Iwo Jima: The Bloodiest Battle in Marine Corps History

Name: Iwo Jima: The Bloodiest Battle in Marine Corps History | Documentary
Uploaded: 2026-08-28T12:29:41+00:00
Duration: 35 min 26 s
Channel: WarsofTheWorld

00:02In the spring of 1945, the Battle of Iwo Jima raged between the US Marines and Navy and the Imperial

00:10Japanese Army.

00:12Tasked with capturing the Japanese island and its accompanying airfields, the US launched a five-week assault that ultimately became

00:19one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Pacific War,

00:22leading to the deaths of almost 7,000 US soldiers and as many as 18,375 Japanese troops.

00:31Though the US would ultimately succeed, the clash between the two countries was not without its controversies.

00:38Join us for this documentary as we examine the Battle of Iwo Jima.

00:43Welcome to Wars of the World.

01:18The idea of seizing the island of Iwo Jima,

01:21a tiny volcanic island about 745 miles south of Tokyo,

01:26was the result of much squabbling between the commanders of various US military forces.

01:31Admiral Chester Nimitz, commander of the Pacific Ocean areas,

01:35eventually suggested that the US should take the small island,

01:39proposing that it act as a precursor to a much larger assault on Okinawa Island,

01:44a battle which the Navy was reportedly very keen to carry out.

01:48An assault on Okinawa was part of the allies' island hopping strategy,

01:53where they would invade an island, take control and set up a military base before launching an attack on another

01:59island,

02:00all the while making their way to Tokyo.

02:03Iwo Jima was sitting on the most direct route between Japan and the Mariana Islands,

02:08which US forces had recently seized.

02:11General Henry Arnold of the US Army Air Force gave his support to the idea of assaulting Iwo Jima,

02:18stating that the airbase there could provide support for his bomber formation known as XX Bomber Command,

02:24and removing Japanese forces would eliminate fighter planes that intercepted US assaults.

02:30Iwo Jima was later described as being admirably suitable as a fighter base for supporting long-range bombers.

02:37This argument soon won over the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington,

02:41though Okinawa was deemed the main target on October 2,

02:44with commanders and officials believing that the conflict on Iwo Jima would be brief and with few casualties.

02:51On October 7th, the plan to capture Iwo Jima was named Operation Detachment,

02:57and a preliminary plan was established.

02:59The overarching goal of the conflict was to keep pressure on the Japanese and extend US control across the Western

03:06Pacific,

03:07while the goals within the operation were to reduce or eliminate naval and air strength on Iwo Jima and the

03:13Bonin Islands,

03:14and to capture, occupy and defend Iwo Jima, which would subsequently become a US airbase.

03:21Operation Detachment was later described as,

03:24quote,

03:25the most classical amphibious assault of recorded history, end quote.

03:30And due to its importance, only men who'd proven themselves in previous battles were selected to command the various forces

03:37involved.

03:38One such commander was Admiral Raymond Spruance, who'd been involved in the previous Battle of the Philippines Sea,

03:45which occurred in June 1944.

03:49Spruance had an exceptionally good reputation amongst his peers, noted as being level-headed during a crisis.

03:55He was nicknamed Electric Brain for his calm nature and is considered one of the greatest admirals in US history.

04:02The first stage of the plan was for the members of the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions to land on

04:08the eastern beaches,

04:09while the 3rd Marine Division would land on the same beaches and help provide support or defense, whichever was necessary.

04:16The troops were to subsequently move forward in a northeastern direction to eventually take over the entire island,

04:23while some members of the 5th Marine Division would be sent to capture Mount Suribachi in the south.

04:29Adding to this, LVT Amtrak's, short for Tracked Landing Vehicle, were also to hit the beach.

04:35These amphibious vehicles resembled tanks and could carry 18 soldiers or 4,500 pounds of equipment.

04:43During the Battle of Ibojima, they were to advance to a certain point and use their artillery weapons and machine

04:49guns

04:49to keep the enemy down and away in order to protect the troops on foot, who were attempting to move

04:54forward.

04:56Meanwhile, in June 1944, Lieutenant General Tadamishi Kuribayashi accepted the task of commanding the defense of Iwo Jima.

05:05He was considered one of the best field commanders in the entire Japanese Empire.

