Motoyama Airfield 1

On the 19th of February 1945, after a long naval and air bombing, the 4th and 5th Marine Division landed unopposed on the long black sandy beach of Iwo Jima. But as soon as the Marines tried to exit the …

1945-02-19

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On the 19th of February 1945, after a long naval and air bombing, the 4th and 5th Marine Division landed unopposed on the long black sandy beach of Iwo Jima. But as soon as the Marines tried to exit the beach, they were pinned to the sand by a terrific fire made by numerous camouflaged Japanese positions and in particular from mount Suribachi which overlooked the landing beach. 27th Marine Regiment, landed on Red 2, advanced hardly to its objective, Motoyama airfield . Sergeant John Basilone of 1st Battalion, hero of the battle of Guadalcanal, led his young soldiers in the battle. He assaulted a Japanese bunker and destroyed it with a grenade, but near the airfield he was killed by a Japanese mortar shell. Iwo Jima was captured not before the 16th of March 1945 and was a blood bath : nearly 6 000 US Marines were killed and about 13 000 Japanese soldiers.

Motoyama Airfield, Iwo Jima

The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps and Navy landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II. The American invasion, designated Operation Detachment, had the purpose of capturing the island with its two airfields: South Field and Central Field was twofold. The first was to provide for B-29s unable to make it back to Tinian. The second was to have air fields for shorter ranged fighters to be staged to extend fighter coverage to the bombers. The island could also serve as a staging point for attacks on the Japanese main islands. The five-week battle was some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the Pacific War.

Wikipedia: Battle of Iwo Jima

Japanese

American

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