Island Conquest
"Hell on Earth"
- Private Jim Norton
"The Marines may have raised their flag, but we still held most of the island."
- Japanese radioman Tsuruji Akikusa
"The Japs could snipe with those big guns".
- Lieutenant General Donn J. Robertson
"28th Marines... enters rugged terrain" | National Parks Service
The 28th Marines joined the 4th and 5th Divisions, who were trying to capture the airfields on Iwo Jima. The Japanese had purposely set up more artillery in the central and northern part of the island, making it harder for the Marines to make progress.
"The Bitter End"
National Parks Service
"The Marines turned... towards the airfields in the center of the island... In the next three days over 2,400 Marines were wounded or killed."
"The Battle Of Iwo Jima: The Incredible Story Of Survival", Real History, 2022
"Dead Japs are stacked up like cordwood over acres of ground... The air is filled with the stench of death."
- Robert L. Raymond
"Despite the heavy losses, the Marines had managed to secure... the two airfields [by March]."
"Dangerous Missions: Assault on Iwo Jima", HISTORY, 2020
"South Field, Iwo Jima" | 39th Bomb Group Association
"Central Field, Iwo Jima" | 39th Bomb Group Association
It would not be long before the Marines made Iwo Jima a turning point in the war, and the Japanese knew it. In desperation, they made their final attacks.
"We had been taught if we became POWs we would be shot to death."
- Japanese Master Seargent Key Kanai
"Kuribayashi's iron will kept his troops from large-scale, wasteful banzai attacks until the last days. One exception occurred the night of 8 March".
"The Dive North", National Parks Service
"[Captain Samaji Inouye] had only a thousand men left under his command, and he... lead them in a final assault... to retake Mount Suribachi."
The Battle of Iwo Jima: Turning the Tide of War in the Pacific, Steven Otfinoski
"Captain Inouye's banzai attack had been a complete disaster. He and nearly all his men were cut down by the Americans long before they could reach Mount Suribachi."
The Battle of Iwo Jima: Turning the Tide of War in the Pacific, Steven Otfinoski
"The battle is approaching its end. Since the enemy's landing, even the gods would weep at the bravery of the officers and men under my command."
- General Tadamichi Kuribayashi
"Japanese soldiers surrendered to U.S. soldier" | The Battle of Iwo Jima: Turning the Tide of War in the Pacific
By now, the U.S. Marines had captured most of Iwo Jima, forcing the Japanese to either surrender or commit suicide inside their bunkers. The Japanese believed it was a greater honor to die courageously in battle than be captured.
"[On] March 26, 1945... U.S. Marines reached the final command bunker used by... General Tadamichi Kuribayashi. If Kuribayashi and the last remaining Japanese were inside... they [couldn't] have survived."
"The Battle Of Iwo Jima: The Incredible Story Of Survival", Real History, 2022
"When they blew that up, it was the largest explosion and the most noise I'd ever heard."
- Corporal Wesley Plummer
"Whatever Japanese men were still hidden on the island were offering no resistance. The battle was won."
The Battle of Iwo Jima: Turning the Tide of War in the Pacific, Steven Otfinoski
"The Battle Of Iwo Jima: The Incredible Story Of Survival", Real History, 2022
"Iwo Jima will be our tomb."
- Ensign Saturo Omagari
"The Japanese death toll approached 18,500 soldiers, and some 6,800 U.S. Marines were killed and 19,200 were wounded."
"Battle of Iwo Jima", Britannica
"5th Marine Division cemetery on Iwo Jima" | Defense Media Network
After 36 grueling days of the deadliest battles in the Marine Corps, Iwo Jima was finally under U.S. control. The hard-earned victory would repeatedly prove to be one of the biggest turning points in World War II during the war and also long after it ended.