1.0INTRODUCTION

Iwo Jima is a small island located at Pacific Ocean. Its is 4.5 miles long and its broadest point 2.5 miles wide. The island is to defense the mainland of Japan and to reduce the strength of allies. The island also to delay the the allies to reach Tokyo. Iwo is the Japanese word for sulfur, and smells like rotten eggs. This operation is called amphimbhious operation. The American amphibious invasion of Iwo Jima during World War II stemmed from the need for a base near the Japanese coast[footnoteRef:1]. The battle of Iwo Jima began on 19 February 1945. Iwo Jima also as an early warning for Tokyo for 2 hours. Before the real invasion on Iwo Jima, the pre-invasion already happened and its takes 70 days. The pre-invasion was using B-29 and B-24 as a ariel bombers from the air and 3 days for naval bomrbardment. Iwo Jima is the mid way between the Marinas and the Japanese Home Islands. There were two airfields on the island which is under Japans control and they could be used by Japanese fighter planes to attack American bombers on their flights to Japan. Under American control, the airfields could be used as emergency landing bases for damaged airplanes in the bombing raids[footnoteRef:2]. The US 7th Air Force dropped 5800 tons of bombs and the person incharge Holland Smith the marine general requested 10 days of naval bombardment and its not enough for the marines to struck the beaches. Almost 30 000 marines from 3rd, 4th, and 5th divisions were deployed to Iwo Jima after heavy fire from the bombers. The Japanese launched an artilerry fire from the mount of Suribachi and caused heavy casualties to stop the forward movement of the marines. The americans incurred 2420 casualties. There were 22 000 of Japanese armies under the command of Lieutenant General Kuribayashi to defence the Iwo Jima. The americans experienced heay casualties and the bombings is not effective as expected. Finally the americans attacked mount Suribachi and conquered the Iwo Jima Islands. The marines lost 6891 men killed and 18 070 wounded. The Suribachi as taken by Americans on 23 February after 3 days of fighting. [1: History.com staff, Battle of Iwo Jima, available from (4 February 2015).] [2: Chris Trueman, The Battle of Iwo Jima, available from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_iwo_jima.htm(3 February 2015)]

2.0BATTLE PREPARATION

The Japanese knew the Americans will attack the Iwo Jima Islands because of its strategic location and prepared their assets and soldiers to defend the islands. The Americans sent over their intelligence to collect the information as much as the they can before the marines will be landed on the beach. The Japanese did not fight above ground but they fight entirely from beneath the ground and Japanese stay at the Mount Suribachi. They dug 1,500 rooms into the rock. These were connected with 16 miles of tunnels. Japanese strategy called for no Japanese survivors. They planned not to survive.[footnoteRef:3] Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kurabayashi was appointed to command the garrison of Iwo Jima. When he arrived he began to reorganise the chaotic defences included tunnels, caves, guns emplacements, pillboxes, bunker snd command posts and these will be linked to underground communication systems. The aerial bombing weeks before failed to damage it. The Japanese supply areas, amnution stores and medical facilities were all contructed underground tunnel system. The tunnel system was so extensive that many of the troops that were defending Mount Suribachi managed to escape to the north before the volcano fell[footnoteRef:4]. Before the real invasion, the U.S already dropped bombs for 70 days and its called pre-invasion to destroy the Japanese equipment and it does not work because the Japanese keep their equipment in the bunkers. The invasion of U.S consist of 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine divisions from U.S V Amphimbious Corp. The American landings would take place on a two-mile stretch of beach between Mount Suribachi and the East Boat Basin on the southeast coast. The beaches were divided into seven landing zones, each of 550 yards (503 metres)[footnoteRef:5]. American takes the very experienced marines in the previous battles to join the amphimbious operation. The U.S planned to attack with 4th and 5th division while 3rd divisions as a back up. When American underwater demolition teams approached the landing beaches in lightly armed LCIs (landing craft, infantry) during a daring daylight reconnaissance on D-minus-2, the defenders hiding in prepared positions along the slopes of Mount Suribachi were unable to resist opening fire and once the marines landed they experienced heavy casualities. [3: Michelle Pointon, The Battle-Japans Iwo Jima Strategy, available from 9(5 February 2015)] [4: Antill, P. The Battle for Iwo Jima, available from (6 April 2001)] [5: Ibid]