05:10By this time, the Japanese were aware that their defenses of the islands had been severely weakened due to a

05:16number of factors.

05:18First of all, the combined fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy had lost much of its power during previous altercations.

05:25Secondly, they had lost a huge number of aircraft, and production of new aircraft was hampered by US air attacks.

05:33Additionally, the available aircraft that they did have had a limited range of 560 miles, and thus could not support

05:40the defense of the islands.

05:41And even if the range was longer, those aircraft were required to defend the home islands.

05:46Adding to the plight of Japanese forces was the fact that there was a shortage of experienced pilots, as so

05:52many had died during previous battles within the war.

05:56Still, Kuribayashi hoped to inflict huge damages on the US, and ultimately opted not to follow regular Japanese defense protocol.

06:05Instead of setting up defenses on the beach, which would fight against US troops landing directly, he chose to go

06:11with a military strategy known as defenses in depth, which aimed to delay the advance of enemy troops rather than

06:18to prevent it altogether.

06:20This approach relies on the tendency of an attack to lose steam over time, or for attacking forces to spread

06:26out.

06:27In response, defensive counterattacks could be launched, with the defense particularly pinpointing the enemy's weak spots.

06:34The ultimate goal of such a strategy is to drive the enemy to exhaustion or retreat.

06:39Notably, the island did naturally offer some good cover and resistances for the defense.

06:45The dormant volcano was an ideal location for concealed artillery weapons, and the steep gullies and plummeting ravines made for

06:52a difficult terrain to cross.

06:54Knowing that the island would need to be reinforced if it was to be held, Kuribayashi set about prepping Iwo

07:00Jima for an attack.

07:03Materials, men and other resources were sent to the island in large quantities, and all civilians were evacuated.

07:10Armored tanks were rolled in to be used as static artillery positions, and Kuribayashi ordered that an extensive system of

07:16tunnels and bunkers be built beneath the island.

07:19These builds and other defenses, including blockhouses, were helped along by the discovery of volcanic ash on the island, which

07:27could be used to make excellent quality concrete, much better than what had previously been used.

07:33An early attack by the US in the summer of 1944 served to do nothing but prompt the Japanese military

07:39to go underground.

07:41Much of the second half of 1944 was spent building these underground spaces, with mining engineers creating blueprints that would

07:49allow the tunnel system to be protected and well ventilated.

07:52Eventually, 25% of the garrison was tasked with helping in the building of the tunnels and caves.

07:58Some were small enough for just a few men, but bigger chambers were also etched out, which could hold 300

08:05to 400 men at once.

08:07And many were stowed out with food, ammunition and other supplies, which would last around 3 months.

08:13To prevent anyone from being trapped, numerous entrances, exits, stairways and connecting passageways were also built.

08:21Though the Japanese intended to create one huge underground path that would connect all of the important defense installations, they

08:28were unable to complete it on time.

08:31Still, they managed to create around 11 miles of tunnels by February of 1945.

08:38As well as the digging of these tunnels and bunkers, the Japanese also hid hundreds of camouflaged artillery weapons and

08:45machine guns around the island and set up sniper nests.

08:49Though they had mostly prepared well, supply issues hampered Japan's defense, as troops were given just 60% of the

08:55ammunition that they would normally need for a single engagement, while food supplies would only last a few months.

09:08Beginning on June 15, 1944, the US Navy and Army Air Forces began bombarding the shores of Iwo Jima using

09:17naval artillery attacks and aerial bombardment.

09:19These attacks would go on for nine months in what is considered the longest and most difficult preliminary bombardment in

09:27the Pacific War.

09:28Many of the US troops who participated in these assaults soon concluded that they had carried out enough force to

09:35kill the vast majority of Japanese soldiers.

09:38Unbeknownst to them however, those very soldiers were camped out in the tunnels and chambers built beneath the island.

09:45On December 8th, the US dropped 800 tons of bombs on Iwo Jima, but this attack did little to disturb

09:52the Japanese defenses.

09:54Less than a month later, on January 1st, the US bombed airfield one, but troops were immediately dispatched by Kuribayashi

10:02and the airfield was up and running again within just 12 hours.

10:06In the weeks leading up to the beginning of the battle, US commanders were once again at odds with one

10:12another.

