80 Years Ago Today in the far Pacific

[CyValley2]

The Battle of Iwo Jima:

Battle of Iwo Jima | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans

In 1945, US forces bounded forward in the Central Pacific as combat reached ever bloodier crescendos.

www.nationalww2museum.org

Iwo Jima statistics

Iwo Jima was the bloodiest battle in the history of the United States Marine Corps. It was also one of the bloodiest battles of World War II.

Casualties:

• The battle resulted in 24,053 casualties, including 6,140 deaths.
• This was the highest number of single-action losses in Marine Corps history.
• Roughly one Marine or corpsman became a casualty for every three who landed on Iwo Jima.

Medals of Honor:

• 27 Marines and sailors were awarded the Medal of Honor for action on Iwo Jima, more than any other battle in U.S. history.

Battle details:

• The battle took place from February 19 to March 16, 1945.
• The U.S. mounted an amphibious invasion of the island of Iwo Jima as part of its Pacific campaign against Japan.
• The island was finally declared secured on March 26, 1945.

Significance:

• Securing Iwo Jima prepared the way two months later for the invasion of Okinawa, the last and largest battle in the Pacific.

'Manila' John Basilone, USMC, MOH, was killed on this first day. Jon Seda scene playing Basilone in the Spielberg-Hanks production of The Pacific:



Deatth of Basilone on Iwo Jima from The Pacific:



On Guadalcanal, Basilone killed 38 Japanese soldiers around his position and dozens of others in adjoining areas, as the Fat Electrician relates here. Basilone's other exploits on the 'Canal, too, are the stuff of legend born of truth. (This podcast is bio. until about the 18 minute mark when it hits WWII.) For boxing fans, the Gunny was 19-0, all knockouts, and considered the top boxer in the U.S. military.






The flag was from a sinking ship struck at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.

 

[DevilDog]

Semper Fi to the world's finest fighting force ever!

 

[IsUaClone2]

My uncle was killed in the Iwo Jima invasion on the 3rd of March. He was trying to save a buddy who had been hit; his buddy survived.

 

[mj4cy]

The scene where Basilone fights through hostile ground to resupply his heavy machine gunners is one of the best I've ever seen in any show or movie in my life. And to think he did that in real life. What a hero.

 

[CyValley2]

The scene where Basilone fights through hostile ground to resupply his heavy machine gunners is one of the best I've ever seen in any show or movie in my life. And to think he did that in real life. What a hero.

Honestly, check out what he did on Guadalcanal, where he was awarded the Medal of Honor. In the Fat Election piece, it starts about the 18-minute mark or so, iirc.

 

[CyValley2]

Thought I would add that this giant hammer was at both Iwo Jima and Okinawa as part of the huge U.S. Navy fleet pounding the islands. Her name is Iowa.

(Correction: I'm learning that at this moment I cannot trust AI, which told me Iowa was at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Iowa was part of Adm. Halsey's fast task force in December 1944 that ran into a small, vicious typhoon named Cobra. Three USN ships sank with the loss of 790 sailors.)

(Iowa suffered a bent propeller shaft and was sent to the yard at Hunter's Point, near San Francisco. She missed Iwo Jima but arrived at Okinawa during the battle. Iowa went on to bombard the Japanese homeland and stood as sister ship Missouri's honor guard at the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945, in Tokyo Bay.)

(I apologize for getting this Iwo Jima information wrong. AI, geez. . . .)

 

[cs98cy]

You can visit it next time you’re out west.

Battleship USS Iowa Museum · San Pedro, California

maps.app.goo.gl

 

[Bewilderme]

Not to dox myself, but my late grandfather, Rudy Engstrom, of Lake City IA, longtime ag teacher at Lake City High for 35 years and lifetime Cyclone fan, was wounded on Iwo Jima by shrapnel on this day, February 20th, 1945. 70 years ago! He lived to 95 years of age, and never left the ranch on the Raccoon River.

As the story goes, he was wounded by shrapnel shortly after entering the fray. The shrapnel just missed his artery. A photographer came along and snapped this photo.

Oh, the stories he told.

How we miss him. They don't make 'em like they used to. RIP grandpa.

Remember these sacrifices, so they musn't be repeated.

 

[mj4cy]

Honestly, check out what he did on Guadalcanal, where he was awarded the Medal of Honor. In the Fat Election piece, it starts about the 18-minute mark or so, iirc.

Definitely that too. Amazing hero.

 

[CycloneVet]

Damn WWII produced some absolute heroes. Basilone was a bad bad dude.

 

[mj4cy]

Damn WWII produced some absolute heroes. Basilone was a bad bad dude.

He could have rode off into the sunset with his medal of honor, accomplishments, and wife but he put country before himself and reenlisted. Who would do that now?

Also, I'm a huge huge fan of **** Winters. From his portrayal in Band of Brothers and listening to all of his post war interviews over the years, what a true American hero.

