Iwo Jima...Your thoughts on the battle that secured an island during World War II...?

Question

On Monday, February 19, 1945, U.S. Marines hit the sands of Iwo Jima.

More US Marines earned the Medal of Honor on Iwo Jima than in any other battle in US History.

In 36 days of fighting there were 25,851 US casualties (1 in 3 were killed or wounded).

Of these, 6,825 American boys were killed. Virtually all 22,000 Japanese perished.

American air forces pounded Iwo in the longest sustained aerial offensive of the war.
"No other island received as much preliminary pounding as did Iwo Jima."
. . . Admiral Nimitz, CINPAC

Incredibly, this ferocious bombardment had little effect. Hardly any of the Japanese underground fortresses were touched.

Twenty-two thousand defenders of Japanese soil, burrowed in the volcanic rock of Iwo Jima, anxiously awaited the American invaders.
Almost one hundred thousand men would fight on a tiny island just eight square miles. Four miles by two miles. If you're driving 60 miles an hour in your car, it takes you four minutes to drive four miles. It took the Marines 36 days to slog that four miles. Iwo Jima would be the most densely populated battlefield of the war with one hundred thousand combatants embraced in a death dance over an area smaller than one third the size of Manhattan island.

Answer 1

"Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue."

Could you imagine the public outcry if the media announced casualty figures then as they do now? How long would it have taken the American public and politicians to want us out of the war?

Answer 2

Incredible. This is probably the battle that I think of as the most recognized during that war, not to take anything from the European and African campaigns.

This battle and that picture of those 5 Marines and 1 Corpsman raising Old Glory on Mt Surabachi turned the war in our favor and in the end, thousands of Amercian Servicemember's lives were saved by those incredible Marines taking that little piece of crap island. God Bless them.

How many Americans today even know what Iwo Jima is?

Answer 3

marnefirstinfantry,
Clint Eastwood made a couple of movies recently about Iwo Jima. One from the American side and one from the Japanese side. I suggest you see both. They're pretty good.
Our family lost a great uncle in the south pacific (fighter pilot) but no one at Iwo Jima.

Answer 4

I am honored to say my Dad was one of the first to set foot on Iwo Unfortunately he was seriously wounded and was evacuated to the hospital ship. The ship was so crowded he was put in a bed on deck, where he got to see the raising of the flag.

As soon as they could they got him back in the fight, (he was wounded 13 times in total).

He had a brother and nephew there at the same time; both in the Navy.

He was in the 4th Marine division. His unit had about 1500 men. He and 2 others were the only 3 of his unit that left, torn apart but alive.

Answer 5

I believe It was absolutely worth it.

Iwo Jima was responsible for the safe recovery of more than 2,250 allied aircraft that developed engine problems or damage over japan.and possibly 22,500 airmen (this is a gross over estimate of 10 crew members per plane, mostly B-29s, because the idea of using the island as an escort fighter base didn't really come to fruition). Yes we took 26,000 casualties: Yes, a lot of people say that the island was really too small to support a naval or army amphibious assault base for the final push on japan, and wasn't worth the effort or the casualties. But i feel just for the peace of mind the island gave the bomber crews that eventually really brought Japan to its knees, it was worth the cost.

Answer 6

My great Uncle died at Iwo Jima, he received a silver star but I'm not sure what the circumstances were behind it. The Japanese were a ferocious enemy, it would've been much worse had we invaded the Home Islands. The fact that nearly all of them fought to death shows the determination they had.Thankfully we dropped the bomb so a ground invasion of Japan herself never had to happen.

Answer 7

It says a lot about the human spirit, both Japanese and American. Can you imagine the determination and will it took for the Americans to fight such a battle, over a month to take 4 miles of territory. And the Japanese, their commanders telling them they would likely not leave the island alive, in fact, I think they were told they would die on that island.

Answer 8

IWO JIMA was the D-Day of the Pacific Theatre and was very important in ending WWII
in the the Pacific!!

Answer 9

I'm not sure what your question is... was it worth it? I don't know, did those Marines think it was? My Father did, he received a Purple Heart for wounds he received on Iwo Jima on 26, Feb 1945. He was with the Fourth Marine Division. He passed away in 1998 and I never once heard him say "It wasn't worth it". He carried shrapnel in his chest until the day he died. Thanks for the information, it sure puts things in prospective, doesn't it?

Answer 10

You know I grew up believing all the noble righteous reasons good men sacrificed themselves in war, but as we know the victors write the history books. I love Howard Zinns "A peoples History of the United States" Watching Bush provoke Iran after lying about Iraq. The blatant greed. The United States military has been used every time for the purpose of forcing countries to whims and the will of U.S. Business and Corporations, under the guise of fighting communism, bringing democracy, liberation but it is all crap we are the most powerful and rogue nation on earth. We are not only the only superpower. We are almost the only terrorist nation, Israel is also a terrorist nation, but we support and and pay her way since conception. So Israel is like an Eastern Terror HQ..so I am sceptical now of why the heck so many men had to sacrifice their lives. I'm sure what ever they were told, they died with Honor dieing for the country they loved. I just do not believe any longer that the country gave a rats *** about their lives....Mary