Iwo Jima (WWII), Thesis Statement: The battle of Iwo Jima enhanced American Military Air Operations in the Pacific
The Battle of Iwo Jima and American Military Air Operations
January 31 , 2007
Abstract
The information herein describes the United States military efforts and reasons for the Battle of Iwo Jima . In addition to historical background information , attempts will be made to validate the idea that American military air operations were enhanced by this pivotal battle s of Japanese , as well as American , defensive and offensive techniques will be discussed in to understand the impact of this battle on the efforts of the American military departments
The Battle of Iwo [banner_entry_middle]
Jima , fought between the United States and
Japan , began in February 1945 and ended in March 1945 . This
battle was part of World War II , in the Pacific Campaign . The
main concept of this battle was to provide a tactical advantage
against Japan . The seizure of this island would give the United
States this advantage
Iwo Jima is one of many islands that were owned and
controlled by Japan . It is a volcanic island whose Japanese-
based name translates to `sulfur island ‘ During the war against
Japan , Iwo Jima proved to be a threat to United States bombers
The Pacific Campaign became a serious focal point of United
States military leaders . The war against Japan was escalating
Major decisions had to be made in to continue effective
warfare . The United States ‘ invasion of Iwo Jima became known as
Operation Detachment , and lasted 36 days
Under Japanese control , Iwo Jima was a warning station
Reports of incoming U .S . bombers could be radioed back to the
mainland of Japan . This allowed the Japanese to prepare their
air defenses . To the Japanese , Iwo Jima was important because it
provided a base for Japanese aircraft to intercept the United States B-29 bombers . It also provided a safe place for damaged
naval units
United States military officials , particularly those of the
Air Force , believed that the capture of Iwo Jima would provide a
tactical advantage against Japan , and the future invasion of the
mainland . The airbases on Iwo Jima could provide a base for
fighter planes to leave to escort the B-29 bombers on their route
to Japan . As an added benefit , damaged aircraft could have a
place to land in the event of an emergency . Planes low on fuel
and supplies could land , re-fuel , and re-stock . The United
States could use the air bases on Iwo Jima to engage in more
intensive air bombarding
Admiral Chester Nimitz issued a staff study , during October
1944 , for early planning purposes . The main idea of Operation
Detachment was to maintain vast military pressure against Japan
There were three tasks specifically foreseen in this study : the
reduction of enemy naval and air strength and reduction of
industrial facilities the destruction of Japanese air and naval
strength in the Bonin Islands the capture , occupation , and
subsequent defense of Iwo Jima to develop it into an air base
Nimitz ‘s study stated : long range bombers should be
provided with fighter support at the earliest practicable time
and that Iwo Jima was admirably situated as a fighter base for
supporting long range bombers (USPFPOA , 1944
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a joint collaboration between all
the U .S . military departments . The Navy provided the ship to
ground assault . The Air Force provided the air to ground
bombing . The Marines , particularly those of the 3rd , 4th , and 5th
Marine divisions of the V Amphibious Corps , provided the ground
assault
Initial bombing took place two months prior to the ground
landings . It continued all the way to D-day . The beginning of
D-day was signaled by battleship guns from the water . Sea-to-Air
assaults paused while 100 bombers in the sky attacked
Battleship attacks then resumed . During this pre-landing
assault , it was unknown that there was little damage inflicted on
the Japanese soldiers ‘ defense points . Later it was found that
the most effective means of bombing the Japanese on the island
was the usage of napalm bombs
General Tadamichi Kuribayashi had adopted an unconventional
means of defending the island . Kuribayashi employed mining
engineers to draw up plans for an elaborate system of caves
tunnels and underground fortresses . These measures prevented
normal U .S . bombing techniques from being an effective means to
neutralize the enemy ‘s forces
In addition to troop reinforcements , General Kuribayashi
received large quantities of artillery and anti-tank weaponry
By the end of 1944 , he had an estimated 361 artillery pieces of
75 mm or larger caliber , twelve 320 mm mortars , 65 medium and
small mortars that ranged from 159 mm to 81 mm , 33 naval guns
and 94 anti-aircraft guns . He also received a large variety of
rockets and rocket guns
After a three day bombing assault , Marines landed on the
beaches of Iwo Jima , ready for battle . They did not receive any
enemy resistance while on the beaches . After advancing
approximately 500 yards up the island , the Marines encountered
