Verified Document

Invasion Of Iwo Jima During Thesis

As American marines advanced onto the Island, Kuribayashi's hidden machine gun nests dug into the island opened up and inflicted very heavy casualties. The interconnected bunkers enabled the Japanese forces to retreat under attack and then emerge from other bunkers behind American the lines of American advances to attack them from their rear (Bishop & McNab, 2007; Ray, 2003).

After four days of fighting since the February 19, 1945, U.S. marines captured

Mt. Suribachi, the highest point on the Island on February 23rd (Ambrose, 2001; Bishop & McNab, 2007; Ray, 2003). Five marines and one Navy corpsman erected a small U.S.

flag that was immediately ordered replaced with a larger flag so that it would be visible to the entire island and to Naval vessels offshore (Ambrose, 2001; Bishop & McNab, 2007).

The photo of that second flag raising later won the Pulitzer Prize; unfortunately, by that time, only three of the six U.S. personnel had survived the rest of the battle for Iwo Jima.

The surviving members of that six-man team later toured the U.S. For Armed Forces

publicity campaigns and public relations (Ambrose, 2001).

Casualties:

The U.S. assault on Iwo Jima resulted in the heaviest losses in U.S. Marine

history (Bishop & McNab, 2003). American combat losses on Iwo Jima totaled nearly

7,000 marines and navy seamen killed in action and almost four times that many wounded. U.S. forces systematically reduced the Japanese resistance one sector at a time until the last remaining defenders retreated to a small area at the far end of the island from Mt. Suribachi. By that time, almost 22,000 of the nearly 23,000 Japanese forces had either been killed in action or killed themselves in suicide attacks or ritual suicide in their bunkers. Only...

Victory:
The capture of Iwo Jima was crucial to the U.S. campaign against Japan after the victory in Europe almost a year before. By the end of 1944, a U.S. victory was no longer in doubt, but without the capture of the Japanese Home Islands, the war could have lasted considerably longer and cost many more U.S. casualties in the long run (Ambrose, 2001).

The island-hopping concept substantially reduced the flying distance required by U.S.

heavy bombers and allowed them to conduct effective strategic bombing operations against Mainland Japan without the heavy losses from Japanese fighter/interceptors based on those islands. Iwo Jima and the other captured Japanese Home Islands also enabled the rescue of several thousand American airmen who would probably have been lost at sea because of equipment malfunction and damage sustained in battle (Ambrose, 2001).

Even with the availability of the islands for U.S. operations, the Japanese would hold out for another five months. Ultimately, the island-hopping strategy that began with Iwo

Jima shortened the war and saved many more U.S. casualties than were sacrificed in operations against Iwo Jima.

References

Ambrose, S. (2001). The Good Fight: How World War II Was Won. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Bishop, C., McNab, C. (2007). Campaigns of World War II Day By Day. London, UK:

Amber Books.

Commager, H., Miller, D. (2002). The Story of World War II: Revised, Expanded & Updated from the Original Text by Henry Steele Commager. New York: Bantam

Books.

Ray, J. (2003). The Illustrated History of WWII. London, UK: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Sources used in this document:
References

Ambrose, S. (2001). The Good Fight: How World War II Was Won. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Bishop, C., McNab, C. (2007). Campaigns of World War II Day By Day. London, UK:

Amber Books.

Commager, H., Miller, D. (2002). The Story of World War II: Revised, Expanded & Updated from the Original Text by Henry Steele Commager. New York: Bantam
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Battle of Iwo Jima February
Words: 1412 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Paper

S. combat tactics to the Japanese approach included the use of grenades and flamethrowers, which both had an immediate and direct impact on the Japanese forces inside the underground fortifications. The result was that by the end of the first day, about 30,000 troops had been successfully landed, about 760 soldiers had advanced a considerable distance and the relevant Japanese area of defense around Mount Suribachi had been isolated from

Invasion of Poland by the German Army
Words: 471 Length: 2 Document Type: Article Review

Invasion of Poland by the German army began World War II. Germany invaded against the warnings of their Allies, specifically France and German. Germany conquered the territories very quickly with the strategies that Hitler and his generals had developed. While Germany had once been in favor with the other nations of the world, this was lost during this time in history. When Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan the American

Battle of the Aleutians a Cold Wake Up Call
Words: 12983 Length: 50 Document Type: Dissertation or Thesis complete

Termed "the forgotten battle," the Battle for the Aleutians represented the only instance during World War II when the Japanese occupied American soil and the campaign exacted a significant toll of American lives and treasure. The Aleutians became strategically significant during World War II for the Japanese as well as the United States, but the American preparations in anticipation of this attack were woefully inadequate. Despite a U.S. naval base

World War II and the
Words: 1799 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Today, the Americans fight different insurgent factions, who have limited weaponry, no air force, and no real large scale fighting tactics. Instead, they create havoc with roadside bombs and suicide bombers. Vietnam was fought on the scale of a world war, while Iraq is being fought on a much smaller scale. In addition, there was a draft in place during Vietnam, and no draft in place today, so our

Truman and the Use of
Words: 1131 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

S. during the summer of 1945 had indicated that the Japanese were ready to surrender; that the War could have been ended, if the U.S. had responded by offering the retention of the Japanese Imperial Monarchy instead of insisting on unconditional surrender. Further research on the decoded messages, however, indicate that the militarists still dominated the power hierarchy in Japan and they were willing to fight to the bitter end,

Japan and WWII the Japanese
Words: 2365 Length: 7 Document Type: Research Paper

The U.S. And Allies (including Australia) wanted nothing less than a total defeat of Japan. The Allies began beefing up their "…line of communications across the southern Pacific to Australia" and America also strengthened bases in Alaska, Hawaii, and India, which could become launching points for "counter-offences" against the Japanese (Coakley, 503).. It was not an easy task, as Japanese fighters were dug in deep in Guadalcanal and the southern

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now