February 19, 1945
Marines invade Iwo Jima
On this day, Operation Detachment, the U.S. Marines' invasion of Iwo Jima, is launched. Iwo Jima was a barren Pacific island guarded by Japanese artillery, but to American military minds, it was prime real estate on which to build airfields to launch bombing raids against Japan, only 660 miles away.
The Americans began applying pressure to the Japanese defense of the island in February 1944, when B-24 and B-25 bombers raided the island for 74 days. It was the longest pre-invasion bombardment of the war, necessary because of the extent to which the Japanese--21,000 strong--fortified the island, above and below ground, including a network of caves. Underwater demolition teams ("frogmen") were dispatched by the Americans just before the actual invasion. When the Japanese fired on the frogmen, they gave away many of their "secret" gun positions.
The amphibious landings of Marines began the morning of February 19 as the secretary of the navy, James Forrestal, accompanied by journalists, surveyed the scene from a command ship offshore. As the Marines made their way onto the island, seven Japanese battalions opened fire on them. By evening, more than 550 Marines were dead and more than 1,800 were wounded. The capture of Mount Suribachi, the highest point of the island and bastion of the Japanese defense, took four more days and many more casualties. When the American flag was finally raised on Iwo Jima, the memorable image was captured in a famous photograph that later won the Pulitzer Prize.
I’ve got some stuff to add about Iwo tomorrow, but I just wanted to add that Feb. 19 also saw the signing of Executive Order 9066 (1942). This was the order that authorized the rounding up of Japanese citizens and their subsequent internment. Not the "American" of things to do, but it's hard to put ourselves in the shoes of those who were seeing the Japanese swallow up huge chunks of Asian territory - in the months following Pearl Harbor.
The key here is the date that executive order was signed, just a scant 2 months after the attack on Pearl. I don't think we knew quite where the next threat to our people would come from. Saboteurs? Spies? Enemy Agents? My Dad was with the 181st IR 26th ID at Camp Edwards at that time. As you can imagine, there was alot going on (understatement). On Jan 14th '42, the 182nd was released from the 26th ID and assigned to Task Force 6814 which was later designated the Americal Division and fought some of the first battles of the war at Guadalcanal, Leyte, and the Philippines. On Feb 12, 1942 the 26th was reorganized and redesignated as "HQ 26th" and consisted of headquarters and one Military Police company (My dad was assigned to that MP Co which would later be reassigned to VI Corps as 206th MP). Dad was then sent to CT on "Coastal Patrol" with other units of the YD. They were
patroling the Eastern Seaboard looking for Submarines, spies, and saboteurs. Hindsight
is 20-20, but it was the logical thing to do at the time. Internment of japanese civilians wasn't
right - we can say that in hindsight because history has proven that they weren't a threat,
but we didn't have that history in '42. All we knew then was that we'd suffered an horrendous
unprovoked attack by Japanese. The Japanese were the known enemy, but we didn't know when, where, or how they might strike us again.
m2
I agree with your synopsis MaryAnn; granted that placing the innocent Japaneses civilian wasn't the CORRECT thing to do, and was later recognized as such, it cannot be compared to what the Japanese did and were doing from the 1930's and throughout the war, let alone the fact that they attacked us, even before they actually and officially declared war upon the United States.
I feel very sad each time I look at photos and read diaries from the interned civilians. It is heart-wrenching that so many had everything taken away from them. An extremely volatile/fragile situation in the homelands. Could it have been handled better and differently? You bet!
ON THIS DAY THE 34th, (135TH AND 133RD REGTS.)., were fighting in
the town of Cassino. Feb 1944 We were a forgotten front,fighting the best
that Hitler had. BTDT. "DOGFACES WHO CRIED THROUGH TEARS".
Cassino section. RJR
Yeah Rocky, february 44 in Italy must've been horrendous.
My Dad was always a faithful letter writer to his family, but from the dday landing at Anzio Jan22nd till March 1 - he wrote no letters. No time for that.
The first letter he wrote March 1 "Anzio Beachhead" to his sister Mary:
"Dear Mary, you guessed that I'd landed at Anzio. I guess you sort of figured something was going on after you stop hearing from me for awhile - and also from the newspapers".
"Something" was going on alright! That "something" was Anzio & Cassino.
There must've been alot of families anxiously awaiting letters from their boys in Italy.
mary ann
