The Vth Amphibious Corps' mission for Operation DETACHMENT was to seize and occupy the island of Iwo Jima. Detailed planning and preparations for the invasion began in the Fall of 1944 and continued at a quickening pace as D-Day approached.
Starting in August 1944 a series of heavy bombing raids was conducted against Japanese installations on Iwo Jima. Many of these were carried out by B-24 heavy bombers and B-25 Mitchell medium bombers. Before D-Day thousands of tons of bombs were dropped on Iwo.
Naval gunfire support ships conducted a concentrated pre-landing bombardment beginning on D-3. Seven battleships and six cruisers were assigned this task. These ships closed to within 3,000 yards from the island in support of underwater demolition team operations on the landing beaches. The battle wagons and cruisers fired thousands of heavy rounds into the Japanese positions on the island, but with little effect.
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(left)Pre H-Hour bombardment-19 Feb 1945, Iwo Jima
US Navy Photo |
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(left) LSMs maneuver off the beach at Iwo Jima–19 Feb 1945
US Navy Photo
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H-Hour for Operation DETACHMENT was set at 0900, 19 February. On a 3,500 yard strip of landing beaches, the 4th and 5th Marine divisions landed simultaneously under cover of an intensive naval barrage and close air support. Under heavy enemy fire the Marines reorganized and began to work forward through the steep beach terraces toward Motoyama airfield #1.
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(left) Marines stream ashore on the beaches of Iwo Jima–19 Feb 1945
USMC Photo
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The mission on D-Day was simple–establish and secure a beach head, hold it against counterattacks, and cut off Mount Suribachi from the Japanese defenders on the north part of the island. Japanese mortar and artillery fire ranged all across the beaches, knocking out vehicles and killing or wounded many Marines. Savage fire erupted from hidden positions on Mount Suribachi and the right flank of the beach head, wreaking havoc on the advancing Marines. But the attack never stopped. Foot by foot, yard by yard, the Marines kept grinding forward.
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(left) The 27th Marines reorganizes on the beach before moving inland. An LVT(A)-4 in the background stands by for fire support–
19 Feb 1945
USMC Photo
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By 1035 a small group of Marines from Co. B, 28th Marines had successfully crossed the 700 yard shank of Iwo Jima to the western beach. All over the beach head area and from the flat ground of Motoyama airfield #1, Japanese defenders resisted fiercely. But they could not stop the flood of men and materiel pouring across the beaches.
The attack continued without let-up as the Marines kept up their relentless attacks to consolidate the hard won ground. From reinforced and interlocked positions the Japanese defenders poured on the fire at the exposed Marines. On D+1 elements of the 3rd MarDiv began landing to join the fight.
On D+4, a patrol from Co. E 2/28 was given the mission of scaling Mount Suribachi. They raised the American flag on the crest of the volcano, an act caught on film by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal. The flag raising photo became an iconic image of American courage, but the battle for Iwo raged on. Before it was over, three of the Marines in the photo at left were dead.
Mount Suribachi was cleared of Japanese defenders and the assault continued into the badlands of the Motoyama plateau. Against withering fire, the Marines pushed forward yard by bloody yard. Into switchbacks, canyons and across sandstone ridges, fire teams, platoons and companies fought their way forward. Compressed into an ever tightening perimeter, enemy resistance increased to a ferocious degree. But the attack never stopped.
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(above) A 4th MarDiv tank-infantry team blasts a
Japanese strongpoint on the Motoyama plateau–
March 1945 USMC Photo
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The battle continued on the northern part of the island, even while crippled B-29s began making emergency landings on Iwo's airfields. Finally, on 26 March 1945 (D+35) the last pocket of organized resistance was crushed. The cost was hard to fathom. 6,821 Marines, Sailors and Soldiers had given their lives to conquer Iwo Jima, and over 20,000 Japanese servicemen died defending it.
"It was an operation of one phase and one tactic. From the time the engagement was joined until the mission was completed it was a matter of frontal assault maintained with relentless pressure."
LtGen H.M. Smith, USMC
Task Force 56 Action Report
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Blue Beach on the morning of 19 Feb 1945. The battle rages
just inland as Marines struggle to rescue men from the surf .
Courtesy Tom Williams
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