The spirit of the Marines was immortalized four days after the initial landings. On February 23, atop of Mount Suribachi on the southern end of the island photographer Joe Rosenthal captured the image of six Marines, raising an unfurling American flag. The island of Iwo Jima was part of the Tokyo prefecture before the war, and the Japanese fought tenaciously against the first American penetration of their home soil.
Their strategy was to force such vicious bloodshed that the Americans might be deterred from invading the Japanese home islands. The Americans secured victory on Iwo Jima on March 26, , after both sides had paid a devastating toll in lives. Out of an estimated 20, Japanese troops on the island, only slightly over survived the battle. American forces suffered over 26, casualties, including 6, dead, in savage close-quarters fighting with flamethrowers and grenades amongst tunnels, caves and bunkers.
In the end, 27 U. Marines and sailors received the Medal of Honor for actions during the battle; over half 14 total were posthumously awarded. The Marines were forced to shelter where they could, in shallow foxholes and among the wreckage of burning vehicles. The Americans suffered almost 2, casualties on the first day. Nevertheless, 30, were able to reach the shore, and over the following few days, the battle concentrated on Mount Suribachi, which the Americans captured on Feb.
Grant DK, Despite the capture of Suribachi, the Americans had taken only the southern part of Iwo Jima. They spent months inching north to conquer the whole island. The Japanese used the rocky terrain to hide and prepare ambushes, which hindered the Marines' progress. The battle ended on March 26, , when U. Of the original Japanese garrison of 22,, approximately 20, were killed or missing in action, including Gen. Kuribayashi, whose body was never recovered.
Only 1, surrendered, which was a large number for Japanese forces. While many chose to commit suicide rather than be captured alive, many soldiers were too badly injured or too ill to do so.
By contrast, there were over 26, American casualties, with 6, killed. Despite the sacrifice, a large part of the American success on Iwo Jima was due to the heroism of individual soldiers. A total of 27 Medals of Honor were given for acts of extreme courage during the battle.
Five were presented to naval personnel, while the remaining 22 medals were given to U. He leans forward, his fingers drumming a tabletop at his retirement home near Atlanta, Georgia. His wife of 70 years, Lea, seems to want to reach out and touch his agitated hands, but instead she smiles sweetly at him.
He smiles back and relaxes a bit. After days of shelling by the U. Instead, the enemy, 21, strong, responded with unexpected fury, picking off Marines seemingly at will from a complex network of tunnels.
For Montgomery it was a month of harrowing escapes. He spent one night hunkered down in a shallow ditch, afraid to raise his head lest it be blown off by fellow Marines shooting from a foxhole a few feet behind him. That same night, several hand grenades, lobbed toward the foxhole by Japanese fighters, landed short of their target and exploded in a circle around him.
Crouching in position another day, Montgomery was mistaken for the enemy by a P Mustang fighter-bomber. The pilot dropped his load right on top of him. His life was spared, but Montgomery was spitting mad. A lot of us just got kind of numb, immune to any shock.
Many of them would have been lying there for a week or so. A lot of guys grabbed a dead Marine by the arm or leg—and it would come off. Then he laughs. Except the ship when we left. All rights reserved. Among the most brutal battles of World War II in the Pacific, the Battle of Iwo Jima began on February 19, and raged for 36 days, devastating the island stronghold.
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