A deadly triangle of

defense made up of Hill

382, the highest point
on the island besides
Mt. Suribachi, a
concrete-reinforced hill
known as "Turkey
Knob," and the
"Amphitheater," a
bowl-shaped depression.
Hill 362A, named for its
elevation, was a labyrinth of
more than 1,000 ft of tunnels.
Once the marines got past
362A and Nishi ridge, they
were able to reach the last
pocket of Japanese defences
near Kitano Point.
Graphic: John Lubbers
A hidden enemy
Under the surface the island of Iwo
Jima had been turned into a deadly
ant hill. A complex and extensive
system of tunnels, caves, and
gun emplacements were
constructed nine months
prior to the invasion.
Tere were over 16 miles
of interconnected
concrete underground
tunnels with multiple
ring points.
Feb. 20 - Marines advance south to Mt.
Suribachi and north to the airelds.
Feb. 22 - Marines nally have Mt. Suribachi
surrounded and begin to move up the face of
the mountain.
Feb. 23 - First units of Marines reach the top of
Mt. Suribachi and capture it. Advancements to
the north now have progressed to Aireld #2.
Feb. 24 - 4th and 5th Marines attack after a
76 min. naval bombardment and an airstrike.
Te tanks lead the way for both divisions.
Feb. 25 - 3rd Marine division, who had been
oshore in reserve, is called in and begins
attack on the center of the Japanese line.
Feb. 28 - Marines nally occupy the high
ground over looking Aireld #3.
Feb. 31 - Marines begin to attack hills 382
and 362A.
March 1 - Marines take hill 382 and move on
to capture 362A.
March 2 - For the attack on hill 362A the
Marines decide on a surpise night attack. Te
hill is not captured until March 8th.
March 4 - First damaged B-29 Superfortress
lands in Iwo Jima.
March 6 - First P-51 Mustangs begin
arriving on the captured airelds to provide
air support for the Marines.
March 8 - Te Japanese attempt to launch a
counter attack between the 23rd and 24th
regiments, but are stopped by Marine artillery.
March 15 - Resistance continues in many
small pockets located on the island.
March 25 - Last pocket of Japanese resistance
was secured at Kitano Point.
March 26 - Te Japanese resistance is over and
the island of Iwo Jima is declared secure.
regiments
divisions
Price of the battle
Sources: Wikipedia, Iwo Jima by Richard Newcomb, Te History Channel, ibiblio.org
700 mi
650 mi
Nishi
Hill 362A
Aireld 1
Aireld 2
Aireld 3
(under construction)
Iwo
Jima
Hill 382
Kitano Point
Mt. Suribachi
JAPANESE
POCKET
JAPANESE
POCKET
Pacic Ocean
main island
defences
MARCH 10
MARCH 1
MARCH 2 6
FEB. 24
D-DAY (FEB 19)
0 1
Miles
3rd Division
(on reserve
until Feb. 25)
IWO
JIMA
Operation Detachment
5th
3rd
4th
Timeline of the Battle
Te island of Iwo Jima was crucial to
continue B-29 Bomber missions on
mainland Japan.
Te airelds would provide a base for
escort planes on their raids with the
B-29s, allowing them to resupply.
Te island contained 3 airstrips that the
Japanese had been using for their attacks.
With this island captured the Kamikazes
would have to operate from Okinawa or
Kyushu, closer to the mainland.
Iwo Jima would provide an emergency
landing strip half way from Mariana
Islands to mainland Japan.
28th
27th
23rd
25th
Turkey Knob
Amphitheatre
Te Meatgrinder
Te Battle of Iwo Jima (Operation
Detachment) was fought between the
United States of America and the
Empire of Japan during February and
March of 1945, during the Pacic
Campaign of World War II. As a
result of the battle, the United States
gained control of the island of Iwo
Jima, and the airelds located there.
Japan suered a heavy loss; about
22,000 Japanese troops were
entrenched on the island, and only
1,083 survived. Te ghting was
brutal and intense. Te U.S. was
gaining ground in the Pacic Teater
at this point in the war, and the
victory at Iwo Jima was another step
towards the Japanese Home Islands.
5th Division
4th Division
Iwo Jima
Korea
Russia
China
Manchuria
Phillipines
Mariana
Islands
Okinawa
Guam
Saipan
Tinian
Palau
Pacic Ocean
0 1000 Miles
Luzon
Japan
Sea of Japan
Yellow
Sea
Reasons for the invasion
Patrol led by Lt. Harold Schreir raises a
small ag on top of Mt. Suribachi at
10:30 A.M. Later a larger ag is
brought from an LST(Landing Ship
Tank) and raised. Tis was the famous
photograph by Joe Rosenthal that was
to become the most famous and widely
produced photograph of World War II.
D-DAY FEBRUARY 19, 1945
U.S Marines land on Iwo Jima at 8:59 AM.
Tis comes after 10 weeks of bombing from
carrier based planes and medium bombers.
Te rst objective was Mt. Suribachi. Until
Mt. Suribachi was taken the Japanese could
re on any position the Marines had estab-
lished.
By the end of the rst day the Marines had not
captured half of their original objective and
nearly 600 were dead, but Mt. Suribachi had
been isolated and part of Aireld #1 had been
captured.
General Kuribayashi's
heavily fortied
command center near
Kitano Point was a cave
with 5 ft. thick walls and
a 10 ft. thick roof. Tis
cement capsule was
under 75 ft. of solid rock.
0
1,500
3,000
4,500
6,000
7,500
9,000
Marines Killed Or Wounded
Feb. 19 Mar 11-26 Feb 25-Mar 10 Feb 20-24
Killed In Action
Wounded
Iwo Jima was the only Marine battle where the American casualties, 26,000, exceeded the Japanese - most of the 22,000
defending the island. Te 6,821 American servicemen killed doubled the deaths of the Twin-Towers of 9/11. A total of 70,000
U.S. Marines were available for the invasion.
6,821
Japan U.S.
Total Deaths
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
20,000 (est.)
6,821
N
Te volcanic ash hard to climb through with
100 pound packs carried by the Marines.
Te high angle of the slope made return re
very dicult during the initial landings.
Beaches and slopes leading from the beaches
all zeroed in by the Japanese gunners.
Marines landings all but easy.
Kyushu