Iwo Jima Animated - Part 1, D-DAY

foreign [Music] this video is sponsored by call of War a free online player versus player strategy game where you can lead a real Nation during World War II research and make best use of Tanks aircraft and other weapons to fight with up to 100 real players at a time in exciting real-time combat declare war on your neighbors or Forge alliances as strong as the Allies in World War II fight battles and take over the world in hard-fought campaigns that can last weeks Hall of war is cross-platform so you can compete with your friends on both PC and mobile on the same account to find out who is the ultimate General the operations room fans who sign up by clicking the unique link below will receive 13 000 goals and a month of Premium subscription completely free don't miss out as the offer is only available for 30 days so click the link in the description below choose your country and start fighting your way to Victory a large formation of B-29 super Fortress and B-24 Liberator heavy bombers fly high above the Pacific Ocean on the 8th of December 1944. the Heavies approach the next objective in America's island hopping campaign towards Imperial Japan super fortresses and liberators drop thousands of tons of Munitions cratering the dark volcanic landscape their target an island with black sand that one Aviator comments looks like a burnt pork chop in the middle of the ocean offers only light anti-aircraft fire from its Defenders this raid is just the first of 74 consecutive bombing missions against the small island which has an area of only eight square miles in three months time this island will become the setting for one of the most ferocious battles of the second world war its name is Iwo Jima two months earlier the military might of the United States begins to wear down the Japanese defense of the Philippines With Victory imminent Admiral Chester Nimitz starts to turn his attention to Iwo Jima the small volcanic island has two airfields and lies directly in the path of the American strategic bombing campaign against the Japanese mainland Japanese fighters from Iwo Jima harass B-29 formations and bombers base there have been raiding newly conquered Islands to the east Admiral Nimitz wants to eliminate this threat once and for all before the impending invasion of Okinawa on the 9th of November Nimitz informs Lieutenant General Holland Smith commander of the fleet Marine force that he will command operation Detachment the storming of Iwo Jima once he has been briefed on Detachment Nimitz remarks well this will be easy the Japanese will surrender Iwo Jima without a fight storming the small volcanic island seems like a simple proposition there is no fresh water and reconnaissance flights notice there are no buildings for housing soldiers on the black landscape It is believed there are only 12 000 weakened Japanese troops defending the island Nimitz is confident they will be overcome in a matter of days on the 15th of February 1945 an armada of over 600 warships and transports depart the Marianas Islands carrying three divisions of 70 000 Marines on route to Iwo Jima the Marines have been told they are heading to Island X the 70-mile long American Fleet will arrive off the shores of Iwo Jima the following day in fact the Japanese have no intention of letting the island fall to the Americans without a fight Iwo Jima is part of the Tokyo prefecture and thus part of Japan itself so it must be defended to the last man to see this Mission through Lieutenant General tadamichi kuri bayashi is dispatched to Iwo Jima with the 109th Infantry Division before he left karibayashi was given a personal audience with Emperor Hirohito who impressed upon the general the importance of his task kareebayoshi understands that he has been given a Deadly Mission but he intends to inflict as many casualties on the Americans as possible he is set about turning Iwo Jima into a fortress American planners significantly underestimate Japanese strength on the island karibayashi has 22 000 men rather than the estimated twelve thousand The Defenders have tunneled into the island throughout the winter awaiting the coming Onslaught from fortified bunkers and block houses arriving on the 16th after their long Voyage from the Marianas Islands the U.S Navy sets about softening up the island defensives with a massive Naval bombardment The Barrage by Navy warships will attempt to destroy and degrade defensive fortifications before the third fourth and fifth Marine divisions stormed the island on February 19th there are 724 priority targets marked for Destruction by six battleships four heavy Cruisers and one light Cruiser along with dozens of Destroyers among them are the battleships Nevada and Tennessee survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor