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The battle was the first American attack on the Japanese Home Islands, and the Imperial soldiers defended their positions to the death; of the 21,000 Japanese soldiers present at the beginning of the battle, over 20,000 were killed and only 216 taken prisoner.
Wilson Douglas Watson (February 16, 1922 – December 19, 1994) [1] was a United States Marine Corps private who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on Iwo Jima during World War II. He single-handedly killed 60 [ n 1 ] enemy soldiers, thus enabling his platoon to advance, earning him the name "One-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima". [ 4 ]
Similar to previous battles on Japanese-held islands, on Iwo Jima Japanese soldiers who knew English were used to harass and or deceive Marines units; English-speaking IJA troops often yelled "corpsman", pretending to be a wounded Marine, in order to lure and kill the U.S. Navy medical personnel attached to Marine infantry companies. [34]
John Basilone (November 4, 1916 – February 19, 1945) was a United States Marine Corps gunnery sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Battle for Henderson Field in the Guadalcanal campaign, and the Navy Cross posthumously for extraordinary heroism during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
"Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima... you sent your finest troops against these outposts, they died by the thousands. Here they are massacred, slaughtered." Casualties at Guadalcanal America: 4272 Japan: 28,580 Casualties at Tarawa America: 3000 est. Japan: 4700 ("Battle of Tarawa") Casualties at Iwo Jima America: 28,686
With the continuous fighting, ammunition became critically low and supply lines were cut off. Basilone fought through hostile lines and returned with urgently needed ammunition for his gunners. He was killed on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. He was the first Enlisted Marine to receive The Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, and Navy Cross.
Letters from Iwo Jima is remarkable as the movie that tries to escape from the stereotypes. [32] Owing to the lack of stereotypes, Letters from Iwo Jima was appreciated by Japanese critics and audiences. [33] Since the film was successful in Japan, a tourist boom has been reported on the Ogasawara islands, of which Iwo Jima is part. [34]
On March 26, 1945, the island was considered secure and the battle of Iwo Jima was officially ended. The 28th Marines left Iwo Jima on March 27 and returned to Hawaii to the 5th Marine Division training camp. Lt. Col. Johnson was killed in action on March 2, Sgt. Genaust was killed on March 4, Sgt. Strank and Cpl. Block were killed on March 1 ...