Iwo Jima Analysis

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

Iwo Jima is an island in the Bonin chain, situated about 575 miles from Japan. It’s prominent feature is Mount Suribachi, a volcanic mountain on the southern tip of the island. Iwo Jima did not have a civilian population but was well protected by roughly 23,000 Japanese soldiers in caves, foxholes, and pillboxes (pillboxes were concrete boxes with small holes for shooting enemies). Before the land invasion, Iwo Jima endured a heavy bombardment by ships and planes, which, however, did very little to destroy the Japanese resistance.

he Battle of Iwo Jima was one of the bloodiest and fiercest battles of the Second World War in which the US Armed Forces captured the Iwo Jima Island from the Japanese. More than 6800 American servicemen lost their lives in the battle and thus the battle has come to known as the deadliest battle in Marine Corps history. Iwo Jima was an island strategically positioned and highly fortified as its three airfields were used to stage attacks on the US at the Pacific War. It was therefore Americas target to capture the island and use it to stage attacks on Japans mainland and use the airfields as emergency landing strips for the US Navy planes damaged during war. According to The Washington Post a small group gathered on Thursday February 18th

Iwo Jima remains the Marine Corps’s deadliest campaign. February 19, 1945 was the day of the initial assault on Iwo Jima. That morning nearly eight hundred vessels, ranging from battleships, cruisers, and destroyers to

There were 26,000 casualties and 6,800 dead Americans at Iwo Jima, with 20,000 casualties and 1083 dead Japanese. (1. "Battle for Iwo Jima, 1945." The Navy Department Library) At Okinawa there were 65,000 American casualties and 14,000 dead, while the Japanese lost 70,000 soldiers out of the 130,000 stationed on Okinawa. (2. "Battle of Okinawa." History.com) The bloodshed from these two battles gave the Americans a taste of the militaristic Japanese, and that a battle for the homeland of Japan would be astronomically worse. The Japanese were prepared to use any means necessary to stop the Americans because of “Yamato Damashii”, which was a virtue of the samurai that went hand in hand with the Bushido code, and it made the Japanese value the country and the emperor above all else, and that fighting to the death was greater than surrender. and it came in the form of Kamikaze attacks, suicide troops, and guerilla warfare. At Okinawa, 193 kamikaze attacks were launched at the Americans damaging 368 ships and destroying 36. (3. "The Battle of Okinawa." History Learning Site) The Japanese were prepared to sacrifice everything they had to destroy American ships and troops. The Japanese also used their own people to fight against the Americans.

3) Japanese strategy was for each Soldier to kill 10 Americans before they themselves are killed (The Battle – Japan’s Iwo Jima Strategy, n.d.). On top of that, Iwo Jima would have to be reinforced significantly if it were going to be held for any length of time, and preparations were made to send sizable numbers of men and quantities of materiel to that island.

The battle for Iwo Jima was very important to the U.S during the second world war. The island became very important later on during the war due to its near proximity to the Japanese mainland, the islands. Also, the three airfields already constructed could be used as runways so any planes which were damaged near Japan could make an emergency landing. One of the most important events of the battle was the photograph which also became a huge morale booster for the U.S. It helped American morale because It symbolized American bravery. The famous picture was taken of U.S marines raising the U.S flag on top of Mt. Surabachi. The battle for Iwo Jima was very important because without the troops the island and its many assets could not

We have all seen the famous photograph; four Marines and one Navy Sailor raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima. This lasting image has come to represent the Marine Corps, the Pacific campaign, and for many World War II. Eventually becoming the inspiration for the Iwo Jima memorial outside Arlington cemetery overlooking Washington D.C. Geography has left it marks all over the battle for Iwo Jima, influencing everything from the strategic impact on the region to the propaganda and psychological warfare. Military geography was an important factor in the planning of the operation like most and also had a direct effect during operations. To understand the battle we must first understand the state of the Pacific conflict at

The battle of Midway island happened on April 1st, 1942. They fought many battles, often resulting in many deaths. The battle of Iwo Jima happened on February 19th, 1945, landing three marine divisions on the island and sustained heavy casualties. This battle was the longest and most famous battle fought except for D-Day. It is most famous for its pictures of six Americans raise the flag on Iwo Jima; sadly, only 216 soldiers survived the battle.

The Japanese dug bunkers all over the island of Iwo Jima as hiding places, as they waited in them for the United States Marines to get on shore to attack. During the battle, twenty-seven soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for their bravery at war. The Iwo Jima Memorial construction began in September 1945 and was dedicated on November 10, 1945. The memorial was sculpted by Felix de Weldon based on the photograph taken by Joe Rosenthal during the war. In the center of the granite base is the words spoken by Chester W. Nimitz to the sailors and marines who fought in Iwo Jima, “Uncommon valor was a common

Most Americans have never even heard of the place called Iwo Jima until the year of 1945 began. Iwo Jima is a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean. It is only about 5 miles long and 3 miles wide. It is located about 750 miles south of Japan. Iwo Jima means the “Sulfur Island” in Japanese. The island is formed entirely out of black volcanic rock. The beaches that run along parts of the island are coarse black volcanic sand. In 1945, there were very few small trees and bushes as the landscape. Iwo Jima was a small and dark place that smelled like sulfur. In 1945, it became an important part of the United States history.

In the first 5 chapters of this story it talks about a kid named James Bradley and his father John Bradley and how his father was one of the 6 men to help raise the flag in Iwo Jima. John Bradley barely survived the battle and came home with scrap metal in his leg that he got from a explosion. James said that his father never spoke of what happened during his time on Iwo Jima. The only thing the family got from him was saying that the real heroes died fighting to protect our country. Once James father passed away James started doing more research into why his father didn't wanna talk about what happened at Iwo Jima and what the other boys in that group where like. The first guy he talked about was Mike Strank who was the leader of the group.

“Thank you, thank you. As you all know that it is 1945 and there are still high tensions in the war that is going on but, I have devised a plan that will further help us. After Weeks of tough decisions me a the Generals beside me have come to a solution of over taking the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. From previous attempts to bomb Japan or take over smaller islands, some how the Japanese are prepared and we become defeated. More recent, yet very significant information has been said that the island of Iwo Jima is used as a pre warning station when our military is spotted. This is hard cold proof on why we keep losing to the Japanese. On other attempts many of our B-29 bombers have been shot down and more have been badly damaged, To many.

The purpose of this paper is to conduct a battle analysis of the Battle of Iwo Jima and present as alternate outcome of events based upon employment or misuse of military resources. If Japan was not a victim of its own success, they could have won the battle of Iwo Jima. By the time America had sought to invade Iwo Jima and use it as a key operational location for attacks on the Japanese mainland, Japan had already gained significant ground in Southwest Asia and the Pacific. Japan’s forces were over-worked and too spread out throughout the region to be able to back up the forces bogged down in the underground caves and tunnels of Iwo Jima. For this reason America would win a tough fight on this strategically important island.

The island was 350 miles away from their homeland ,Kyushu, making it a easy flight.The command of this invasion force was divided between MG John R. Hodge and MajGen Roy S. Geiger. Before the invasion they had dusted the area by land bombing before invading their mainland.The Japanese was led by GEN Mitsuru Ushijima with the number of 130,00 men. Japan lost a vast number of man due to the fact they couldn’t contend with newly trained troops. They were willing to fight to the bitter end instead of calling defeat. It brung honor to their family name to die with “pride” instead of coming home defeated. Some even committed suicide.