation Iceberg during World War II.
During the Revolutionary War, our founding fathers fought for our freedom. We could have never been able to do it without our armed forces. The Marine Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, is a sculpture standing in Arlington Virginia. It shows the country’s gratitude to Marines and those who have fought beside them.
The Battle of Midway was a “four-day sea-and-air battle” the U.S Pacific fleet had completely destroyed the four Japanese aircraft carriers, but in order to do that they had to lose one of their carriers the Yorktown which they had lost to the Japanese navy.
The attack on December 7th, 1941 was declared “a day that will live in infamy,” by president Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). It was devastating to the naval powers of the United States. By December of 1941, Germany has achieved victory after victory in Europe. The United States, though officially neutral, sends war supplies and munitions to the allied powers of Europe. The Japanese deploy a fleet to attack the US naval installations on the island of Hawaii. The Japanese hope to win the entire war with one attack. However, deep in the hearts of Japanese leadership, they know they could not possibly win. Why did they enter a war they could not win? The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor because they felt that a preemptive strike could end the war much faster, the Japanese hierarchy thought they had the best fighters and navy, and the Japanese economy was being crippled by allied embargoes.
This exploratory essay will analyze Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. On February 23, 1945, Joe Rosenthal captured the photograph of Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. The image illustrates five U.S. Marine and Navy corpsman triumphantly raising the American flag over Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. The history behind this cultural text is extremely critical because it speaks to the bloodiest fight in Marine history, losing around 6,000 marines. The triumph was noteworthy to America since it made Japan surrender, finishing World War II. The Iconic symbol created an extensive disputation over its authenticity whether it was intentionally staged and not taken spontaneously. Nevertheless,
The Pacific war was long a with extremely large casualties on both sides of Japan, AMerica and Great Britain. Many of them occurring in Leyte which was an American island base in the Philippines. Japan had made the Philippines a prime target due to the location which made it easier for them to get supplies and resources from the east Indies while at the same time gaining access to the abundant resources in the Philippines. On October 20,1944 Japanese soldiers streamed onto the island attacking the American soldiers who lied in wait for the attack on the island and in their ships. The battle would become on of the most intense naval battles in World War Two and the fighting on the island would come to resemble the fighting from World War One. The Japanese would attack ships, and even American Airfields with the american fighting back the major counteroffensive attack. The Japanese continued fighting until April 1945 then the Americans gained back control of most of Leyte by Christmas with thousands of Japanese and American soldiers dead. Next, the fighting of Okinawa island, which was a small island four hundred miles off the coast of Japan, making it a prime target for a United States military base for the remainder of World War Two since then they would be able to launch attacks on Japan’s mainland and keep an eye on their movements. The battle began on April 1,
In retrospect, Japan reached some of their goals. However, they did not achieve most of them. For example, they did not sink as many battleships as they would’ve liked to, and they failed to destroy oil tanks and naval dockyards. 2,403 people were killed, and in addition to the attack, it had provoked many other conflicts to the U.S.. In particular, two years after the attack took place, the United States entered WWII.
On December 7, 1941, Japanese bombers attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, officially bringing the United States into World War II. In May of 1945, the tragic and costly war in Europe finally came to a close with the unconditional surrender of the Axis powers, however the war in the Pacific was still looming and unsettled. The Allies had a strategy to capture a series of islands in an attempt to use them as supply bases from which a new assault on Japan could be launched. The Battle of Leyte Gulf is considered the largest naval battle in history as the U.S. lost six warships and the Japanese twenty six. In this time, the Japanese resorted to the Kamikaze suicide pilots who directly flew into American and British ships
As a result of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. American force was immediately sent to defend the Philippine islands in the Pacific Ocean. President Roosevelt appointed American General Douglass MacArthur Commander of the U.S. Army troops in the Philippines. It was their job to defend the Bataan Peninsula until reinforcements could arrive. American troops had to fight the Japanese from the crack of dawn until sunset every day. On April 3rd the Japanese fleet, through headed to Australia, detoured and began an onslaught on the MacArthur’s troops. During this horrifying time, the Americans