Battle of Iwo Jima Facts & Worksheets

Timeline of Key Events of the Battle of Iwo Jima:

• 16–18 February 1945: The US Navy carried out a preliminary bombardment of Iwo Jima.
• 19 February 1945: Marines landed on the beaches and immediately faced fierce Japanese resistance.
• 20 February–early March 1945: Fighting moved inland, and Marines encountered tunnels, caves and heavy artillery. Mount Suribachi was captured on 23 February.
• Mid-March 1945: Marines continued to fight in northern Iwo Jima, including Hill 362 and the Motoyama Plateau.
• 21–25 March 1945: The Japanese launched final counterattacks, and the Marines advanced using artillery, tanks and flamethrowers.
• 26 March 1945: Iwo Jima was officially declared secure, although some Japanese holdouts remained in caves for years afterwards.

Preliminary Bombardment (16–18 February 1945)

• Before the American landing on Iwo Jima, a bombardment was carried out from 16 to 18 February 1945 to try to weaken Japanese defences. The goal was to destroy bunkers, guns and other positions to make it safer for the Marines to land.
• The bombardment used battleships, cruisers and destroyers to fire thousands of shells at the island. Aircraft from carriers and bombers also dropped bombs on Japanese positions, including Mount Suribachi and the airfields.
• Even after three days of heavy shelling and bombing, most Japanese defences survived. The soldiers had built deep tunnels and bunkers underground, so they were mostly protected. Japanese guns remained hidden and ready to fire once the Americans landed. The bombardment damaged some buildings and planes, but it did not stop the Japanese from being able to fight when the Marines arrived.

Landing and Initial Assault (19 February 1945)

• The landing and first attack on Iwo Jima began on 19 February 1945. The night before, Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher’s carrier force, Task Force 58, arrived near the island, along with Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, the overall commander, on his ship USS Indianapolis. 
• Early that morning, the first wave of US Marines landed on the beaches at 08:59. Navajo code talkers helped send messages, keeping communication accurate during the landing.
• At first, the Marines faced little fire on the beaches, but the black volcanic ash made moving very difficult. Soldiers and equipment became crowded on the shore. Soon, the Japanese opened fire with machine guns, mortars and artillery. The Marines were also hit by landmines. The ash made it hard to dig shelters, though it did absorb some shell fragments. Carrying heavy equipment, the Marines moved slowly, even leaving some items behind to make progress easier.
• Japanese soldiers fired from hidden bunkers and tunnels. Some bunkers were connected underground, so when Marines cleared one, Japanese troops would come back through the tunnels to fight again, causing more casualties.
• The amphibious vehicles bringing the Marines could not climb the soft ash, so soldiers had to continue on foot. Navy construction teams eventually cleared paths so supplies and reinforcements could move inland. By late morning, some Marines reached the southern part of Airfield No. 1 and held their ground after a Japanese counterattack.
• On the left side, the 28th Marines moved across the narrow part of the island, cutting off Japanese troops on Mount Suribachi. On the right, the 25th Marines attacked a heavily defended area called ‘the Quarry’, suffering heavy losses. By the end of the day, only about 150 of 900 men were still able to fight.
• By the end of 19 February, about 30,000 Marines had landed, with another 40,000 to follow. Even with heavy resistance and many casualties, the Americans had secured the beaches and started moving inland, beginning the long and difficult battle for the island.

Fighting Inland (20 February – early March 1945)

• After the first day of landing, the fighting on Iwo Jima continued from 20 February into early March 1945. The Americans expected large Japanese banzai attacks at night, like at Saipan, but General Tadamichi Kuribayashi had banned these, seeing them as useless. Instead, the Japanese stayed hidden in tunnels and bunkers, using small night attacks to slow the Americans.
• Near the beaches, Marines were often surprised by Japanese troops coming out of tunnels. At night, small groups of Japanese attacked foxholes. Some spoke English and tricked Marines by pretending to be wounded.
• Marines found rifles were not very effective against soldiers in tunnels, so they used flamethrowers and grenades. Special Sherman tanks with flamethrowers helped clear bunkers. These tanks were hard for the Japanese to destroy, forcing them to fight in the open where the Marines had the advantage.
• Air support helped the Marines. At first, fighters from escort carriers provided cover. Later, P-51 Mustangs joined from land. At night, ships and then land-based artillery fired flares to light the battlefield. Navajo code talkers were vital for sending messages.
• The fight for Mount Suribachi was very important. By 23 February, Marines had cut off the volcano from Japanese forces above ground, though tunnels still connected defenders. Two patrols from the 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines climbed the mountain and found a few defenders at the top. First Lieutenant Harold G. Schrier raised an American flag to show the peak had been captured. Later, a bigger flag was raised, which was photographed by Joe Rosenthal and became an iconic image of the war.
• The Americans continued pushing north to take control of the airfields and the remaining Japanese strongholds. With supplies of food, water and ammunition dwindling, the Japanese fought fiercely. Nighttime assaults persisted, occasionally resulting in close-quarters hand-to-hand fighting. The Marines made gradual progress, relying on a combination of artillery, tanks, flamethrowers and ground troops. Most Japanese soldiers fought to the death, making every part of the island costly and hard to take.