10:13This time there were disagreements between Rear Admiral William Blandy and Major General Harry Schmidt about the length of the

10:19pre-landing bombardment that they planned to carry out.

10:23Schmidt, commander of the Marine Landing Force, requested that a 10-day assault take place.

10:28But Blandy, the commander of the amphibious support force, believed that an attack as long as that would not give

10:35him enough time to reload his ship's weapons before the Marines had landed, and so he declined this request.

10:41Schmidt subsequently reduced the number of days from 10 to 9, and Blandy refused once more.

10:48He believed a 3-day bombardment would be enough, and give him and his crew enough time to resupply.

10:53At some point, a suggestion was made that poison gas shells be used, allowing for an easier victory for the

11:00US forces.

11:01But the president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, refused to authorize any such weapons.

11:07In February of 1945, US warships utilized in the bombardment were each given an area of the island to attack,

11:15leaving no area free of artillery fire.

11:19Each ship fired for about 6 hours straight, before stopping for a period of time, while poor weather conditions in

11:26the days before the landing made it difficult for the commanders to know just how well their bombardments had worked.

11:32On February 17th, two days before the battle commenced, the US lost 17 troops when the USS Pensacola was hit

11:406 times by Japanese artillery, catching them completely off guard, and proving Japan's placement of its weapons to be very

11:48effective.

11:49Similarly, shortly after this, 12 small craft were hit by Japanese gunfire as they attempted to dispatch an underwater demolition

11:57team.

11:58While the destroyer ship, USS Lutz, suffered 7 crew losses after it was hit trying to defend the smaller craft.

12:05The following day, poor weather conditions and visibility led to difficulties for the US ships trying to bombard the island.

12:13All in all, the US method of bombarding the island before landing was deemed to have been rather ineffective.

12:20The ditches left behind by the impact of the blasts did little more than provide Japanese soldiers with even more

12:27cover, although the bombardments did help in destroying several of the underground bunkers and caves, which was seen as a

12:34small victory for the US.

12:35By February 19th, Japan's defensive force consisted of between 21,000 to 23,000, with the battle involving around 60

12:45,000 US Marines and several thousand US Navy Seabees.

12:56The first wave of US Marines approached the shores of Iwo Jima at around 8.30 in the morning of

13:02February 19th, 1945.

13:05By this time, the weather had shifted significantly, giving the US clear views of the coast.

13:12At 8.59am, the Marines landed on the beaches of the southeastern coast of the island after a short but

13:19tense boat ride.

13:21Private Jim Norton recalled,

13:25Nobody talked, God only knew what was ahead of us.

13:31Each of the five waves of Marines was also accompanied by 69 armored LVT Amtraks.

13:39At first, everything for the Marines seemed simple enough, although it was perhaps a little too simple.

13:45The Marines had been promised an easy move inwards, and the lack of immediate resistance from the Japanese had led

13:51some to speculate that earlier bombardments had helped to suppress the enemy forces.

13:57But before long, the loose volcanic ash covering the island proved to be a problem, with soldiers sinking about a

14:04foot deep into the substance, while steep terraces as high as 15 foot halted the vast majority of the Amtraks

14:11who could not climb such steep angles.

14:14The soft black sand also proved to be an issue for rocket firing vehicles, eventually leading to congestion, as Marines

14:22were not able to clear the area before the next wave disembarked from the watercraft.

14:27Vehicles stalled, and troops attempted to move forward.

14:30The shores of the island now littered with abandoned vehicles and equipment the Marines had shed in order to make

14:36themselves lighter among the ash.

14:39Once the beaches had become clogged with Amtraks and soldiers, Kuribayashi set off flare guns to signal his men that

14:45it was time to open fire.

14:48At around 10am, machine gun fire and heavy artillery began to rain down on the shores of Emojima.

14:55The soft ash made it impossible to construct foxholes to help protect the Marines from gunfire,

15:00and in little more than an hour, the beach had been reduced to something out of a nightmare.

15:05With Corporal Charles Johnson recalling,

15:08quote,

15:09It was a terrible looking sight.

15:11I looked at the beach and it was like hell on earth.

15:14End quote.

15:16Historian Derek Wright also observed,

15:19quote,

15:20In virtually every shell hole there lay at least one dead Marine.

15:24End quote.