The thing about these guys is almost none of them were full of themselves. My great uncle flew bombing missions in the Army Airforce on a B-24 and was shot at by the Nazis. When you asked him about his time or his service he'd just casually say "it was just something you had to do."

 

[Drew0311]

I was at the Gold Star Museum and listened to a speaker that was the guy who investigated the flag raising and got the exact order of the flag raiser's in order. Very interesting stuff. Harold "Pie" Keller's family was at the even. Keller was one of the flag raiser's at Iwo. His daughter, Son, and Nephew were at the event. They are from Brooklyn, IA. Really cool stuff.

 

[DesertClone1]

Thought I would add this giant hammer was at both Iwo Jima and Okinawa as part of the huge U.S. Navy fleet pounding the islands. Her name is Iowa.

View attachment 143571

Was that also where the USS Texas intentionally flooded itself?

 

[BillyClone]

My dad fought at Iwo Jima. 3rd division USMC. Told me he landed on the second day of fighting - the beach was secured so his landing wasn't under direct fire.

Said that the fighting was awful. Japs had fortified their tunnels with concrete. Advancement was measured in yards and feet per day. Get to a tunnel opening, gunfight, throw grenades down the hole, bring a flame thrower to fire into the hole, shoot anything that came out of the hole, move to the next hole. Very grim work, but the Japanese just wouldn't surrender. He always said that he wasn't sure if the Japs were good soldiers, but they were fanatics.

 

[Drew0311]

My dad fought at Iwo Jima. 3rd division USMC. Told me he landed on the second day of fighting - the beach was secured so his landing wasn't under direct fire.

Said that the fighting was awful. Japs had fortified their tunnels with concrete. Advancement was measured in yards and feet per day. Get to a tunnel opening, gunfight, throw grenades down the hole, bring a flame thrower to fire into the hole, shoot anything that came out of the hole, move to the next hole. Very grim work, but the Japanese just wouldn't surrender. He always said that he wasn't sure if the Japs were good soldiers, but they were fanatics.

I always respect the older generation. It is bread into all Marines to worship the ground they walk on and rightfully so. The craziest part is most Americans think the raising of the flag was us winning. It was not. It was us trying to make the Japs think they were being overran and be a moral boost to American fighters. There was still a ton of fighting left to do. Many many died after the raising of both flags. The big flag and the smaller flag. Including several that actually helped raise the flag.

 

[Bret44]

"There they battled up Iwo Jima hill
Two hundred and fifty men
But only twenty-seven lived
To walk back down again
And when the fight was over
And Old Glory raised
Among the men who held it high
Was the Indian, Ira Hayes"

 

[CycloneVet]

He could have rode off into the sunset with his medal of honor, accomplishments, and wife but he put country before himself and reenlisted. Who would do that now?

Also, I'm a huge huge fan of **** Winters. From his portrayal in Band of Brothers and listening to all of his post war interviews over the years, what a true American hero.

The thing about these guys is almost none of them were full of themselves. My great uncle flew bombing missions in the Army Airforce on a B-24 and was shot at by the Nazis. When you asked him about his time or his service he'd just casually say "it was just something you had to do."

I couldn’t agree more. The first couple of waves on D-Day knew they would likely die, and they went anyway

 

[Chitowncy]

There's a bunch of heroes in this thread. Incredible the commitment and honor these men had.

 

[CycloneVet]

I always respect the older generation. It is bread into all Marines to worship the ground they walk on and rightfully so. The craziest part is most Americans think the raising of the flag was us winning. It was not. It was us trying to make the Japs think they were being overran and be a moral boost to American fighters. There was still a ton of fighting left to do. Many many died after the raising of both flags. The big flag and the smaller flag. Including several that actually helped raise the flag.

I had heard that none of the guys in the famous picture made it, not sure if true

 

[Drew0311]

I had heard that none of the guys in the famous picture made it, not sure if true

That is not true at all. Harold Keller lived and moved back to Brooklyn Iowa where he became a firefighter.

Ira Hayes lived and became a horrible alcoholic. PTSD was not a diagnoses back then but he obviously along with a lot of other WW2 vets dealt with it by tipping the bottle back.

Harold Schultz did get wounded but returned home and lived a full life


Michael Strank died during the battle

Harlon Block died during the battle

Franklin Sousley died during WW2

Rene Gagnon was falsly identified as one of the flag raisers


Not so common knowlege was some of the flag raisers did not want to be identified. Some because they were struggling. The others didn't want to be part of the war bond effort and wanted to fight. So others took credit. Later on they identified the real flag raisers. Keller wasn't identified until 2016. Ira Hayes actually threatened anyone that told he was one of the flag raisers. It was crazy. It wasnt like today where 7 raise it and 300 claim to be one of the ones. None of them were really tooting their own horns about it since it was such a bloody battle and a lot of their friends and brother died. They didn't want to be celebrated.