Final Resistance and Capture (mid-March – 26 March 1945)

• By mid-March 1945, the fighting on Iwo Jima had reached its final and hardest stage. Even though the Americans had taken Mount Suribachi in the south, the Japanese still held strong positions in the north. The land there was rough and rocky, giving the defenders a big advantage. The Japanese fortifications in the north were even stronger than in the south. Kuribayashi still commanded about eight infantry battalions, a tank regiment, two artillery battalions, three heavy mortar battalions, and around 5,000 naval gunners and infantry.
• The Marines’ main goal was to capture the Motoyama Plateau, which included Hill 382 and an area called the ‘Amphitheater’. This area became known as the ‘meatgrinder’ because the fighting there was so deadly. On the left, American forces had to fight for Hill 362, which was just as hard. Every advance was dangerous because the Japanese could use their tunnels to reappear in areas that had already been taken. Tanks were destroyed by hidden mines, and Marines often had to fight for the same ground more than once.
• The Americans changed their tactics to deal with these problems. For example, the 9th Marine Regiment attacked Hill 362 at night without any bombardment first. This surprised the Japanese and caused heavy losses. Even so, the Japanese tried one last banzai charge on 8 March with about 1,000 men to retake lost ground. They caused some American casualties but were eventually wiped out. At the same time, the 3rd Marine Division reached the northern coast, splitting Kuribayashi’s defenses. 
• On 21 March, the Marines destroyed the Japanese command post in a gorge in the northwestern end of the island. By 24 March, many remaining caves were sealed. On the night of 25 March, about 300 Japanese soldiers launched a final attack near Airfield No. 2. The Americans fought them for 90 minutes and won, possibly with Kuribayashi leading the attack himself. At 09:00 on 26 March, the island was officially declared secure.

Aftermath and Importance

• The Battle of Iwo Jima was very costly and had a big impact on the war. More than 26,000 American soldiers were killed or injured, including about 6,800 deaths. Nearly all of the 21,000–23,000 Japanese defenders were killed, though a few held out in caves and tunnels for years, with the last surrender happening on 6 January 1949. Two American Marines were captured, but neither survived.
• The battle also caused damage to US ships. The USS Bismarck Sea was sunk, the last US aircraft carrier lost in the war. The USS Saratoga was badly damaged and could not fight for the rest of the war. Many American planes were lost too, including dozens of fighters and bombers, and over 130 sailors died in kamikaze attacks.
• Taking Iwo Jima gave the US a place for bombers to land in emergencies and for short missions. Over 2,200 B-29 bombers landed there during the war, but most stops were for training, checks or refuelling, not real emergencies. P-51 fighter planes were also based there to help bombers and attack Japanese airfields, though they did only a few missions. The island also hosted P-51 fighter planes, which escorted bombers and struck Japanese airfields, although these operations were fairly limited. Historians debate whether taking the island was worth the huge loss of life, since other locations might have offered similar advantages at a lower cost.
• The battle taught important lessons for future operations. The US used heavy bombardments, combined infantry, artillery, tanks and flamethrowers on Iwo Jima, which helped in planning the Battle of Okinawa and the potential invasion of Japan. The heavy casualties also showed the bravery of the Marines and reinforced their importance in the US military.
• Iwo Jima became a symbol of courage and sacrifice. The famous photo of Marines raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi inspired people in the US and is still well known today. The Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, honours the battle, and Iwo Jima Day is observed every year. The Japanese government still searches for and recovers the remains of soldiers who died on the island. The battle is remembered as one of the toughest of the Pacific War.