U.S. Strategy
The American forces plan consisted of a “divide and conquer” methodology. The U.S. focused on landing its assault force expediently and quickly and securing Mt. Suribachi and dominant high ground of the island. The Americans expected victory in less than a week. Their forces consisted of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions. The 4th and 5th Marine Divisions were to land on the eastern beaches the 4th on the right and the 5th on the left. The 3rd Marines would either land on the eastern beaches or assume a defensive role, which ever was called (Planning for the Battle of Iwo Jima, n.d.).
Though their whole defense was based on the waves themselves. Sixty-eight Tracked Landing Vehicle, comprising the first wave, were to hit the beach. The armored amphibians would use their 75 mm howitzers and machine guns to the utmost in an attempt to keep the enemy down, thus giving some measure of protection to succeeding waves of Marines who were most vulnerable to enemy fire at the time they disembarked from their LVTs (Planning for the Battle of Iwo Jima, n.d.). The U.S. also had an alternate plan. Since the U.S. there would be a possibility of unfavorable surf conditions along the eastern beaches, VAC issued an alternative plan on 8 January 1945, which provided for a landing on the western beaches. However, since predominant northerly or northwesterly winds caused hazardous swells almost continuously along the southwest side of the island, it appeared unlikely that this alternative plan would be put into effect (Battle of Iwo Jima, n.d).
Japan Strategy
Gen. Kuribayashi had little illusion that his forces would be sufficient in repelling the American invasion. The defense strategy centered on inflicting casualties s...
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...cyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/298379/Iwo-Jima
Iwo Jima Operation, February - March 1945. (n.d.). Iwo Jima Operation, February - March 1945. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/iwojima/iwojima.htm
Planning for the Battle of Iwo Jima. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved February 18, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planning_for_the_Battle_of_Iwo_Jima
Tadamichi Kuribayashi. (2014, January 21). Wikipedia. Retrieved January 23, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadamichi_Kuribayashi
Takeichi Nishi. (2014, January 1). Wikipedia. Retrieved January 23, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeichi_Nishi
United States Marine Corps. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps#Origins
In January 1965, Caputo, now an officer, is sent to Okinawa, Japan with men in the Third Marine Division. While waiting for the call to join the war, the young men start getting antsy and discouraged by the long delay of battle. Two months later, on March 7, 1965, Caputo’s company, along with many others, are assigned to a war location, D...
Zimm, Alan D. Attack on Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions / Alan D. Zimm ; Graphics by Matt Baughman. Philadelphia, [Pa.: Casemate, 2011. Print.
Iwo Jima is on Japanese home soil only 650 miles from Tokyo. No foreign army in Japan's 5000 year history has fought on Japanese soil. To the US, Iwo Jima was important because of its location, midway between Japan and American bomber bases in the Marianas. Iwo Jima with its three airfields was an ideal location for fighter-escort stations and as a safe haven for damaged bombers. TRANSITION:
In 1942, World War II had been raging for three years. The United States of America have declared war upon the Axis powers following the devastating Japanese attack upon Pearl Harbor. At this point in the war the Allies are in a grave situation. German forces have pushed the British off mainland Europe, and the Japanese have conquered much of the Pacific region, coming increasingly nearer to the American mainland. In order to combat this rising threat, the American military headship began to search for viable alternatives to replace widely used established tactics. The motive for this search for irregular methods the fact that the Allied forces were not strong enough to meet the Axis powers on a conventional
Initially, Japanese strategists assumed that the tiny island would be overwhelmed in a matter of hours. However, they underestimated the fighting spirit of the military personnel and civilians stationed on the island. For sixteen days these brave men fought against overwhelming odds, but demonstrated both to the Japanese and to their fellow Americans back at home that the Americans could and would put up a courageous fight.
Morison, Samuel, E. (1960). Victory in the pacific, 1945 – history of the united states naval operations in world war ii. (Vol. 14, p. 389). Boston: Little Brown.
The 32-foot-high sculpture of the Iwo Jima Memorial was inspired by a Pulitzer Prize winning photograph of one of the most historic battles of World War II. Iwo Jima, a small island located 660 miles south of Tokyo, was the last territory that U.S. troops recaptured from the Japanese during World War II. The Iwo Jima Memorial statue depicts the scene of the flag raising by five Marines and a Navy hospital corpsman that signaled the successful takeover of the island. The capture of Iwo Jima eventually led to the end of the war in 1945.
Evans, David; Peattie, Mark R. (1997). Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887–1941. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-192-7.
Because it was the last major battle of WWII, the battle of Okinawa used lessons learned and TTP’s from all previous battles with the Japanese to successfully employ combined striking power of the services and techniques of amphibious operations. Operation Iceberg was the official Okinawa campaign name. Because of its strategic importance to both the Japanese and the American’s, the Thirty-second Japanese Army commanded by General Mitsuri Ushijima, was ordered to defend Okinawa at all cost. The Japanese forces would change their typical tactics of strong defensive positions at the beaches and water’s edge as seen in the other pacific battles notable the battle of Iwo Jima. Instead they used burial tombs as forts so the Americans would have to bring the fight to them.
"Timeline - Battle of Okinawa." Battle of Okinawa. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2014. .
Battle of Midway, 4th June -- 7th June, 1942." » Maintenance Mode. N.p., n.d. Web. 17
An extensive plan was established for the American attack on Utah and Omaha Beaches. The plan was so in-depth, and complex, its descriptions detailed the exact arrivals of troops, armor, and other equipment needed for the invasion, and where exactly on the beach they were to land.
This paper will compare Gordon W. Prange's book "At Dawn We Slept - The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor" with the film "Tora! Tora! Tora!" directed by Richard Fleischer, Kinji Fukasaku, and Toshio Masuda. While the film provides little background to the attack, its focal point is on the Pearl Harbor assault and the inquiry of why it was not prevented, or at least foreseen in adequate time to decrease damage. Prange's book examines the assault on Pearl Harbor from both the Japanese and American viewpoints to gain a global view of the situation and the vast provision undertaken by Japanese intelligence.
Introduction – Pearl Harbor was vulnerable to attack because of the obstruction of defense and warning.
Samuel B. Griffith’s translation of “Sun Tzu: The Art of War” is an inside look at military practices of today. I did not find one technique that is not or would not be utilized in modern military maneuver, leadership, or training. The most astounding fact is that the Art of War was written well over two thousand years ago, even at the most conservative date. Although most of the techniques in this text are already in practice today, the value of “The Art of War” is a never-ending treasure chest of knowledge, and it deserves a place as a required reading for anyone seeking knowledge about war fighting or the history of war.