THE BATTLE OF IWO JIMA
Allied vicotry at the Battle of Iwo Jima was critically important to American victory in the pacific because it allowed American planes to frequently attack the Japanese mainland.
Even though Iwo Jima is the closest island to mainland Japan it was very under-utilized by the Americans. It mainly served as an emergency landing place for planes that were damaged while bombing Japan.
The novel Flags of our Fathers is written by the son of one of the American Marines that lifted the flag on top of Mt. Surabachi. This picture became one of the most famous pictures of the war and it was actually an accident. The cameraman was not even looking through his view finder when he took it. James Bradley, the author, writes letters back and forth with the other men in the picture and asks about their time while on the island of Iwo Jima. This is a fantastic book with lots of research and primary sources utilized.
This video interviews two US Army Marines who fought in the Pacific and on Iwo Jima. They tell of the horrors that they experienced while fighting the Japanese on Iwo Jima. Many of the men who came back from these battles never uttered a word about what happened because what they saw and did was just too horrible.
Tactics used by Americans on Iwo Jima
The flamethrowers that the Americans used on Iwo Jima helped them to flush the Japanese out of their numerous tunnel systems that were built underground all over the island. They also used them to clear out some of the thick foliage that covered the island and sometimes made it hard to find the Japanese.
In Class Notes
-Operation Downfall was the proposed American invasion of mainland Japan
-It was estimated that 500,00 to 1,000,000 Americans would lose their lives
-It was never put into action because Japan surrendered
-The atomic bombs were dropped to try and avoid those causalities
-Iwo Jima was called Operation Detachment
-There were 3 airstrips on the island
-70,000 Marines vs. 27,000 Japanese
-Japanese have 800 pillboxes and 3 miles of tunnels
-Mt. Surabachi was the main goal of the invasion
-Okinawa was invaded to set up the staging area of the invasion of Japan
-Invasion of Okinawa was called Operation Iceberg
-183,000 Americans vs. 100,000 Japanese
-Iron Typhoon:planned 5,000 kamikaze attacks
-Sunk 25 American ships
-5,000 sailors killed
-The Cost
US
Killed Wounded
12,281 60,000
Japanese
Killed Civilians Entombed
107,539 75,000 27,769
-It was estimated that 500,00 to 1,000,000 Americans would lose their lives
-It was never put into action because Japan surrendered
-The atomic bombs were dropped to try and avoid those causalities
-Iwo Jima was called Operation Detachment
-There were 3 airstrips on the island
-70,000 Marines vs. 27,000 Japanese
-Japanese have 800 pillboxes and 3 miles of tunnels
-Mt. Surabachi was the main goal of the invasion
-Okinawa was invaded to set up the staging area of the invasion of Japan
-Invasion of Okinawa was called Operation Iceberg
-183,000 Americans vs. 100,000 Japanese
-Iron Typhoon:planned 5,000 kamikaze attacks
-Sunk 25 American ships
-5,000 sailors killed
-The Cost
US
Killed Wounded
12,281 60,000
Japanese
Killed Civilians Entombed
107,539 75,000 27,769
Visit to the Holocaust Memorial Center
As soon as you walk in the doors there's a train car just standing there that was used to transport the Jewish people to the concentration camps and that immediately set the tone for how the tour of the museum was going to go. The museum was absolutely amazing with the amount of artifacts that had made it from World War 2 Germany to Franklin, Michigan. The exhibits really brought me a whole new understanding about what occurred during the Holocaust. I had only ever read about the atrocities in text books and seen clips of it in documentaries but actually seeing the train cars, weapons,and clothing that was used there was a whole new experience that can never be replaced. It was an amazing experience that everyone should take time out of their day to do.