which brought the United States into the war who reigned 14-inch shells on Iwo Jima despite the display of Firepower the Japanese Defenders fire back with 120 millimeter guns whenever an American ship Strays too close to the shore two days before the Landing Tennessee and the cruiser Pensacola are hit by enemy fire killing or wounding 115 aboard the Pensacola meanwhile over 120 fighter bombers from Fleet and escort carriers carry out 612 sorties attacking any Targets of opportunity however the 10-day bombardment requested by General Smith is cut down to just three Smith is furious after being told that the Navy is reluctant to expend more Munitions than necessary with Naval Intelligence Officers believing the island defenses have already been neutralized by the 74 days of happy bombing to make matters worse Paul weather hampers the bombardment by preventing reconnaissance aircraft from relaying accurate target coordinates to the warships by D-Day the Navy has provided a mere one and a half days of heavy bombardment despite promising three it will prove to be a costly mistake at dawn on the 19th of February 1945 the first Marine vessels begin loading men and supplies for the trip to the beach while the final bombardment intensifies the first wave will be spearheaded by the 482 amphibious tractors the Marines simply call amtraks which can sail through the water like a boat and then drive up onto the beach providing fire support with a 75 millimeter gun along with two 50 caliber machine guns because of Iwo jima's geography there is only one beach which can accommodate the landing it is directly under mount suribachi an extinct volcano at the southern tip of the island one of the first objectives on D-Day is to isolate the heavily fortified Mountain before capturing it the 28th Regiment of the fifth Marine division is given the task of Dashing across Iwo Jima and cutting off Mount suribachi in the center the Marine's objective is to capture Iwo jima's Southern Airfield by the end of the first day to the north the 25th regiment must clear out a rock quarry which holds a commanding view of the northern Landing beaches the Marines have been served a gourmet D-Day breakfast of steak and eggs before boarding their landing craft to many men the Black Island on the horizon gives them a foreboding sense of impending doom Corman Vernon Parish in the 28th regiment recalled I was petrified when we got into those amtraks I was new to battle but I could sense that even the veterans were scared once fully loaded the landing craft set out for the beach while the naval gunfire and aerial bombardment of Iwo Jima intensifies nine landing craft infantry or LCI rocket ships move into position and launch 9500 5-inch spin stabilized Rockets towards the island while the bombardment ships moved to within 2 500 yards of the shoreline they have been reinforced with the 16-inch guns of the newer battleships Washington and North Carolina who add to the hail of Fire the naval bombardment briefly lifts to allow the aircraft from the carrier Force to pound the island with Napalm and conventional bombs one last time watching the incredible display of Firepower from an approaching Amtrak an incredulous Marine asks his comrades do you think there will be any Japanese left for us the bomb Monument lifts just before the first amtraks hit the shoreline the first Marine Amtrak lands at 8 59 am one minute ahead of schedule the initial waves do not come under Fire the Marines wonder if the preliminary bombardment actually did Wipe Out the Japanese Garrison and Signal the rest of the landing craft to come ashore in fact this plays directly into Curry bayashi's battle plan the Japanese Commander intends to let the Landing Beach fill up with vehicles and Men before unleashing his carefully hidden Firepower The Landing continues unopposed while concealed Japanese gun emplacements wait for the order to open up with everything they have at 9 45 AM Easy Company of the 3rd Battalion of the 28th Marine regiment comes ashore under the shadow of Mount suribachi led by Captain Dave Severance they fan out to support the advance inland shortly after Easy Company arrives on the beach karibayashi is satisfied that his killing zone is full of Americans and gives the order to open fire Lieutenant Keith Wells are the third platoon in Easy looks up to see siribachi turned into what looks like a Christmas tree with blinking lights a hurricane of artillery and machine gun fire lands on the congested Invasion Beach the first few minutes Under Fire are chaotic the Japanese have constructed over 750 defensive emplacements since the beginning of 1943. most of these strong points are connected by 17 miles of underground tunnels allowing the Defenders to move from position to position without exposing themselves to enemy