By March 10 U.S. troops had finally cleared the Amphitheater and Turkey Knob of its defenders. Every type of Marine fought on this island from the most decorated, to a 16-year-old that experienced some of the hardest warfare. The 11 most significant battles of the Second World War. Ferried by an armada of nearly 500 landing craft and ships, the first 8,000 US marines splashed through the surf onto beaches on the south side of the island. Why was the US so committed to wresting this tiny island from Japanese control? A small group of defenders managed to battle their way out and somehow made it to the main Japanese headquarters further north. Two members of the 5th Marine Division resting in the shadow of Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima, February 1945. They were surprised to encounter embankments of volcanic ash towering some 15 feet (4.6 meters) high. The Japanese had around 20,000 men under General Tadamishi Kuribayashi, the US around 70,000 men under Admiral Chester Nimitz. In actuality the island would not be secure until March 26, when a few hundred Japanese troops moved behind enemy lines toward Motoyama 1 and killed about 100 Americans in their sleep before being gunned down themselves. The Americans had suffered around 26,000 casualties in capturing the tiny island. The brief period of shelling was blighted by poor weather, and, when compounded with the island’s well-protected defenses, the bombardment did little to soften up the Japanese. The capture of the Mariana Islands in late 1944 had given the US a base from which to launch long-range bombing raids on Japan, but its fighter planes, which couldn’t carry so much fuel, were unable to accompany the bombers on what was a 3,000-mile round trip. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). At the southwest tip of the island is Mount Suribachi, a largely dormant volcano that provides a sweeping view of most of the island. The US assault was preceded by a three-day naval bombardment, but this, it later became apparent, was not long enough. A task force was assembled to capture it and a two-month bombing campaign was mounted to soften it up. The fact that Marines were forced to kill the Japanese virtually to the last man is a testament to the iron grip that Japan’s military indoctrination had on its servicemen. #9 It is the only battle by U.S. Marine Corps in which U.S. casualties exceeded Japanese The Battle of Iwo Jima resulted in the death of 18,844 out of 22,060 Japanese soldiers on the island. In the early hours of 26 March, in a final act of defiance, the Japanese emerged from their tunnels to attack US positions. About 9:00 am on February 19, 1945, Marines began to land on the beach in intervals. You have successfully linked your account! Some were burned alive by flame throwers or torn apart by explosives thrown into their bunkers. This rapid turnabout was a surprise even to the American military forces. Twenty-seven Medals of Honor were awarded at the conclusion of the battle. However, intense fighting continued on the right flank at the Amphitheater, Turkey Knob, and Hill 382, a rise that would be dubbed “the Meat Grinder.” From their defensive positions, the Japanese fired on the Marines relentlessly, and U.S. soldiers resorted to using flamethrowers to snuff out every possible defender, but the area remained at a stalemate even after Marines took the Meat Grinder on March 2. It's being experienced. Up to 19,000 Japanese were killed, with American losses amounting to around 6,800 killed and around 19,200 wounded. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. It was fought between 19 February and 26 March 1945, during the Second World War. At each pillbox and bunker, the Japanese fought with extraordinary determination. However, the United States assumed command of Allied forces in the Pacific theatre and mounted a counteroffensive that incorporated a strategic combination of land, air, and naval assaults. The US wants to use the island as an airbase from which to attack Japan’s home islands. Iwo Jima rapidly became a stinking hellhole with decomposing bodies and parts of bodies lying unburied. But in early 1945 this tiny volcanic island was the scene of some of the most savage fighting of the Second World War. Eventually, after four days of non-stop combat, a small group of US marines reached the summit. Rosenthal did later admit to having staged a photograph but that was a group photo of marines posing around the flag once it had been set up. The battle for Iwo Jima: why did it happen and why was it so hard fought? Naval Construction Battalion units (Seabees) with bulldozers to clear some of the ash, and by the end of that day the 28th Regiment had successfully isolated Suribachi from the rest of the island. Despite the apparent futility of resistance, Kuribayashi resolved to make the United States bleed for its victory. Thanks! It’s sometimes claimed that the photo was staged but this isn’t the case. The Allies possessed vast manpower, raw materials, and manufacturing capacity, something the Axis could not match. Arnold had to rely on the Navy to take these islands for him, however. World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. The primary postwar justification was Iwo Jima’s capacity