15:27The first wave of Marines eventually managed to push forward,

15:30at first less than a mile, then almost two,

15:33thanks to the efforts of Seabees,

15:35who were part of Naval Construction Battalions 31 and 133,

15:40who bulldozed paths for fellow troops to take.

15:43Subsequent Japanese fire came from bunkers, blockhouses, craters and rabbit holes in the ground,

15:49while English-speaking Japanese troops called out for help to lure in the US Navy medical personnel.

15:55US troops became segregated from one another,

15:58advancing in small groups rather than as one solid force,

16:02while Japanese soldiers fired from one area,

16:05disappeared and then reappeared beneath another area and fired further rounds.

16:10Supporting Navy ships moved closer to the shore

16:13and began to eliminate some of the nearby Japanese firing positions.

16:17But the Marine soldiers were hindered from progress by hidden landmines,

16:21reinforced blockhouses and camouflaged artillery weapons.

16:25Adding to the difficulties of the Marines

16:27was the Japanese troops' method of opening reinforced steel doors to shield themselves,

16:32while firing and subsequently closing them to prevent counter-fire,

16:36meaning it was impossible to make short work of the heavy artillery hidden in Mount Suribashi.

16:42Furthermore, the tunnels that the Japanese had worked tirelessly to build beneath their island served them well.

16:49Although the bunkers and caves were often cleared out with grenades dispatched by US troops,

16:55Japanese soldiers would just as often return to them once it was safe to do so,

17:00meaning that many Marines were caught off guard by the sudden reappearance of enemy forces that they believed they had

17:05just eliminated.

17:07Back on the beach, engineers blew up the wreckages of boats and vehicles to make way for the later waves

17:14of Marines,

17:14and some troops began using the Amtraks to haul heavy equipment away from the shores,

17:20all of which made way for M4 Sherman tanks to be dispatched.

17:24These vehicles were particularly useful as they were difficult to disable

17:28and often required enemy soldiers to put themselves out in the open while attacking them,

17:33leaving them vulnerable to opposing gunfire.

17:36By the mid-afternoon, further troops including the reserve battalions of four regimental combat teams,

17:42along with two tank battalions, were being prepared to be sent to Iwo Jima to help the landing teams out.

17:49Each of these reserve groups brought an artillery battalion with them.

17:53In total, around 30,000 more troops were sent to the island that night.

17:59The rest of the day fared a little better for US soldiers,

18:02though Time Life reporter Robert Sherrod would later describe that first night as a nightmare in hell.

18:10Illumination shells which had been fired from US destroyers ended up providing Japanese troops with more light to target their

18:17enemies,

18:18and medics struggled to tend to their wounded without being shot at.

18:21One medical detachment lost 11 of its 26 men, while another lost 2 doctors and 16 corpsmen.

18:30By the end of the day, around 2,400 US troops had perished.

18:35But despite this number, commanders were still hopeful because the initial attack had been more successful than previous first assaults,

18:42including those like the Battle of Saipan.

18:46US soldiers meanwhile braced themselves for a Banzai attack that night.

18:50But Kuribayashi had banned them from battle, believing them to be a waste of resources.

18:55Instead, using the cover of darkness, small groups of Japanese troops gathered intelligence by looking for weak points and gaps

19:03that they could exploit.

19:05During the day, those soldiers would wait in their defensive positions for marines to cross their path.

19:10The following morning, Japanese troops were subject to a barrage of shelling by navy ships which lasted around 50 minutes.

19:19Marines subsequently moved in after this happened.

19:22The 28th Regiment, commanded by Colonel Harry Liversedge, attempted to approach Mount Suribachi

19:28and despite being supported by artillery and tank destroyers, the group only advanced 600 feet throughout the day.

19:36Later that same day though, the 4th Division was able to reach its goal of Airfield 1,

19:41before turning to examine what was considered the Japanese's first major line of defense.

19:47Though they were tasked with moving forward, Kuribayashi's defenses were ultimately deemed too difficult to take on alone.

19:54Lieutenant Colonel Chandler Johnson of the 2nd Battalion reported,

20:00Enemy defenses much greater than expected.

20:03There was a pillbox every 10 feet.

20:05Support given was fine, but did not destroy many pillboxes or caves.

20:10Groups had to take them step by step, suffering severe casualties.

20:14End quote.

