Battle of Iwo Jima
The battle of Iwo Jima is one of the great and epic battles entrenched in minds of many American historians. It is an eminent battle that took place in February and March 1945 as part of the pacific campaign during the famous World War II. It was an epic battle in which the Unites States armed forces fought tirelessly and seized the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese empire. It was expected to be a small battle to secure a strategy piece of the island, but it turned out to be one of the lethal and devastating battles of all times.
There were many hidden reasons for the battle of Iwo Jima, but both countries were tangled to the idea of capturing the Iwo Jima Island and surrounding territories. Japanese saw the island as a great way to stop the Americans bombing campaign. Evidently, Iwo Jima was located under the flight path for several B-29 bombers used by Americans in air attack; hence taking control of the island will make it easy to see the imminent attacks. Destroying the B-29 bombers presented a great chance to control the island and overwhelm the U.S troops.
On the other side, the island was substantial for Americans as they will be able to predict attacks by Japanese troops in advance as their radar capabilities relied on the island. Iwo Jima was also equipped with airstrips that would make it easy for the U.S troops to access their bombing targets and easily refuel and rest after battles. Hence, it would be challenging to achieve their mission and goals without the island.
Before the battle of Iwo Jima commenced, the Japanese had spent several naval and aircraft resources to keep off Americans in the attempt to secure the island. Hence, it took long to learn about an imminent attack. More so, their offensive and defensive strengths came from the ground troops as it was challenging to use air assault. The underground tunnels were as success for the Japanese as they acted as a great holding out location. The bombing by the Americans also made it easy to dig deeper and erect anti-aircraft artillery. The Battle of Iwo Jima was indeed overwhelming as the Americans had a team of 70,000 well trained soldiers, vast air and naval power and immeasurable communication technology. Surprisingly, 21,000 Japanese troops were able to hold a much huge American force. Most of the Japanese soldiers fought to death and many never let it go easily.
The Iwo Jima was not that easily captured. Approximately 6,800 United States soldiers lost their lives. The carrier USS Bismarck was also sunk by Japanese kamikaze and another carrier at the Pacific war. About 17,000 to 18,000 Japanese were killed in the battle. The photograph of five US soldiers raising the American flag depicts a lot about the battle of Iwo Jima. The lessons learned from the battle aided in the following battle of Okinawa and the forthcoming invasion of the Japanese homeland. The significance of the battle is demonstrated in pilgrimages made to the island. The Iwo Jima Day is observed yearly on February 19th in Massachusetts.
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References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iwo_Jima
http://www.articlemyriad.com/battle-iwo-jima/
http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/battleiwojima.htm