The Battle
- The battle was the largest bombardment and Marine invasion of the Pacific at the time.
- Bombardment did little to weaken the Japanese defense.
- 6,800 tons of bombs/22,000 shells
- The Japanese built an intricate tunnel system throughout the entire island.
- 110,00 Marines invaded the island.
- 23,000 Japanese soldiers defended the island.
- All Japanese soldiers were killed except for the 216 that were taken as prisoner.
- The battle for control of the island lasted 36 days.
“No other island received as much preliminary pounding as did Iwo Jima.”
-Admiral Nimitz, CINPAC
"For eight months before their arrival [speaking of the Americans], fifteen thousand Japanese had worked around the clock to hollow out Iwo Jima. Using mostly hand tools and at times gas masks to tolerate the putrid smell of sulfur, the Japanese created underground hospital wards, barracks, and storage rooms connected by an eleven-mile maze of tunnels. Aboveground, hundreds of pillboxes and bunkers ringed the island. Iwo Jima was arguably the most heavily fortified island in the history of warfare."
- Patrick K. O’Donnell,Into the Rising Sun,: In Their Own Words, World War II’s Pacific Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat, (page 221.)
Iwo Jima was the next island in the chain of islands that the U.S. were capturing in their strategy to "island hop." The invasion force was so large because Iwo Jima was deemed important due to three key airfields that were located on Iwo Jima. These airfields were both important for the Japanese and Americans because each were used and could be used for strategic importance. U.S. Marines faced heavy Japanese resistance, but were able to capture and obliterate the Japanese in 36 days (19 February-26 March 1945).
- Bombardment did little to weaken the Japanese defense.
- 6,800 tons of bombs/22,000 shells
- The Japanese built an intricate tunnel system throughout the entire island.
- 110,00 Marines invaded the island.
- 23,000 Japanese soldiers defended the island.
- All Japanese soldiers were killed except for the 216 that were taken as prisoner.
- The battle for control of the island lasted 36 days.
“No other island received as much preliminary pounding as did Iwo Jima.”
-Admiral Nimitz, CINPAC
"For eight months before their arrival [speaking of the Americans], fifteen thousand Japanese had worked around the clock to hollow out Iwo Jima. Using mostly hand tools and at times gas masks to tolerate the putrid smell of sulfur, the Japanese created underground hospital wards, barracks, and storage rooms connected by an eleven-mile maze of tunnels. Aboveground, hundreds of pillboxes and bunkers ringed the island. Iwo Jima was arguably the most heavily fortified island in the history of warfare."
- Patrick K. O’Donnell,Into the Rising Sun,: In Their Own Words, World War II’s Pacific Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat, (page 221.)
Iwo Jima was the next island in the chain of islands that the U.S. were capturing in their strategy to "island hop." The invasion force was so large because Iwo Jima was deemed important due to three key airfields that were located on Iwo Jima. These airfields were both important for the Japanese and Americans because each were used and could be used for strategic importance. U.S. Marines faced heavy Japanese resistance, but were able to capture and obliterate the Japanese in 36 days (19 February-26 March 1945).
"LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA." AwesomeStories.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.