3. Headed to Iwo 11 Nov. US Navy begins to Bombard Iwo Jima
24 Nov. 24 B-29 Bomb Nakajima aircraft factory
3 Jan. 45- MacArthur Returns—he is placed in command of US ground forces, while Nimitz get the Naval Forces
All in preparation for IWO JIMA

8. They faced a garrison of over 27,000 Japanese
“No other island received as much preliminary pounding as did Iwo Jima.” - Admiral Chester W. Nimitz
February 19, 1945 about 30,000 United States Marines of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions, under V Amphibious Corps, landed on Iwo Jima
They faced a garrison of over 27,000 Japanese
The islands defenders were invisible and gun fire seem to come from everywhere

10. The USS Texas, BB-35 bombarding Iwo Jima, February 19, 1945.

13. Why Iwo Jima???
Crucial to success of B-29 raids on Japanese mainland target
Island already had 3 useable airstrips
Limited Kamikazes to work form Okinawa and Kyushu
Using airfields as strips fro escorts for B-29s
Halfway between Marianas & Mainland for emergency landings

14. US COMMANDERS Adm. R.A. Sprunace-5th fleet
Vice Adm. R.K. Turner-Joint Exp. Force Commander
Lt. Gen. Holland “Howlin Mad” Smith-USMC Exp. Troop Commander

15. Tadamichi Kuribayashi commander of the Japanese garrison defending Iwo Jima

16. Tadamichi Kuribayashi
Japanese Commander
Changed Japanese Tactics
Over 16 Miles of Underground Tunnels and Bunkers (island is only 8 total miles)
Fortified Kill Zones
800 Pillboxes Undamaged by massive US Bombardment

21. His strategy was to fight the battle entirely from beneath the ground.
They dug 1,500 rooms into the rock.
Japanese strategy called for "no Japanese survivors.“
They planned to kill 10 Americans before they themselves are killed.
No Banzai Charges
General Kuribayashi died in the battle.

22. “Throwing human flesh against reinforced concrete."

23. Hard statistics show the sacrifice made by Colonel Johnson's 2nd Battalion: 1,400 landed on D-Day. 288 replacements were provided for a total of 1,688. 1,511 were killed or wounded. 177 returned from the island. 91 of these had been wounded at least once and returned to battle.

24. MT. SURIBACHI

26. MT. SURIBACHI LOCATED AT SOUTHERN END OF IWO
A MUST TO SECURE REMAINDER OF THE ISLAND
BY THE END OF DAY 1 SURIBACHI IS CUT OFF
FIGHTING BECOME TRENCH LIKE
GAINS MEASURED BY YARDS

32. “UNCOMMON VALOR WAS A COMMON VIRTUE”

33. THE FIGHT IS JUST BEGINNING
BY THE END OF DAY 5 THE 500 YARDS
TAKING HILL AFTER HILL AT A HUGE COST
HILL 382
BY MARCH 25 LAST JAPANESE RESISTANCE END ON KITANO POINT
BY APRIL P-51’S ARE ESCORTING B-29S OVER THE JAPANESE MAINLAND

37. TOTAL LOSSES Japanese-1,083 POWS US-6,821 KIA Roughly 20,000+ KIA
19,217 WIA
2,648-CF
TOTAL----28,686
Of the 23,573 were US MARINES (1/3)

70. 37 Days of “HELL” To little naval support-3 days
Underestimation of Japanese forces
Changing tactics of Japanese
PILLBOXES AND TRIANGULAR FIRE
Nature of the island
WHAT WOULD THEY DO TO DEFEND THE MAINLAND?????

71. Flags of our Fathers by. James Bradley