fire some artillery emplacements have been concealed and fitted with steel doors that can be closed when the gun crew needs to reload minimizing the chance of American counter fire hitting their targets these concealed gun positions cause massive casualties on The Invasion Beach where there is no cover for the Marines Joe Rosenthal is an Associated Press photographer who lands with the first wave he later recalls that avoiding getting hit during the initial bombardment was like running through rain and not getting wet to make matters worse Naval planners have assumed from reconnaissance photos that The Invasion Beach is flat and will be easy to clear instead the Marines find themselves facing 15-foot High sand embankments impossible for vehicles to climb with tanks and other tracked Vehicles bogging down in the fine volcanic sand the Marines must continue forward on foot without armored support civilian Engineers better known as the Seabees are dispatched to clear paths through the embankments with tractors Japanese artillery fire zeroes in on the Seabees and despite taking heavy casualties the civilians perform courageously and manage to clear causeways for the tracked vehicles to move through despite the heavy enemy fire able company of the 28th Marine regiment have made a dangerous charge across the southern neck of the island at 10 35 am they reached the western shore of Iwo Jima successfully cutting off Mount suribachi they are quickly reinforced by Sherman tanks of the fourth tank Battalion who sealed the ring around the extinct volcano Easy Company moves quickly to reinforce the Breakthrough in the center the 27th Marine regiment is being decimated by Machine Gun fire from concealed bunkers ahead of them Charlie Company of the first Battalion is pinned down short of the Airfield when Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone makes a break for the nearest bunker Manila John Barcelona is a Marine Corps Legend having been awarded the Medal of Honor during the Guadalcanal campaign after being recalled from active service to sell war bonds on a publicity tour Basilone has requested to return to the front he intends to make the most of his opportunity Barcelona has sprinted from the cover of a sand embankment through heavy enemy fire and flanks around the side of the bunker he tosses a satchel charge through the firing Port followed by grenades to neutralize the Japanese strong point with the machine gun out of action the rest of the Marines move up to the Airfield Barcelona spots a Sherman tank that has made it off the beach but is stuck in a Minefield under heavy enemy fire he runs to the tank and attempts to guide it out of the minefield despite artillery and mortar shells falling around him he successfully leads the tank to safety and returns to his men still pinned down on the edge of the Airfield Basilone gathers his men and shouts come on you guys we gotta get these guns off the beach he and his men charge across the Airfield to attack an enemy strong point as he Sprints across the open ground John Basilone is cut down by Machine Gun fire and is killed instantly he will be posthumously awarded the Navy cross becoming the only Marine to receive the United States two highest awards for gallantry however word that John got it makes its way through the ranks as shaken soldiers realized that Iwo Jima is no ordinary battle on the northernmost Landing Beach Third Battalion of the 25th Marine regiment is taking horrendous losses from the rock quarry the first Japanese artillery barrage killed every man in the Shore Fire Control party meaning Lieutenant Colonel Justice Chambers cannot direct Naval gunfire against dug in Japanese positions his men are forced to scale the sheer Cliffs of the quarry without any supporting artillery they somehow managed to clear the first Terrace only to run into a wall of fire from cave entrances blasted into the side of the Quarry the Japanese troops are using 320 millimeter spigot mortars on the Marine stuck in the Quarry a weapon the Americans have not encountered in large numbers before the mortars fire 600 pound rocket bombs that explode and create massive eight-foot craters in the ground the Marines watch as the massive projectiles arched through the air toward their positions the mortar rounds will be nicknamed flying Ash cans the attack comes to a halt as men desperately search for cover Lieutenant Colonel Chambers radios to General Holland that his men are catching all hell from the Quarry and need support as soon as possible but to no avail the warships cannot support the Marines without accurate coordinates and their suffering will continue throughout D-Day of the 900 men who landed on the beach with 3rd Battalion in the morning only 150 are left by 2PM mercifully the battle winds down as night falls