The Battle of Iwo Jima was a famous battle in the history of World War II. The attacking U.S. forces thought they could capture the island in just a few days. As a result, the U.S. military used the navy, air force, and ground army forces to coordinate operations, and it took more than a month to end the battle.
, was also the only battle since the beginning of the war between Japan and the United States in which the US military suffered more casualties than the Japanese, and it was also a classic case of the use of tactics.
Lieutenant General Kuribayashi, the commander of the Ogasawara Corps and the Japanese commander in the Battle of Iwo Jima, was praised by the enemy for his tactics and was hailed by the US military as the best general of the Japanese army in World War II.
Since the Japanese Navy, Japanese Army Air Force and Japanese Naval Air Force suffered devastating blows in the Battle of Mariana and Leyte Gulf, and the subsequent Battle of the Philippines, they were unable to provide sea and air support to Iwo Jima. The Japanese army on Iwo Jima
The landing operation against the US military must be carried out without sea and air support. This is an extremely unfavorable situation.
Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi was an extremely outstanding professional soldier. He realized that beachhead operations would not be effective in a head-on confrontation with the U.S. military, which had superiority in sea and air. He decided to rely on the favorable terrain of the mountains and solid fortifications to implement defense in depth.
The local volcanic ash and cement on Iwo Jima can be mixed into very good concrete. The Japanese army took advantage of this and built many very strong underground fortifications. In order to prevent personnel from being trapped, many exits were set up in each fortification. The tunnels were also extending in all directions and were well ventilated.
, the large bunker can even accommodate 300 to 400 people. As of the eve of the US military attack, 10,000 kilometers of tunnels were completed.
Kuribayashi Tadamichi's plan is to use depth defense as the main beachhead defense as a supplement. The navy garrison will build permanent launch points and solid support points along the beach for forward defense, while the main force of the army will be concentrated in the mountains to implement depth defense.
In addition to permanent firepower points and fortresses, the Japanese army's defenses mainly consisted of underground tunnel positions. The concrete fortifications were organically combined with the natural caves in the mountains and connected to each other by traffic trenches.
Most of the artillery positions were built semi-underground. Although the shooting interface was sacrificed, the ability to survive under fierce bombardment was greatly improved. The artillery and communication networks were well protected, the mountain was almost hollowed out, and the tunnel fortifications built were the most
There are actually nine floors!
In view of the combat characteristics of the US military, Tadamichi Kuribayashi laid a large number of mines in the frontier area of the beach. The machine guns, mortars and anti-tank guns at the rear formed a firepower network. The configuration of all weapons and shooting targets were accurately calculated, so that they could both
Conceal yourself and injure the U.S. military to the maximum extent possible.
The great thing about Tadamichi Kuribayashi is that he did not adopt the desperate tactics and bullshit bushido spirit of the Japanese army in the early stages of the war. He placed the leading troops of the US military five hundred meters away from the land before launching a counterattack, and used hidden fortifications to kill and injure a large number of US troops at close range.
He stipulated a variety of tactics such as close-range shooting, divided troops for mobile defense, and ambush. He strictly prohibited the Japanese army from committing suicide charges and called on every soldier to kill at least ten American soldiers.
Starting from February 8, the U.S. military carried out four joint sea and air strikes on Iwo Jima, dispatching a total of 1,269 carrier-based aircraft sorties, 1,479 shore-based aviation sorties, and 64 warships.
Ship number.
A total of more than 6,800 tons of bombs were dropped on Iwo Jima, and 203 406-mm naval gun shells were fired, 6,472 203-mm artillery shells were fired, and 127
Fifteen thousand two hundred and fifty-one millimeter artillery shells.
Such fierce and intensive firepower bombardment by the US military had very limited effects due to the extremely strong Japanese defenses. The two airports on the island were not able to be completely destroyed.
"Chen Jun, it seems that those people in the Army are dumber than pigs. The US Navy's aircraft carrier formation launched an attack on the homeland of our Empire of Japan. The main targets were aircraft manufacturing plants and ports. Although the damage caused was very small, it can
This incident has sounded the alarm for us. The next goal of the US military will definitely not be to land in China and open up a new battlefield." Colonel Ono said.
This was an internal reception at the Marine Corps Headquarters. Major General Ohno Ichiro was transferred back to the country to participate in homeland defense operations. The new commander was Rear Admiral Masayama Koichiro. It can be seen that Japan is making new personnel adjustments for homeland defense.
It turned out that on February 10, Commander Spruance of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet used the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis as the flagship, and Commander Mitchell of Task Force 58 used the USS Bunker Hill.
The aircraft carrier was the flagship, and together they led an aircraft carrier formation consisting of 12 aircraft carriers, 8 battleships, 15 cruisers and 77 destroyers, passing east of the Mariana Islands and Ogasawara Islands and heading towards the Japanese homeland.
In the early morning of the 16th, the aircraft carrier formation arrived at the sea 125 nautical miles away from Tokyo. Then on the 16th and 17th, carrier-based aircraft were continuously dispatched to bomb multiple targets in Japan, mainly
Targeting important places such as airports, aircraft manufacturing plants and ports.
In the air battle, the U.S. Navy's carrier-based fighter jets shot down 332 Japanese fighter jets and destroyed 177 Japanese ground planes. The effect was very unsatisfactory.
"Does the US military intend to directly use its sea and air superiority to launch an attack on the empire's homeland? I think it is a bit unlikely. They do not have a close combat support base and rely on transport ships and aircraft carriers to attack Japan's homeland. Unless
The U.S. government is crazy, and so are the commanders of the U.S. military." Chen Mingxiang shook his head and said.
"No, the US military is now attacking Iwo Jima in the Ogasawara Islands. This sneak attack is obviously to deter the empire and also to demonstrate the US military's sea and air superiority. The aircraft carrier formation has left Japan's offshore waters and the target is Iwo Jima."
"The 109th Division, reinforcements, and naval garrison total only more than 20,000 people. Facing the U.S. military's joint sea, land and air operations, failure is bound to happen sooner or later. Once the Ogasawara Islands were lost, the U.S. military won the first victory.
A forward base and long-range bombers will directly threaten the security of the homeland."
"The U.S. military's combat intention is now very clear. It will never open a new battlefield, but will take direct action against the empire's homeland. Although China has millions of imperial troops stationed, if the empire's homeland falls,
, what’s the point of us being in China?” Shimada Nakasa said with a wry smile.
On the Chinese side, the Japanese Navy only has some marines and garrison troops. In other words, the entire war in China has played no role and is a spectator.
The General Headquarters of the Dispatch Army dispatched troops and generals to build fortifications in coastal areas, hoping to drag the US military into China. It was a good idea, but unfortunately, this was not the idea of the US military!
