Iwo Jima, Battle of
Iwo Jima, Battle of (1945).When the Joint Chiefs of Staff directed the Pacific Fleet commander, Adm. Chester Nimitz, to occupy an island in the Bonin volcano group during the western Pacific campaign in World War II, the only island of significance was Iwo Jima. Early in 1945, Japanese fighter aircraft from there were harassing the B‐29s, which had begun their raids from the Marianas against Japan. Also, an emergency recovery airfield was needed for B‐29s returning damaged or short on fuel.
Mt. Suribachi, at 556 feet, is the most prominent landmark of the seven‐mile long, pork chop–shaped island, where Lt. Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi had 21,000 men and 1,000 guns. Forsaking the Japan doctrine of defending at the water's edge, he decided instead to defend from an elaborate system of caves and tunnels.
On the American side, Vice Adm. Richmond K. Turner...
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