Coral doesn't stand up to bombardment like volcanic rock.

I'ts hard to compare any Pacific Campaign to another, The differences in terrian etc.. Iwo Jima was not like Guadalcanal. Peliliu was not like Luzon, Tarawa was not like Okiniawa.

Originally Posted by 03USMC

I'ts hard to compare any Pacific Campaign to another, The differences in terrian etc.. Iwo Jima was not like Guadalcanal. Peliliu was not like Luzon, Tarawa was not like Okiniawa.

Very true.

The lava sand on the beach and on Iwo Jima was so slippery they often could not dig foxholes. It would instantly fill back into the hole. My father was in a weapons company. Their halftracks just dropped into the sand to their frames. When the Japanese artillery opened up much of the equipment was destroyed where it got stuck in the beach sand, creating a snarled up mess.

Also, it wasn't just rock. I'm looking at photographs dad brought home. They fortified 1000s of positions with steel reinforced concrete. in one photo he's sitting on the barrel of a costal gun, and the shattered bunker has thick diameter rebar all over the place. Tons of it. Many of those bunkers were unharmed by the shelling and bombing that was done before the landing. Some bunkers had concrete walls up to 10' thick.

The had plenty of time to survey their fortress and beef it up to the max. The Marines captured Korean slaves who had been part of the construction teams.

As Iwo Jima had been Japanese territory since I belive the 1890s, yeah, 50 years would be plenty of time to re-enforce it. I did not mean to imply that it was only volcanic rock, just that that native terain was much different from coral. As bad as Iwo was though it was third in his list of how tough it was for him - that doesn't mean other Marines wouldn't have listed them differently. That was just his experiences. He listed Guadalcanal first, Peleliu second, and Iwo Jima third. Again, his experiences - valid for him but may be different for others.

Here are the 27 recipients of the Medal of Honor on Iwo Jima:

Cpl Charles J. Berry, 1/26, 3 March 1945*
PFC William R. Caddy, 3/26, 3 March*
LtCol Justice M. Chambers, 3/25, 19-22 February
Sgt Darrell S. Cole, 1/23, 19 February*
Capt Robert Dunlap, 1/26, 20-21 February
Sgt Ross F. Gray, 1/25, 21 February
Sgt William G. Harrell, 1/28, 3 March
Lt Rufus G. Herring, USNR, LCI 449, 17 February
PFC Douglas T. Jacobson, 3/23, 26 February
PltSgt Joseph J. Julian, 1/27, 9 March*
PFC James D. LaBelle, 1/27, 8 March*
2dLt John H. Leims, 1/9, 7 March
PFC Jacklyn H. Lucas, 1/26, 20 February
1stLt Jack Lummus, 2/27, 8 March*
Capt Joseph J. McCarthy, 2/24, 21 February
1stLt Harry L. Martin, 5th Pioneer Battalion, 26 March*
Pvt George Phillips, 2/28, 14 March*
PhM 1/c Francis J. Pierce, USN, 2/24, 15-16 March
PFC Donald J. Ruhl, 2/28, 19-21 February*
Pvt Franklin E. Sigler, 2/26, 14 March
Cpl Tony Stein, 1/28, 19 February*
PhM 2/c George Wahlen, USN, 2/26, 3 March
GySgt William G. Walsh, 3/27, 27 February*
Pvt Wilson D. Watson, 2/9, 26-27 February
Cpl Hershel W. Williams, 1/21, 23 February
PhM 3/c Jack Williams, USN, 3/28, 3 March*
PhM 1/c John H. Willis, USN, 3/27, 28 February*

I've met George Wahlen and Herschel Williams. Click on the link to read their citations:

http://www.medalofhonor.com/IwoJimaR...m#Williams%20H

This article is a fairly concise history of Iwo Jima and has many photographs:

http://www.nps.gov/wapa/indepth/extC...1-00/index.htm

Another interesting piece of info on Guadalcanal.





http://history1900s.about.com/gi/dyn...uadalcanal.htm

The Strange Balance
After the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, a unique, bizarre strategic balance prevailed around Guadalcanal. At Savo the Japanese had demonstrated their superiority in night surface battle, and the US fleet was not prepared to challenge them during the hours of darkness. But the threat from Henderson Field's aircraft meant that Japanese ships would almost always retire before dawn. During the night the Japanese could run in supplies and reinforcements to their forces ashore, and bombard US positions - including the airfield. By contrast during the hours of daylight the Americans could bring up their own reinforcements and supplies, and could themselves shell enemy positions with impunity.
This strange balance meant that the campaign for the island was to last far longer than either side had ever anticipated. It would be dominated by Japanese attempts to capture or else to neutralize Henderson Field, and by US action to defeat such attempts.
Japanese aircraft flying down from Rabaul would - almost daily- attack the airfield, but would suffer heavy losses, and would never succeed in putting the field out of commission. Bombardment by cruisers and destroyers would cause damage and impair Henderson's operations, but would also never succeed in putting the airfield out of action - only bombardment by Japanese battleships was ever to do this.

The Japanese battleships didn't put Henderson Field out of action for long. As I recall my dad said they had it back in operation in hours, and as he was there, he'd have known.

Originally Posted by Charge_7

The Japanese battleships didn't put Henderson Field out of action for long. As I recall my dad said they had it back in operation in hours, and as he was there, he'd have known.

Using captured Japanese Equipment.

Originally Posted by CO5060.20

I woud like to know what kept them going...

The Marines on his left, the Marines on his right, the Marines behind him, and the Marines in front of him. The Marines of the Revolution, the Marines of the Civil War(Northern and Southern), the Devil Dogs of WWI, and all Marines past, present, and beyond that battle.

And at the time, a tremendous hate for the Japanese.

If it wasn't for the Marines, I might be speaking Japanese right now.