Iwo Jima February 1945: The Battle for Devil s Island
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The Battle for Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima is a volcanic island about 650 miles south of Tokyo.
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The Attack Begins on Sulphur Island
Just after 2 a.m. on February 19,1945, the American navy signaled the beginning of the invasion of Iwo Jima with a massive bombardment of Japanese positions on the island. Just after the naval guns opened up, 100 bombers attacked the island supported by aircraft from the six aircraft carriers that surrounded the tiny island. Although the bombing was extensive, it did little damage to the Japanese defenses, since most of the Japanese positions were underground and very well fortified. At 9 a.m. the first wave of the eventual 30,000 Marines to land on the beach that day arrived. The American troops consisted of the 3rd,4th, and 5th Marine Divisions, which were housed on the over 900 ships that surrounded the island. The attack, known as Operation Detachment, was aimed at capturing the two a