US Marines Battle of Iwo Jima

The battle was marked by some of the fiercest fighting of the campaign. The Imperial Japanese Army positions on the island were heavily fortified, with vast bunkers, hidden artillery, and 18 kilometers (11 mi) of tunnels. The battle was the first American attack on the Japanese Home Islands and the Imperial soldiers defended their positions tenaciously. Of the 21,000 Japanese soldiers present at the beginning of the battle, over 20,000 were killed and only 216 taken prisoner.

Joe Rosenthal photographed five Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman raising the U.S. flag atop the 166 meter (546 ft) Mount Suribachi. The photograph records what was actually the second flag-raising on the mountain, which took place on the fifth day of the 35-day battle. The picture became the iconic image of the battle and may be the most reproduced photograph of all time. The photograph has also become the foundation of the US Marine Corps Memorial.

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[swanningaround]

This is unbelieveaable. These men are up to the quality of Easy Company. This was not as big as Bastogne, but the Japanese were a better force than the Germans. All respect to the Japanese. The American people love victory. That is what is important in war. Victory! The US has never been defeated and never will be. The American people are superior to all others. It takes a real man to be an American Citizen.

[TellTheMarines]

Unfortunately, I'll respectfully disagree. Iwo Jima was a hell of a lot bigger and more important.

I will agree that Bastogne was an Great example of The American Army's performance.

[HOLYfatboy10]

@swanningaround Umm They Lost To Vietnam

[TellTheMarines]

@HOLYfatboy10 Please name one battle in Viet Nam where the Americans lost........

That's what I thought. The truth is Tet was a complete disaster, The Viet Cong were totally eliminated and removed as a fighting force, and hence the NVA had to invade South Viet Nam. The Media played Tet as a strategic loss for the US and now we know TET was a tremendous victory for the US. So much for the media…

[elamite66]

@TellTheMarines you have to know how to read the media and do a little more than watch the nightly news if you want the real facts but compared to the enemy's media ours was tremendous As a kid I listened to Short wave radio from Moscow and Peking and you wouldn't believe the outright lies presented as truth and the facts often tottaly ignored

[TellTheMarines]

@elamite66 Well it’s a good thing I got my experience on the Viet Name war from living in Thailand, Cambodia, Viet Nam, Okinawa and the Philippines, and not the media.

[Killhodge]

Well done marines! Aww raw!

[RobertELegal]

@swanningaround I'll have to disagree with the characterization of Japan having a better army than the Germans. No doubt the Japanese were tenacious, formidable opponents, but they don't hold a candle to the German army.

There's not enough space for me to include his quote, but check out what Gen. Lightning Joe Collins had to say about the two armies. He fought in both theaters of the war.

[USMarineRifleman0311]

@swanningaround

easy company didnt do shit at Bastogne dumbass, it was the tank destroyer battalions that did most of the panzer slicing there.

All infantry did was get mortared

[jumperdude8108]

@swanningaround bastogne wasn't very big, but the battle of the bulge was our largest engagement with over 600,000 US soldiers, 70,000 in iwo jima.

[TheOlemissu]

@HOLYfatboy10 loss isn't really how to discribe it all though i agree it is a loss it was not because of the military. the military took everything charlie gave and threw it his face the Tet offensives a good example the people who really lost that war was the american public and their lack of support for the war. The NVA new that the american people did not want a prolonged warand fought the war according to guidlines that would fit their goal of getting america to turn on the war.

[Imachowderhead]

My dad had a recording of a distress call from Iwo Jima from a marine..anyone ever heard it?

[roywright100]

@TellTheMarines look all of my fathers friends got killed in viet nam there were no winners and by the way we lost that war !!! no one won.

[roywright100]

all my dads friends got killed in the vetnom war so no there were no winners.

[elamite66]

My Dad saw the raising of both flags on Surabachi He came in on the second day I believe as infantry replacement One story he told me was when the Japs hit an ammunition dump of 155mm howitzer shells the dugout that the marines used was blocked by rubble including a 155 shell and he dug them out and then with another volunteer ran the wire which had been cut to forward observation for the 155 howitzers He was lucky not to be wounded but lost friends

[swanningaround]

@elamite66 I did too. We used to get radio Canton. What a laugh. They were always talking about "yankee imperialists", "running dogs" and "Japanese paper tigers", not to forget the noble exploits of the "glorious NVA revolutionaries" and "liberators of the masses". It seems all countries preach the same rubbish.