It's 1945, the days of Japanese conquest in the
Pacific are long over, and Allied forces are advancing in the entire theatre. For two years, US
Admiral Chester Nimitz’s “island hopping” strategy has brought the Americans ever closer to
Japan. Only those islands deemed strategically significant are being be seized, while all
others are simply bypassed. In November 1943, the Americans take Tarawa, followed by
the Marshall Islands in February 1944, and the Marianas in June. The costly landings
at Peleliu in September 1944 show just how bloody such island battles could become.
Hi, I’m Jesse Alexander and welcome to a special episode on Real Time History
– the Battle of Iwo Jima day-by-day. US commanders selected the tiny island of Iwo
Jima as the next target. Only 7.2 kilometers long, and from 0.8 to 4 kilometers wide, it’s an
insignificant speck in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. But since it’s located halfway
between Tokyo and US airbases in the Marianas, Iwo Jima could become a vital support base for
B-29 bombers, escort fighters and search and rescue craft. Importantly, Iwo Jima is also part
of the Tokyo Prefecture and is sovereign Japanese soil. The Americans hope its capture will deliver
a severe psychological blow to the Japanese. The US Marines’ V Amphibious Corps, consisting
of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions, is assigned the task of capturing the island,
codenamed Operation Detachment. All told, 100,000 men and 700 ships will partake in a
battle the Americans expect to last 5 to 10 days. Defending Iwo Jima are the 21,000 Japanese
troops of the 109th Infantry Division, commanded by Lt Gen KurIbayashi TadAmichi.
KurIbayashi has studied the battle of Peleliu closely and instead of holding the Marines
on the beach - or relying on costly banzai attacks - he plans to allow the Marines ashore
and grind them down in attritional warfare on two main defensive belts. Each consists of hundreds
of caves, tunnels and expertly hidden pillboxes which the Japanese are to hold to the end.
Kuribayashi’s “Courageous Battle Vows” order each of his soldiers to kill 10 invaders.
D-Day (February 19th) The preparatory bombardment of Iwo Jima starts 3
days before D-Day - February 19th. This is much less than the 10 days requested by V Amphibious
Corps Commander Major-General Harry Schmidt. But as the first Marines move onto the 6 landing
beaches at 9am, Japanese resistance seems light. The biggest obstacle is a 4.5-meter high terrace
of volcanic ash which hinders the men and prevents their supporting LVTs from moving ashore. Just
as bulldozers are brought in to make a path, Kuribayashi unleashes his artillery. It’s been
pre-sighted to bracket the landing beaches, and pounds the Marines, inflicting heavy casualties.
Now, Japanese machineguns open up from Mount SurIbachI, a semi-active volcano and the highest
point in the island. But the heaviest Japanese fire of all comes from the Quarry on the extreme
right of the landing beaches. Even before the invasion, 4th US Division commander Major
General Clifton Cates had worried about it: “You know, if I knew the name of
the man on the extreme right of the right-hand squad of the right-hand
company of the right-hand battalion, I’d recommend him for a medal
before we go in.” (Leckie 21) By 11am, bulldozers have cleared a path from
the beaches, and the Marines begin to threaten Airfield No. 1. Meanwhile, the 28th Marine
Regiment moves to cut off Mount Suribachi, creating a tenuous blockade (1). Colonel
Harry Liversedge reports on conditions: “Troops ashore and moving to isolate volcano.
Resistance moderate but terrain awful.” (Allen 25) By the early afternoon fighting dies down, but by
the end of D-Day, only a third of the first day’s objectives have been taken.
D+1 (February 20th) The Marines capture Airfield No. 1,
but elsewhere it’s becoming clear Japanese resistance is stiffening. In the east, Marines grind up against the Quarry, while
the 28th moves around the base of Suribachi and its 70 reinforced concrete emplacements.
Kuribayashi tries to stiffen his men’s resolve: “Each man should think of his defense position as
his graveyard, fight until the last and inflict much damage to the enemy.” (Rottman 157)
D+2 (February 21st) February 21st, D+2, brings the Americans a
new enemy - the weather. Rain and wind shut down the beaches, while kamikazes attack the
US naval vessels offshore and sink an escort carrier. On the island, the bloody fighting
continues. In the west, the flatter terrain allows for the use of tanks and the Americans
make better progress (2), but against the Quarry US casualties mount (3). One company of 240
Marines is reduced to just 18 men fit for duty. Around 5,300 Marines have been killed or wounded
in the first three days, so the reserve, the 3rd Marines, is sent in ahead of schedule.
D+3 (February 22nd) Things did not improve as the rain turning
Iwo Jima’s volcanic sand into a sticky goo that clung to boots and fouled
weapons. The 28th Marines reports: “Bad weather and poor visibility throughout
the day hampered our operations considerably. The rain mixed with volcanic dust
caused stoppages in practically all automatic weapons, reducing
them to single shot...” (Allen 68) Nonetheless, the Marines push ahead.