over Iwo Jima The Invasion Beach is a scene of Devastation with burning Vehicles littering the shoreline there are too many wounded men to evacuate all at once and hundreds will continue to suffer through the night the forward Marine positions dig in and are met with an eerie and uneasy silence General Curry bayashi has expressly forbidden Banzai charges he wants his men to stay alive as long as possible to inflict maximum harm on the Invaders his plan for a nutritional battle has already seen results at the end of D-Day the Marines have suffered 2 420 casualties including 548 killed in action this number represents over half of the total casualties taken during the entire six-month long waddle Canal campaign at the White House President Roosevelt openly gasps in horror at a casualty list for the first time in the war day breaks on D plus 1 to reveal cold rain and Gusty winds the remnants of the Third Battalion of the 25th Marines at the rock quarry have been reinforced by first Battalion of the 24th Marine regiment the attack begins Anew at 8 30 am this time with concentrated fire support from the 16-inch guns of the battleship USS Washington a landslide is triggered by the shelling which buries multiple Japanese emplacements under an avalanche of Rock and Sand unlike the previous day both Marine battalions make steady progress as they Advance undercover from Washington's main batteries meanwhile the three thousand men of the 28th Marine regiment under the command of Colonel Harry libisage prepared to clear the base of Mount suribachi American destroyers and artillery half tracks blast the mountain before the attack but the shelling has little impact on the Defenders who patiently awaits the Marines from their tunnels and caves at 8 30 am Colonel liversage gives the order to attack and the 28th Marines Advance towards the imposing Mountain the assault quickly bogs down by 9 am they have only made 75 yards and liversidge orders reinforcements into the battle Easy Company of the 3rd Battalion moves to the front to support the attack once at the Mountain Base easy comes under Japanese fire leader of second platoon Lieutenant Ed Pennell spots five wounded men pinned down by enemy machine gun fire Sprints back to a column of Sherman tanks just behind the line he grabs the phone on the side of the lead Sherman and convinces the tank crew to follow him back to the wounded men the tank provides covering fire at the base of the mountain while panel along with Mike strank harlon block Ira Hayes and Franklin sously take turns carrying the wounded men back to safety for his actions Pennell will be awarded the Navy cross however the Marines will only be able to advance another 100 yards up Mount surabati before nightfall in the north the men of the first Battalion of the 24th Marines are finally advancing in the Quarry after hard fighting throughout the day but just as they are about to break through the final Cliffside a friendly Corsair targets them by accident and 11 men are killed by Machine Gun fire after the fighter flies off a sergeant shouts to his men holy hell how did that happen and are any of you still alive almost immediately a naval gunfire Salvo from an unidentified ship lands among the men seeking cover against the Quarry walls the two unlucky mistakes proved devastating for the Marines first Battalion loses 101 men in a matter of minutes and can no longer carry on with their assault [Music] as D plus one draws to a close the Americans have secured a quarter of Iwo Jima at Great cost The Landing Beach is still under enemy fire from Mount suribachi adding to the misery for the rows of wounded men stranded on the island however there has been tangible progress the southern Airfield is now in American hands with their relatively Swift Advanced surprising General Curry bayashi furthermore the Marine infantry has gained a tenuous foothold at the Rock Quarry but most importantly the 28th Marines are in a position to begin their final assault on Mount suribachi the following day Colonel liversidge will ask for every bomber and heavy gun in the fleet to pound the extinct volcano before his men attack this week on our new sister channel the Intel report we're answering the question why didn't the naval barrage work on Iwo Jima otherwise we'll see you in part two call of war is a free online player versus player strategy game that takes place in World War II click the link in the description below for 13 000 gold and one month of premium for 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Channel: The Operations Room

Views: 1,217,698

Keywords: ww2, animated, documentary, history, iwo jima, us navy, us marines, flags of our fathers, john basilone

Id: dpiYR1_CsiI

Length: 20min 10sec (1210 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 07 2022