Iwo JimaBy

Nathaniel Machado

LOCATION OF IWO JIMA

Iwo Jima is a tiny volcanic island that lays some 660 miles south of Tokyo, Japan's Capital

It is 8 sq. miles small which is 1/3 the size of Manhattan Island.

REASONS FOR THE BATTLE

Americans found the island a much needed landing pad. Saipan was the closest American occupied island from Tokyo. It is about 1300 miles from Tokyo, which meant a B-29 bomber took a 16 hour round trip only to find itself minutes from running out of fuel. The island would provide fuel for bombers, and would be a resort for damaged planes.

Iwo Jima served as an emergency landing site for more than 2,200 B-29 bombers, saving the lives of 24,000 U.S. airmen through the course of the war.

BATTLE STRATEGIES

JAPAN'S UNITED STATES Fight battle entirely from

beneath the ground. They dug 1,500 rooms into the rock. These were connected with 16 miles of tunnels.

“No Japanese survivors." They planned not to survive.

Each soldier was to kill 10 Americans before they themselves were killed.

Send more forces to Iwo Jima the any other battle.

Weaken Japanese forces with 2 months of bombing and 3 days of shelling before the amphibious attack.

THE FIGHT

The battle was fought by 70,000 American Marines under the command of Lieutenant-General Holland ‘Howling Mad’ Smith and 20,000 soldiers under the command of Lieutenant-General Kuribayashi.

The battle lasted 36 days and resulted in 25,851 American casualties of these, 6,825 were killed. Of the 22,000 Japanese defenders, only 216 survived to be captured by US Marines.

PRE BATTLE – “SOFTENING UP “

On the 7th of June, 1944, the U.S. began routine strikes on Iwo Jima.

Strikes included bombing runs from B-29 bombers as well as 3 days of shelling from 6 American naval ships.

LANDING ON THE BEACHES At 8:30am February

19, the order, "Land the Landing Force," sent Marines of the 4th and 5th divisions towards the deadly beaches Green, Red, Yellow and Blue.

Heavy fire made it impossible to land men in an orderly manner. Confusion reigned on the beaches. 

FLAG RAISING The flag-raising atop Mt. Suribachi took place on February

23, 1945.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.iwojima.com/ http://

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Iwo_Jima_Suribachi_DN-SD-03-11845.JPEG

http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/battleiwojima.htm

http://www.nationalww2museum.org/focus-on/iwo-jima-fact-sheet.pdf

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_iwo_jima.htm

http://forwearemany.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/kuribayashi-maru/

http://www.iwojima.com/raising/lflaga2.gif