The 28th now begins to scale Suribachi, while elsewhere the Marines attack
Kuribayashi’s main defensive belt (4). Japanese Defences
Kurbayashi has turned Iwo Jima into a complex network of interconnected and mutually
supporting hardpoints of all shapes and sizes. Some are simple snipers’ nests made from natural
cracks in the rocks, while others are large reinforced blockhouses that seem impervious to
even heavy artillery. The larger bunkers are well stocked with supplies and facilities.
Japanese soldier Tsuuji Akikusa recalls: “The Southern Islands Naval Air Station
Headquarters bunker… was the largest bunker on the island, and it was rumored that it would
be able to hold out for about three months. There were about 800 people in the
bunker. There were no fewer than 500 drums filled with heavy oil, light oil,
gasoline, and drinking water.” (Akikusa p. 41) With the aid of tunnels, Japanese soldiers can
move around the battlefield undetected and launch their feared night attacks, which increase in
frequency with each passing day. As a result, after dark American forces fire lamination
shells to constantly bathe the island in light. D+4 February 23
The tunnels also allow the 800-man Japanese garrison at Suribachi to withdraw to the
north just as the 28th begins its final assault on February 23rd. After meeting light resistance
on the summit, Marines raised two US flags on the mountain to signal its capture - and in doing so
they create one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century.
D+5 February 24 But the capture of Suribachi does not mean
the US has won the battle. The next day, US forces assault Airfield No. 2, but Japanese
mines and anti-tank guns prevent the use of tanks. So it’s up to American infantrymen armed
with grenades, flamethrowers and small arms to lead the assault (5). The Japanese stubbornly hold
on at the north end, and US troops are only able to make serious advances in the west (6). Although
the 4th Marines clear the Quarry in the east, they now clash against the toughest enemy position yet.
D+6 February 25 On D+6, the Marines in the east enter the
‘Meatgrinder’, a complex of Japanese defences centred on three locations: Hill 382, Turkey
Knob, and a low basin known as the Amphitheatre. Defenders in these positions can mutually
support each other with machine guns, artillery and dug-in tanks. American progress
slows, with advances measured in 100-yard dashes – which the men call “touchdowns.”
D+7 - D+8 February 26 - 27 The 4th Marines continue to struggle with
the Meatgrinder over the coming days, while the other divisions also come
up against their own hardpoints. On February 27th, the Americans consolidate their
gains (7), but progress northwards is still being measured in ‘touchdowns’. The Japanese
are stubbornly defending their positions, which often hold until US armor assaults them
from point blank range, sometimes with Zippo Sherman flame-throwing tanks. American
tankers also ram or churn their treads over cave entrances to collapse them. Japanese
soldier Okoshi Harunori recalls his fears: “Even if you pretended to die and fell over,
on level ground American trucks and tanks would drive over you… Some of the soldiers
hid in foxholes to avoid being run over, but when the American tanks found a
foxhole, they would roll around on top of it and crush the people inside. If they got you like
that you were doomed to gurgle until you died.” (Shuzaihan pp.132–3)
D+9 February 28 On February 28th, which US command originally
expected to be the last day of the battle, victory still seems a distant prospect. With
the east becoming a stalemate, Schmidt orders the 3rd Division to push in the center towards the
coast, to split the Japanese defenders’ last belt. With the aid of a massive artillery and air
bombardment, the Marines surge forward and seize the remains of Airfield No. 2 (8).
D+10 March 1 By the next day, American forces are threatening
the unfinished Airfield No. 3, while in the west, the 5th Marines now clash against Nishi ridge
(9), another prepared defensive position. In the east, Hill 382 is partially captured (10),
but the Japanese on Turkey Knob and Amphitheater continue to hold out. As American
casualties and exhaustion mount, more and more NCOs take command of Marine
units - in some cases privates lead their units in assaults.
D+11 March 2 But just as US forces are making progress in
the east, the central drive bogs down. Japanese defenders on Hills 362B (11) and C(12) are holding
up the Marines, with the summits heavily contested in brutal hand-to-hand fighting.
D+12 March 3 By the following day, D+12, a stalemate sets in.
Marine casualties have been extremely high so far: 3,000 dead and 13,000 wounded. The
Japanese have lost 14,000, almost all dead, and only have about 7000 men left. In the west
the Americans capture Nishi and Hill 362A (13) and fully surround the Amphitheater (14).
As the battle continues, the Marines also begin to note deceptive Japanese tactics:
“[Japanese] Snipers dressed in Marine uniforms and armed with M-1’s [sic] were encountered,
also, it was discovered that the enemy was booby-trapping their dead.” (Allen 153)
D+13 - 14 March 4-5 In anticipation of future offensives, Schmidt
now orders two days of rest except for smaller attacks to straighten the line. Fresh American
replacements arrive, but many of them have no combat experience. Airfield No. 1 sees some
unusual activity today as damaged B-29 bomber Dinah Might makes an emergency landing.
D +15 March 6 The next day's American attack is preceded
by a massive artillery bombardment – the guns fire over 22,500 shells in the first hour alone.
