By: Rohan Pavuluri
Shortly after its attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Japan gained control over much of Southeast Asia and the Central Pacific. The Japanese sphere of control extended west to Burma (Myanmar), south to the Dutch East Indies (now Malaysia) and New Guinea, and east to Wake Island. However, the United States assumed command of the Allied forces in the Pacific theater and mounted a counteroffensive that incorporated a strategic combination of land, air, and naval assaults. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCOS) — Adm. Ernest King, Adm. William Leahy, Gen. George Marshall, and Gen. Henry Arnold — were appointed in 1942 to provide a body of high command to direct U.S. operations during the war. Each member was a four-star officer from the U.S. Army, Navy, and Army Air Forces (AAF). The Marine Corps was not represented in this body during World War II. Convention dictated that a single officer should command all armed forces in the Pacific, but the JCOS could not agree on any one person to do so. At King’s urging, the body chose to bifurcate the theater and gave Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Adm. Chester Nimitz command over one half each. Even then, however, there was contention over how to make progress toward the Japanese homeland. MacArthur wanted to retake the Philippines en route to Tokyo, while Nimitz wanted an “island-hopping” approach that focused on small strategic gains throughout the Central Pacific. In 1944, the JCOS agreed on a two-pronged plan that combined both strategies. By October of that year, MacArthur had landed on Filipino soil, and Nimitz had seized the Mariana Islands, which severely crippled the Japanese’s naval and air power. Henry Arnold was of the opinion that the Bonin Islands could be useful for conducting B-29 Superfortress air raids on Tokyo. He was convinced that Iwo Jima (now Iō-tō) in particular, being halfway between the Mariana Islands and the Japanese capital, would place his fighters in range of the city so that they could support bombing operations in the region. Arnold had to rely on the Navy to take these islands for him, however. At the JCOS’s direction, Nimitz initially intended to take Formosa (Taiwan) rather than Iwo Jima, but recommendations from his subordinate admirals prompted him to propose that he seize Iwo Jima and Okinawa instead. The JCOS approved the plan, and in October 1944, Nimitz began preparations for an Iwo Jima invasion, later known as Operation Detachment. And then the battle began. Nimitz created a U.S. Joint Expeditionary Force of Navy and Marines to carry out Operation Detachment. At its disposal was an armada of 11 warships that were intended to soften up Japanese defenses with sustained bombardment. Maj. Gen. Harry Schmidt took charge of Marine operations. He fielded the largely veteran 3rd, 4th, and 5th Marine divisions, totaling some 70,000 troops. U.S. intelligence had reported only 13,000 Japanese defenders and excellent beach terrain for landing, so planners chose to have the Marines land on the southeastern beach in seven sections (listed southwest to northeast): Green, Red 1, Red 2, Yellow 1, Yellow 2, Blue 1, and Blue 2. The 28th Regiment at Green would plow across the 0.5-mile (0.8-km) stretch to the other side of the island to cut off and eventually take Mount Suribachi. The 27th Regiment at Red 1 and 2 would head northward past Motoyama 1, which would be taken by the 23rd Regiment at Yellow 1 and 2. The 25th Regiment at Blue 1 and 2 would head east to secure the right flank. Schmidt was prepared for Japanese banzai attacks, and he expected the swarm of bodies to expedite the invasion process; he anticipated total control of the island in no more than four days. His estimate was inaccurate, and it ended up being a month-long battle. In conclusion, the battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle in the United States’s attempt to end the war with Japan. The battle was expected to take four days, but it ended up taking four weeks. In this battle there were many casualties, but that did not stop the Americans from conquering the island, giving them great odds for ending the war. Sources: History.com
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