There have been several seminal events in World War II’s American history; one of them is the Battle for Iwo Jima. The battle took place between February 19th and March 26th, 1945, with the United States Marine Corps on one side and the Imperial Army of Japan (Neimeyer, 2019). Significant losses were incurred on both sides, signifying this battle as one of the bloodiest and most challenging combats in the U.S. Marines’ history.
Background
The battle was a part of the larger ambitious plan of the U.S. command at the time. The Operation Detachment was planned in San Francisco between September 29th to October 1st, 1944, aiming to weaken Japanese defenses and eventually gain access to the mainland (“Battle of Iwo Jima,” 2022). Japan’s inner defense zone consisted of several islands in its perimeter and the Philippines (“Battle of Iwo Jima,” 2022). Iwo Jima possessed substantial strategic importance for the U.S. Marine Corps since it was intended as an air base for fighter aircraft intercepting Japanese fighters and backup landings for the damaged B-29s (“Battle for Iwo Jima,” 2020). The nearest American bases at the time were located on more distant Mariana Islands, which entailed that many of the fighter escorts could not safely land upon returning from air bombardment operations (“Battle for Iwo Jima,” 2020). Iwo Jima-based Japanese fighters would attack the passing B-29s whenever they were passing north; additionally, a radar located on the island was capable of warning the mainland of the impending attack (Wright, 2020). Hence, the campaign location was selected due to its importance in future advances in Japan.
Leadership
The people in charge of the operation on both sides are well-known. The commander of the Japanese ground forces was Lieutenant General Tadamishi Kuribayashi, who oversaw the entire operation, including defense construction and civilians’ evacuation (Wright, 2020). From the U.S. side, there were several influential leaders. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, the primary commander, Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner, who was in charge of the joint expeditionary force, and Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith, in charge of the troops (“Battle for Iwo Jima,” 2020). It is argued that the battle was won due to the meticulous preparation from the leadership’s side and the collaborative efforts of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marines (“Battle for Iwo Jima,” 2020). There are several aspects of combat where the strategic importance of correct decisions is vital.
Losses
The intensity and ferocity of the struggle for the island have been arguably unprecedented for the Marines. The losses and the human resources required to obtain the island have been unprecedented, even considering the irregular forces: approximately 60,000 American troops against 21,000 Japanese fighters (“Battle of Iwo Jima,” 2022). Securing the island, which was just over eight miles long, took roughly half of all available in the Western Pacific ground Marine service members (Neimeyer, 2019). Moreover, the battle for Iwo Jima was the only one in the Pacific War where the Marines and Navy have lost more troops than the opposing side, with roughly 26,000 casualties, including 6,900 dead (“Battle for Iwo Jima,” 2020; Neimeyer, 2019). For the Japanese side, the numbers were staggering, with only 1,083 soldiers surviving the battle (“Battle for Iwo Jima,” 2020; Wright, 2020). The losses incurred in this battle fully reflect the difficulty of this operation.
Operation Detachment
Although the primary battle lasted 36 days, certain advances commenced earlier. In June 1944, the island suffered intense and prolonged air assault, which then re-intensified several days before the “D-day” (“Battle of Iwo Jima,” 2022). Once the final bombardment by the Navy was done, the subsequent ‘amphibious’ attack commenced, having the ships and ground power work together from the first day (Wright, 2020). Kuribayashi divided the island into five distinct parts with reserve zones in the center, which allowed the Japanese troops to defend each one separately (“Battle of Iwo Jima,” 2022). Upon landing and struggling through the sand and volcanic ash covering the island, the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions were directed across the island (“Battle for Iwo Jima,” 2020). On the first day, they managed to successfully secure or isolate some of the critical points in the island defense, the Japanese Quarry and Mount Suribachi (“Battle for Iwo Jima,” 2020). These advances marked a hopeful first day of the combat, despite the first heavy losses.
The divisions have continued their assault and movement along the island throughout the following days. The geography of Iwo Jima brought an additional challenge to the American troops, who struggled to move their machinery across sand slopes and had to clean out the engines from the volcanic ash (Renn, 2019). Moreover, the Japanese soldiers used the volcanic terrain to their advantage, having their posts in caves, moving underground, and creating “hid lines of pillboxes and bunkers” (Wright, 2020, p. 42). These factors have significantly slowed down the soldiers’ advances through the island. Several days later, the 28th Division installed the American flag atop Mount Suribachi, but the battle continued long after the installment (“Battle for Iwo Jima,” 2020). Thus, the strategic decisions of the island defenders have played a vital role in delaying the moment of takeover.
There is a historic consensus regarding why the Japanese resistance has been so unrelenting. By the time the battle commenced, the Japanese fighters and leadership had accepted that they would not be able to win it – regardless, they were determined to delay the American advances as they could (Neimeyer, 2019; Renn, 2019; Wright, 2020). The ultimate aim the soldiers pursued was to cause as much death and damage as possible before inevitably dying to the American troops. By mid-March, the Marines had overcome the resistance, strategically cutting the defense forces into two sections and soon beginning to join forces of different divisions (“Battle for Iwo Jima,” 2020). However, the near-end exacerbated the vicious and reckless attacks by the Japanese soldiers, who fought until the end in death missions (Neimeyer, 2019). Even when the battle was won and the island was secured, remnant Japanese defenders were still in caves and tunnels and continued to attack the U.S. Army until the end of the war (Neimeyer, 2019). The costs have been so high that many have questioned whether the operational gain outweighed the losses incurred in securing the island (Neimeyer, 2019). Overall, the entire battle proceeded slower than anticipated, with solid strategic advances and a fighting spirit on both sides.
In conclusion, there is no doubt that the Japanese determination has made the battle for Iwo Jima the toughest one that the Marine Corps troops have ever experienced in the Second World War. There are controversies surrounding it, with some historians questioning the value of the operation due to high human lives expense. The attack that was a part of a bigger plan to advance inland in Japan took much longer than initially planned and was won at a high cost. On the side of Japanese defenses were the strategic division of the island into five sectors and masterful use of the local rugged terrain, including an extensive cave system. On the side of American troops was the tactical cooperation of Navy, Army, and Marine forces, which allowed them to push through the defenses, divide them, and advance toward the landing strips.
References
Battle for Iwo Jima. (2020). In Naval History and Heritage Command. Navy Department Library. Web.
Neimeyer, C. P. (2019). Black sand and blood: The 36-day battle for Iwo Jima, February 19th–March 26th 1945. In B. Robertson (Ed.), Investigating Iwo: The Flag Raisings in Myth, Memory, & Esprit de Corps (pp. 5–27). Marine Corps History Division.
Renn, M. (2019). Time, life, and the flag raisings on Iwo Jima. In B. Robertson (Ed.), Investigating Iwo: The Flag Raisings in Myth, Memory, & Esprit de Corps (pp. 45–63). Marine Corps History Division.
Wright, D. (2020). The battle for Iwo Jima, 1945. The History Press.