However, their impact and the advance in general is disappointing from the US point
of view. Fierce Japanese resistance limits the Marines to advances of only 50
to 100 metres across the whole island (15). D +16 March 7
It’s become clear the Japanese are now well versed in the method and schedule of Marine attacks
– an artillery barrage followed by infantry assault. So 3rd Divison’s General Graves Erskine
suggests a dawn attack at 5am without artillery. Graves’ troops won’t advance straight ahead as
previously, but into a Japanese sector facing the neighboring 4th Division. The Americans
try the new method for the first time on March 7 – and it seems to work, as by the end of the day
they take Hill 362C (16). This advance started to create a pocket of Japanese resistance known as
Cushman’s Pocket which continues to hold out. At midnight of the same day, senior Japanese
commander Captain Inouye Samaji ignores Kuribayashi’s orders and leads a 1,500-man banzai
attack from around Tachiiwa Point (17). He hopes to pierce the US lines, destroy equipment, and
even scale Suribachi to raise the Japanese flag. But the Marines’ fire decimates his
men, some of whom are only armed with bamboo spears or explosive vests, from
range. The Americans suffer few losses. D +17 - +19 March 8 - 10
The wasteful banzai charge marks the end of major resistance in the east.
Over the next three days, the marines bypass Japanese hardpoints in Cushman’s Pocket (18) and
finally reduce the Meatgrinder (19). In the north, a US patrol reaches the sea before the Japanese
push it back (20). Kuribayashi knows the battle is coming to a close, but he radios to Tokyo
that he has no intention of surrendering: “All surviving fighting units have sustained heavy
losses. I am very sorry that I have let the enemy occupy one part of Japanese territory but am
taking comfort in giving him heavy damages.” (Allen 161)
FD +20 - March 11 On D+20, Japanese resistance only exists in
three isolated pockets: Cushman’s Pocket, the eastern coast, and part of the northwest
coast. Kuribayashi now falls back to a gorge, later dubbed Bloody Gorge, with his last 1,500
men (21). The Marines are exhausted and many are incapacitated by a psychological condition
they call combat fatigue, today known as PTSD. So they call on the Japanese to surrender, and
announce on loudspeakers that prisoners will be treated well and suicidal resistance is senseless.
The Americans also distribute a translated letter from Japanese prisoner of war Momoda Hideo:
“Comrades, I myself would never have believed that things could be this way if I hadn’t seen it
with my own eyes. At first I was embarrassed to have been taken by the enemy, but when I learned
that several officers… had the same experience I felt better. In our conversations we agreed that
it is more honorable to live for the Emperor and work for a greater Japan in the future than merely
to die like rats underground.” (Sandberg 114) Messages like that one, though, have little
impact. The Americans continue to advance and eliminate all Japanese strongpoints except for
Bloody Gorge. Although US authorities declare Iwo Jima secure on March 14 Kuribayashi
continues to hold out for 9 more days in a seemingly impregnable blockhouse. US artillery
couldn’t be used for fear of friendly fire, so marines armed with flamethrowers,
grenades, and demolition explosives take on the job of reducing it.
On March 23rd, Kuribayashi issued his final communication to
the Japanese garrison on nearby Chichi Jima: “All officers and men of Chichi
Jima, good-bye from Iwo.” (Allen 217) Kuribayashi’s ultimate fate is not known.
It’s possible that he commits suicide, or that he dies in one of the banzai attacks that
become more common in the final days. On March 26, around 200-300 Japanese troops sneak out of
the Bloody Gorge and strike at Airfield No. 2, attacking mostly airmen and construction
personnel. This charge, which US troops quickly destroy, signals the end of the battle.
It’s now D+35. Marine casualties are around 23,000, including 6,800 dead, while the
navy loses about 2800 dead and wounded. 19,000 of the 21,000 Japanese troops on the island
are killed. Only 216 surrender during the battle, and up to 2000 continue to struggle in small
groups until they are mopped up by US troops. Although the later battle of Okinawa will
prove even costlier for the Americans, Iwo Jima is still the deadliest single
battle for the Marines, and the only battle in the US Pacific Campaign where American
casualties outnumber those of the Japanese. Iwo Jima is also a battle with a controversial
legacy. The US Army and Navy will later claim the operation was of little use, especially
for the price paid. But for its intended practical purposes it does provide immediate
benefits. Through the last months of the war, 2,251 B-29s make emergency landings on Iwo,
potentially saving the lives of 24,000 US airmen. SPONSORSHIP + ENDCARD We’d like to thank Mark Newton
for his help with this episode. We hope you liked this more experimental video
where we tried out some new things with our maps that we want to use for our upcoming series
Napoleon’s Downfall where we’ll cover the campaign in Russia in 1812. We could not deliver
our kind of detailed history content without our supporters on Patreon. If you like what we do,
please support us at patreon.com/realtimehistory I’m Jesse Alexander and this is Real Time
History, the only Youtube history channel that knows for a fact that turkeys don’t actually have
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