20:16Around this same time, Kuribayashi gave his last instructions to the defenders at Mount Suribachi.

20:23First, one must defend Iwo Jima to the bitter end.

20:27Second, one must blast enemy weapons and men.

20:31Third, one must kill every single enemy soldier with rifle and sword attacks.

20:36Fourth, one must discharge each bullet to its mark.

20:39Fifth, one must, even if he be the last man, continue to harass the enemy with guerrilla tactics.

20:47End quote.

20:48Marine engineers subsequently severed the cable that allowed those on the mountain to speak with those at the headquarters.

20:55On February 22nd, the 28th Regiment attempted again to penetrate the defenses on Mount Suribachi.

21:03Assisted by both naval and aerial bombardment, this time the group managed to break through to almost the foot of

21:08the mountain.

21:10Though Kuribayashi had issued just over 1,800 men to defend the mountain, only a small fraction of the troops

21:17at his command,

21:18he had insisted on reinforcing it by adding numerous blockhouses and camouflaged weapons,

21:23as well as extending the underground tunnel system so that his soldiers could take cover within the carefully carved out

21:29chambers underneath.

21:30The US threw pretty much everything it had when it came to attempting to take down those on the mountain,

21:36at least in terms of weapons.

21:39Mortars, rockets and dynamite were all utilized, as well as tanks equipped with flamethrowers.

21:45Nothing was off limits.

21:47In a bid to try and flush out those hunkered down within the underground caves and chambers, those areas were

21:53flooded with seawater and gasoline,

21:55and on other occasions subjected to those previously mentioned tanks with flamethrowers.

22:00Out on the water, the Japanese retaliated by dispatching kamikaze planes which attacked US Navy ships including the USS Saratoga

22:10and USS Bismarck Sea,

22:12the latter of which caught fire and exploded in part, killing 200 sailors.

22:19The US expected a particularly grueling fight, even though they had been able to cut off those on the top

22:25of the mountain from those at the bottom.

22:27But when two small rifle companies were sent to climb to the top of the mountain, they were met with

22:32little resistance.

22:34Similarly, the large patrol group that followed found only a few defenders, mostly snipers,

22:40with the vast majority of Japanese troops opting to stay inside the cave system where most of them had perished.

22:47At 20 past 10 on the morning of February 23rd, First Lieutenant Harold Schreier of the 28th Marines climbed to

22:55the top of the mountain and planted the American flag,

22:58although this initial flag was replaced with a larger second flag later that day.

23:04This second flag raise, a famous moment in history, was documented by Joe Rosenthal,

23:10who captured it in his photograph raising the flag on Iwo Jima.

23:13This image later won the Pulitzer Prize for photography and is regarded as the most significant and recognizable photograph from

23:21the war.

23:23800 Marines had died in the process of capturing the mountain, while 1,200 Japanese soldiers were either killed by

23:30the US troops,

23:31or in the case of those badly wounded, detonated a grenade when enemy forces were close enough.

23:37Though the flag raising lifted the spirits of many of the Marines down below, the battle still had weeks to

23:44go.

23:44By this time, there was only 8,000 feet left of Japanese-held land on the island of Iwo Jima.

23:51But once again, US soldiers were subjected to the Imperial Japanese Army's months-long preparations for war,

23:58and they faced a massive 320-millimeter spigot mortar capable of throwing 700-pound shells, as well as the usual

24:07rockets, artillery, and machine gun fire.

24:10Japanese soldiers were well trained and prepared to stay in position until their deaths.

24:15And the north of the island was even better defended than the south, where Mount Suribachi was located.

24:22General Holland Howlin Madd Smith, the commander overseeing the entire operation, who'd come to the island and seen the violence

24:29first hand, later reported,

24:32quote,

24:32It was the most savage and the most costly battle in the history of the Marine Corps, end quote.

24:40Kurabayashi still had in his command around eight infantry battalions, along with one tank regiment, two artillery, and three heavy

24:48mortar battalions, meaning it would not be easy for the US going forward.

24:53As well as contending with one another's firepower, both Japanese and US troops were forced to deal with the fact

25:00that with an abundance of decomposing human flesh came flies.

25:05Squarms of these insects had to be controlled using insecticides deployed by planes that flew overhead, so that disease and

25:13other hazards could be minimized.