heavy automatic weapon fire . Because of Kuribayashi underground
trenches , U . S . forces could not see the enemy that was shooting
at them . The Japanese troops , however , had full view of
everything that was going on , from their stations in the hills
and mountains of Iwo Jima
Kuribayashi ‘s defensive techniques were unexpected
Therefore , it was determined that the bombing strategies used by
air and sea support had to be amended to include more effective
means of taking out the enemy ‘s underground fortresses . The
napalm bombs proved to be quite effective
The Marines had a well stocked supply of ammunition , but for
combat , the flamethrower was extremely effective in neutralizing
the stations of Japanese troops hiding in their caves and
tunnels
The Battle of Iwo Jima was the only Marine battle where the
Japanese casualties were substantially less than the American
casualties . As such , it was one of the bloodiest battles in
Marine history . The Marines had suffered 23 , 157 casualties
with 5 , 885 dead . The Navy suffered 2 , 798 casualties , with 881
dead
The major end result , in terms of air operation enhancement
was that a new bombing tactic had been discovered , and
implemented in the attacking of Japan . High-altitude air bombing
had showed that little damage could be done using standard bombs
Lower level strikes using night cover and napalm bombs proved to
be highly effective . The enormity of the final casualty lists
from Iwo Jima made it a priority that if an alternative means of
ending the war could be found , then it should be pursued
(Antill , 2001 . The combination of the napalm bombs and the
atomic bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki provided an end to
World War II
While air operations had proved to be generally in effective
in the beginning , largely due to misleading intelligence reports
each department of the U . S . military forces found ways to adapt
to the situation . Using the trial and error information gathered
from the Battle of Iwo Jima , military officials were able to
develop effective means to continue the war , making each
subsequent battle more effective
Other than the massive amounts of lives that were lost in
the Battle of Iwo Jima , there were some other details that
presented themselves after the battle . In planning for the
invasion on Iwo Jima , the main driving point was that the
airbases on the island would provide a useful place for fighter
escorts of the B-29 bombers . In fact , only a handful of these
missions ever left from Iwo Jima
USMC Captain Robert Burrell (2004 ) suggested that only a
small amount of the landings on Iwo Jima were actually
emergencies . Most landings were for technical evaluations
training , and refueling . He commented on the importance of the
island as a refueling and landing site for bombers stating
This justification became prominent only after the Marines seized the island and incurred high casualties . The tragic cost of Operation Detachment pressured veterans , journalists , and commanders to fixate on the most visible rationalization for the battle . The sight of the enormous , costly , and technologically sophisticated B-29 landing on the island ‘s small airfield most clearly liked Iwo Jima to the strategic bombing campaign . As the myths about the flag raisings on Mount Suribachi reached legendary proportions , so did the emergency landing theory in to justify the need to raise that flag
The Army Air Force wanted a base from which fighter planes
could provide escort to B-29 bombers that were on missions to
Japan . However , Iwo Jima was quite a distance away from most of
the Japanese targets . Most of the fighter planes , including the
new P-51 did not have the equipment to suit that particular
purpose . In addition , the B-29 bombers , in all actuality , did
not need an escort . They were powerful enough on their own . In
modern parlance , you might say that Iwo Jima was a battle of
choice waged on the basis of faulty intelligence and inadequate
plans (Boot , 2005
References
Antill ,
(Apr . 2004 ) The Battle for Iwo Jima . Accessed Jan . 29 , 2007 at HYPERLINK “http /www .historyofwar .org /articles /battles_iwojima .html http /www .historyofwar .org /articles /battles_iwojima .html
Boot , Max (Mar . 2005 ) Rethinking the Iwo Jima Myth . Council on Foreign Relations . Accessed Jan . 29 , 2007 at HYPERLINK “http /www .cfr .org /publication /7904 /rethinking_the_iwo_jima_myth .html http /www .cfr .org /publication /7904 /rethinking_the_iwo_jima_myth .html
Burrell , Robert (2004 ) Breaking the Cycle of Iwo Jima Mythology : A Strategic Study of Operation Detachment . The Journal of Military History . 68 (4 ) pp . 1143-1186
United States Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas . Operation Detachment (Iwo Jima (Oct . 1944 ) in Steven T . Ross , U .S . War Plans 1939-1945 . Malabar , Fla : Kreiger Pub . Co , 2000
World War II (2007 . In Encyclopedia Britannica . Retrieved Jan . 29 2007 , from Encyclopedia Britannica Online : HYPERLINK “http /www .britannica .com /eb /article-53603 http /www .britannica .com /eb /article-53603
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