3.0LESSON LEARNTLesson learnt from the Battles of Iwo Jima because the Americans belittle the Japanese capability. They do not prepared much and just bombing all over the islands before the real invasion on 19 February. Mount Suribachi stood alone in the south, studded by infantry, mortars, machine guns, pillboxes, caves, and blockhouses. The Japanese also planned to use Suribachi as a fire-support base to cover the entire island. The first opponent for the marines was not the Japanese but the beach itself. A volcanic island, Iwo Jima has few beaches worthy of the nameand all of them are extremely steep. [footnoteRef:6]The advantages of Japanese because they attack from Mount Suribachi through mortars and artilery and caused heavy casualties to Americans. All the communication systems in underground and the equipment is keep in the bunkers. Japanese launched an attack from the bunkers, after done it, they closed the bunker and Americans cant attack effectively. Regarding troop allocation, the Japanese deployed few soldiers at the southern end of the island where analysts expected the Japanese to make their primary defense. T[footnoteRef:7]he heaviest concentrations of Japanese were in the north, and these troops fought to the death[footnoteRef:8]. An after-action Navy gunfire report indicated that, although the bombardment accomplished its major task of providing enough fire support to allow the Marines to establish a beachhead, it was not effective enough to soften the target before the Marines landed, which ideally should have cut down on casualties and the length of the battle[footnoteRef:9]. Iwo Jima also points out that even the most convincing evidence can lead to the wrong conclusions, a tricky yet common hazard in the intelligence business. The American missed the big picture because of intteligence problem and caused war planners and combatants paid for the intelligence deficit with time, resources, and heavy casualties once the marines struck the beaches. The intelligence play an important role to prepare the planning of attacking for Americans and the Japanese also did their wrong operation and finally the Mount Suribachi surrounded by the marines. [6: Joseph Alexander, Battle of Iwo Jima, available from(4 February 2015)] [7: Standley Sandler, World War 11 In The Pacific (Garland Publishing Inc 2001) 278] [8: David Miller, The War In The Pacific From Pearl Harbour to Tokyo Bay (Presidio Press, 1997) 409] [9: The High Cost of Faulty Intel, available from(4 February 2015)]

4.0COMMANDER ANALYSIS

Lieutenant General KuribayashiIntelligent

He was a good planner and have a strategic thinking to place their gunmen because the Japanese placed almost 22 000 armies to fight with the 30 000 marines from the 3rd, 4th and 5th divisions and the Americans experienced heavy casualties. Other than that, Kuribayashi also make underground tunnel for their medical, communication system and amunition.

BoldnessHe also have a bold leadership traits because he never surrended to Americans and still fighting to the last blood even he did not eat almost 5 days. Even their gunmens left 400 only, their fighting spriti remain high and never surender to the Americans even he get offer to surrender.

General Holland SmithMotivationalHolland Smith ordered the marines to climb the Suribachi Mount to raise the American Flag. The purpose he doing this to increase the morale of the marines to fighting and its also to demoralise the Japanese because the Japanese will assume they already lost to the Americans. He also always motivate their marines to fight evem the they experienced heavy casualties.

ResponsibilityHe also a responsibility person because he always quote to the marines in our corps without responsibility and discipline we would not have won the Battle of Iwo Jima. He always support their troops because when the marines planned go not as expected due to low tide and devastating fire from the Japanese. He also ordered the marines to cover from all sides of Mount Suribachi and the Japanese is nowhere to run and hide. That is the best plan he aver done it at Iwo Jima and from that planning, the Americans won the battle. 5.0CONCLUSION

As a conclusion, the strategy in the battlefield always keep changing to suit the current situation. Even for the first the Americans experienced heavy casualties, they still fight and looking forward a new strategy to win the battle. If they lost at Iwo Jima, they have a little chance to attack Tokyo because Iwo Jima is the midway from Saipan to Tokyo. The Japanese can cut off the Americans bombers to attack Tokyo from Iwo Jima. That why Iwo Jima Island is very important to Americans before they attacking Tokyo and drop the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They dropped the atomic bombs because they dont want the heavy casualties to happen again and to end up the World War II. The Japanese strategy was a good plan because of the strategic location on top of the Mount Suribachi. So they can launch the devastating artilery fire once the marines struck the beaches. The volcanis also is a good things because the marines is difficult to dig the ground for a shelter. The Japanese fully rely on their location on top of Mount Suribachi. That why when the got circumsized around the mount, Japanese started to lost. As a military cadets, we must take an example the leadership traits from the military leader before because they experienced a lots in the battlefieds. We must learn the strategy they used, equipment that effective, and the leadership skills. Other than that sometimes the choice of location will give you an advantage like the Japanese because they stay on top of Mount Suribachi and give them a clear view and fire power. The tactics will play an important role to win a battle. To winning a battle is not depends on the strength only, strategy, tactics and geogrpahy will give you more advantages in a battlefields.

6.0ATTACHMENT

Mount Suribachi

The Marines struck the beach

Attacking of marines to the Mount Suribachi

7.0REFERENCES

Alexander, J. (2006, 6 12). Battle of Iwo Jima. Retrieved 2 4, 2015, from Historynet.com: http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-iwo-jima.htm

Sandler, S. (2001). World War II In The Pacific . UK: Garland Publishing.

STAFF, M. (2005, 2 14). The High Cost Of Faulty Intel. Retrieved 2 5, 2015, from Military.com: http://www.military.com/NewContent?1,13190,NH_0205_Intel-P3,00.html

Miller, D. (1997). The War In The Pacific From Pearl Harbour to Tokyo Bay. California: Presidio Press.

Pointon, M. (2009, 6 22). The Battle-Japan's Iwo Jima Strategy. Retrieved 2 5, 2015, from Iwojima.com: http://www.iwojima.com/battle/battlea.htm