25:15The fight for the remainder of the island was mostly between well-equipped US troops and well-hidden Japanese soldiers.

25:23Marines struggled to clear out the Japanese from their caves and bunkers, and one officer with the 4th Marine Division

25:29recalled, quote,

25:31We didn't have an effective method of either destroying or neutralizing the defenders in a very restricted area, so it

25:38fell to the green line to get in there and dig them out in hand-to-hand combat.

25:42There must be a better way, end quote.

25:47By this time in the battle, the US had still not secured Airfield 2, which was located in the centre

25:53of the island.

25:55In this area, rabbit holes, block houses, concealed artillery weapons and mines were rampant, and the terrain too difficult to

26:03dispatch tanks, making it all the more treacherous for Marines attempting to capture the airfield.

26:09On February 24th, members of the 21st Marine Regiment attempted to rush at the Japanese soldiers armed with grenades and

26:17bayonets, and the Japanese returned in kind after some gunfire.

26:21The following night, Airfield 2 was secured, although they suffered huge casualties and seen many of their tanks destroyed by

26:29the mines.

26:31Following the capture of Airfield 2, US soldiers moved onwards to Hill 382, which they'd grimly dubbed the Meat Grinder,

26:39as it was a difficult area to attack and secure, as it had to be done by troops on the

26:44ground, with armour and artillery being impossible to deploy due to the landscape.

26:50Eventually, they managed to seize neighbouring Hill 362, although it required a change of tactics.

26:57Japanese troops had become accustomed to how the US did things, often a heavy bombardment followed by a ground attack.

27:04As a result, they always anticipated the Marines' next move and would be ready to strike when US troops began

27:11to move forward, emerging from caves and bunkers to devastate their enemy with gunfire.

27:16Because of this, the Marines began attacking at night without the preliminary bombardment, which led to many Japanese soldiers being

27:24killed in their sleep.

27:26By early March, US troops were exhausted.

27:29This single battle had lasted over 10 days, much longer than the operation was supposed to take, according to their

27:36commanders.

27:37Some Marine units were down to just 30% of their original numbers.

27:42Japanese soldiers were not faring much better.

27:45They'd lost many of their tanks, heavy weapons and around two thirds of their officers.

27:50Furthermore, many soldiers had grown somewhat desperate as supplies were running low, and they'd taken to attaching explosives to themselves

27:58and throwing themselves beneath enemy tanks.

28:01Communications between soldiers and Kuribayashi eventually broke down as well, which led to many troops opting to go on the

28:08offensive rather than to follow along with his prescribed offensive tactics, even though these tactics had been previously working very

28:15well for them.

28:15Their offensive measures meant that they showed themselves to US troops and were ultimately killed.

28:23On the evening of March 8th, Captain Samadji Inoue led 1000 men across US lines, killing 90 opposing troops and

28:32injuring over 200 others.

28:34But units from the 4th Marine Division fought back, killing almost 800, including Inoue himself.

28:41The following day, US troops determined that the remainder of Kuribayashi's men had been split in two, making it much

28:48easier for them to move forward.

28:50Still, they saw nothing to indicate that the Japanese intended to surrender, and they encountered several Banzai attacks as they

28:57continued.

28:59Kuribayashi was well aware of the dire situation that the Japanese were in, writing on March 10th,

29:05Quote,

29:07Bombardment so fierce I cannot express nor write of it here.

29:11The following day also noting,

29:13Surviving strength of Northern Districts, Army and Navy is 1,500 men.

29:19And on March 15th, he wrote,

29:22Situation very serious.

29:25Present strength of Northern District about 900 men.

29:29End quote.

29:31On March 14th, the US believed that it was all over and declared Iwo Jima occupied.

29:37But little did they know that the remaining Japanese soldiers were holed up underground.

29:41Three days later, Kuribayashi told those last troops,

29:45Quote,

29:46Battle situation come to the last moment.

29:49I want surviving officers and men to go out and attack enemy until the last.

29:55You have devoted yourself to the Emperor.

29:57Do not think of yourselves.

29:59I am always at the head of you all.

30:02End quote.

30:04Later that day, Admiral Nimitz declared that the island had been officially secured.

30:09But US troops continued to clear out the small remaining pockets of Japanese soldiers until March 26th.

