Iwo Jima (LPH 2) - Naval Cruise Book

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a e A me sronv asmuo me NAME g-if . USS IWO JIMA is named for the epic struggle in February l945 in which three divisions of the United States Marines wrested control of the tiny island of the same name from a brave, desperate, and determined band of Japanese defenders. ' ' ln February l945,' the American forces in the Pacific were in a commanding position. The United States. by then, had recovered from the disastrous attack on Pearl Harbor to the point where routine air attacks on Japanese cities could be made by heavy bombers launched from the Marianas. The successful outcome of the war seemed inevitable, but no one ever predicted that victory over the Japanese could be attained cheaply. Q ,The island of Iwo Jima was a thorn in the side of the U. S. heavy bomber crews. Japanese air attacks on the Mariana bases were launched from lwo. Also,,the island based fighters attacked U. S. bombers enroute to and from their raids on the Japanese homeland. An assault on Iwo Jima was therefore necessary to eliminate these attacks on the bombers and to provide a haven for damaged American aircraft returning from Japan. - Amphibious forces of the U. S. Pacific Fleet attacked the fortress of lwo Jima on l9 February I945 with a formidable force totaling 495 ships, including I7 aircraft carriers, l,I70 planes, and I l I,308 troops. Finally on 23 February, a 40 man detachment of the 28th Marines scaled Mount Suribachi at-the south- western tip of the island and raised the Stars and Stripes. A picture of the flag-raising on Mount Suribachi became the most famous photograph of the Pacific war and has served to inspire Americans ever since. The battle for Iwo Jima was fought desperately until I6 March when the island was finally secured by U. S. Forces. ln the struggle 6,82l Americans and more than 20,000 Japanese were killed. lt was the most savage and costly battle in the history of the Marine Corps, but the Marines could be proud. As Fleet Admiral Nimitz then observed on lwo Jima, Uncommon valor was a common virtue. With the end of the fighting, the American objective was achieved.