to provide emergency landings, but, while 2,251 B-29s landed on the island throughout the rest of the war, the majority of them were not strictly emergencies. Japanese soldiers battered the Marines with artillery by day, and at night they would slip behind the U.S. rear and plant mines along roads to disrupt enemy movements. The 7th War Dog Platoon was attached to the 25th Regiment, which saw some of the harshest fighting during the battle. Men of the U.S. 4th Marine Division landing on Iwo Jima, February 19, 1945. Some of the bitterest fighting took place near the centre of the island, around a high point called Hill 382; a heavily-fortified hill dubbed the Turkey Knob; and a shallow depression called the Amphitheater. Eventually the Americans were forced to send over planes to spray the place with the insecticide DDT in a bid to keep the problem under control. U.S. Sherman tank modified with a Mark I flame thrower targeting a Japanese strongpoint during the Battle of Iwo Jima. As US forces slowly advanced, Captain Inouye found himself cut off with nearly a thousand of his men near Tachiwa Point on the eastern side of the island and on 8 March, ignoring Kuribayashi’s orders against such a thing, he drew his sword and led them in a last desperate ‘banzai’ charge against the Americans. Hundreds of hidden artillery, mortar, machine gun and sniper positions were set up. Even then, however, there was contention over how to make progress toward the Japanese homeland. With the other pockets of defenders killed or captured, that night attack marked the last major engagement at Iwo Jima. But those who thought that this was because the preliminary naval bombardment had silenced their enemy were in for a shock. Battle of Iwo Jima, (February 19–March 16, 1945), World War II conflict between the United States and the Empire of Japan. Early in the morning the last remaining Japanese soldiers quietly advanced from their caves and killed many P … Grab a copy of our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Thank you for subscribing to HistoryExtra, you now have unlimited access. Perfect prep for World War II (1939–1945) quizzes and tests you might have in school. Five days after the fighting stopped on Iwo Jima the US launched a massive amphibious assault on the much larger Japanese island of Okinawa. The battle for Iwo Jima: why did it happen and why was it so hard fought? It wasn’t just this storm of steel that the Americans had to contend with – the terrain was also against them. In the 12-week battle, more than 50,000 US soldiers were killed or wounded, more than 100,000 Japanese soldiers died, and a similar number of civilians lost their lives. At its disposal was an armada of 11 warships that were intended to soften up Japanese defenses with sustained bombardment. The Battle of Guadalcanal was a major battle between the United States and Japan in World War II. U.S. Coast Guard and Navy vessels landing supplies on the Marine beachhead at Iwo Jima, February 1945. Even though they had been ordered to break out by their dying commander in order to report the fall of Suribachi, their failure to fight to the last was greeted there with fury. In World War II the Japanese military forces quickly took advantage of their success at Pearl Harbor to expand their holdings throughout the Pacific and westward toward India. A second patrol of marines climbed to the summit and as five of them, plus one navy corpsman, set up the second flag they were photographed by Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press. His request was denied, however, and he was granted a mere three days on account of Nimitz’s tight schedule ahead of the Okinawa invasion. However, it was still 1,500 miles (2,400 km) from Saipan to Tokyo,…, …the little volcanic island of Iwo Jima in the Bonin Islands, which lay about halfway between the Marianas and Japan. Had they done so, thousands of lives might have been saved. United States Marine Corps rocket trucks in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima, February 28, 1945. In previous battles, a frequent Japanese response to an enemy advance had been to launch a massed and often suicidal ‘banzai’ counterattack (literally meaning ten thousand years, ‘banzai’ was the Japanese battle cry). On 20 February, the marines attacked Mount Suribachi, a dormant volcano that dominated the southern end of the island. The first main Japanese line of defense lay beyond a sulfur field filled with man-made and natural defenses. Almost 2,500 marines were killed and wounded on the beaches but, even so, by the end of the day 30,000 Americans were ashore. The British had forced them back in Burma while in the Pacific the Americans were steadily closing in on the Japanese home islands, capturing strategically important islands in a series of amphibious operations. The 28th Regiment at Green would plow across the 0.5-mile (0.8-km) stretch to the other side of the island to cut off and eventually take Mount Suribachi. The 1945 battle for Iwo Jima was bitter and brutal: few of the 20,000 Japanese defenders survived it, while the attacking American marines suffered 25,000 casualties. It would take the US forces more than a month to clear the island. 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