returned Iwo Jima to Japanese control in 1968. Three of those films are the 1949 "Sands of Iwo Jima," starring actors John Wayne and Forrest Tucker, and two 2006 movies directed by Clint Eastwood: "Letters from Iwo Jima" and "Flags of Our Fathers." Many books were written and movies made about the battle for Iwo Jima. postage stamp, and a large statue of the flag raising is featured at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. The image of the flag raising was so powerful that it was featured on a U.S. Bill Genaust, who was standing beside Rosenthal, captured the same moment on video. His photograph captured six Americans raising the U.S. One of the most iconic images of World War II was taken by The Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal. However, two Japanese holdouts hid in the island's caves and tunnels until they finally surrendered in 1949. Sporadic fighting continued until the war ended on Aug. The rest were listed as missing and presumed dead. Despite efforts to get the Japanese to surrender, only 216 were taken prisoner. The Japanese suffered even more devastating losses, with around 18,000 killed. The casualty rate was so high that the Army's 147th Infantry Regiment landed a month later to help with mopping-up operations. Over five weeks of fierce fighting, the Marines suffered more than 25,000 casualties, including nearly 7,000 dead. The Seabees were naval engineers who were experts at building roads and would be needed to open the island's three airfields. The invasion fleet consisted of the three Marine divisions of about 70,000 men, around 450 naval ships of various types, as well as several thousand Navy Seabees.
troops landing on the beaches and advancing inland with great difficulty on the slippery, black volcanic sand. The Japanese directed artillery, small arms and mortar fire from openings downward on U.S. To make matters worse for the Americans, many of the tunnels were located on the slopes of Mount Suribachi. So, the bombardment by the Americans of Iwo Jima had relatively little effect on about 21,000 Japanese troops holed up underground. 19, 1945, 75 years ago today.ĭespite the heavy and sustained bombardment of the island, the Japanese had their own defensive plans, which included about 11 miles of tunnels and underground rooms for command and control and other functions.
This continued until troops landed on the island Feb. Plans to capture Iwo Jima unfolded June 15, 1944, with Army Air Forces and Navy bombardment of the island. The task for doing this fell to the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine divisions, the Army's 147th Infantry Regiment and the Navy's 5th Fleet. bombers within a 750-mile strike range of Japan. forces had island hopped across the Pacific Ocean and were rapidly closing in on the Japanese mainland.īefore attacking Japan, war planners hoped to capture Iwo Jima, a tiny island in the Western Pacific that would put U.S.