30:17That same day, 350 Japanese troops made their way behind US lines and found an encampment.

30:24Where they inflicted around 200 casualties before being killed themselves by the US in response.

30:30It was rumored that Kuribayashi was the one who led this final assault.

30:35But his body was never recovered.

30:36Shortly afterwards, it was announced that Operation Detachment was officially over.

30:42Although again, Japanese soldiers were still being captured or killed in the following weeks.

30:47Just 1,083 Imperial Japanese Army troops survived the conflict.

30:59The Battle of Iwo Jima was truly one of the grisliest conflicts within the overarching war.

31:05And even the American public was shocked by the brutality of their own forces.

31:09One newspaper chain demanded that Admiral Nimitz and Spruance be replaced.

31:14But it wasn't long before the next battle arose, which stole the attention away from US conduct on Iwo Jima.

31:21The Battle of Okinawa started just days after the closing of the Battle of Iwo Jima.

31:27Lasting 82 days, this conflict saw as many as 84,000 casualties between the US and British, and 110,000

31:36Japanese casualties.

31:38As many as 150,000 civilians died during this fight.

31:44Despite the fact that the US had won, the clash cost both countries a great deal.

31:48The Navy Department Library reported that, quote,

31:53The 36-day assault resulted in more than 26,000 casualties, including 6,800 dead.

32:01End quote.

32:02One of those deaths was that of First Lieutenant Harry Martin of the 5th Pioneers,

32:08who led the defense during the final assault from the Japanese soldiers who infiltrated enemy lines.

32:15Martin was later awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor.

32:1827 were handed out in total, the most of any single battle in Marine Corps history.

32:24Of the US troops, Nimitz stated, quote,

32:28Among the Americans who served on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue.

32:33End quote.

32:34While Holland Smith told reporters at a press conference, quote,

32:38We showed the Japanese at Iwo Jima that we can take any damn thing they've got.

32:42Watching the Marines cross the island reminded me of Pickett's charge at Gettysburg.

32:47End quote.

32:49On top of soldier casualties, the US lost numerous planes, including 20 Grumman FM-2 Wildcat fighters,

32:5720 Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bombers, and 31 Grumman F-6F Hellcat fighters in various attacks,

33:05including the sinking of the USS Bismarck Sea and other kamikaze assaults.

33:11As a whole, the Battle of Iwo Jima is controversial, even to this day,

33:16and was heavily criticized by many even in the immediate aftermath.

33:20In April 1945, retired Chief of Naval Operations, William Pratt, told the media that the, quote,

33:28Expenditure of manpower to require a small, godforsaken island, useless to the army as a staging base,

33:35and useless to the navy as a fleeting base, one wonders if the same sort of air base could not

33:40have been reached

33:41by acquiring other strategic localities at a lower cost. End quote.

33:47Pratt wasn't entirely wrong here either. It has been pointed out that the strategic importance of capturing Iwo Jima

33:53was supposedly so that an airfield could be established, and that it could be used as a refuel site for

33:59aircraft.

34:00In the end, however, the long-range fighter escorts that were to be used here were eventually deemed impractical

34:06and unnecessary as fighting tactics had changed, leaving them to be of limited use.

34:11Only ten such missions were flown from the island in the end.

34:16The island was useful for B-29 bomber raids, which originated from the island,

34:21but this was never a reason why Iwo Jima should be seized in the first place, and was found to

34:26be a benefit in the aftermath of the battle.

34:29The conflict was also heavily criticized for the fact that the Joint Chiefs of Staff failed to consider the opinions

34:35of the marines

34:36or the doubts brought to them by those who helped plan the operation.

34:40Their decision to go through with it, despite the concerns raised, left a bad taste in the mouths of many,

34:46as it suggested that the Joint Chiefs of Staff had been especially reckless and thrown away the lives of many

34:52in a battle that had little benefit to the overall war.

34:56To this day, the Battle of Iwo Jima is considered one of the worst conflicts in the Pacific War.

35:03For those who experienced it, Jack Frazier, a corporal in the 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines, probably summed it up best.

35:11On March 18th, over a week before Operation Detachment was declared officially over,

35:17he wrote, quote,

35:19Iwo Jima is secured. 27 days of hell.

Iwo Jima: The Bloodiest Battle in Marine Corps History | Documentary

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