1945-02-19
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Marines landed on 19 February 1945. The gunfire ships had been firing since 16 February: Arkansas, New York, Texas, Nevada, Idaho, and Tennessee, with the cruisers Pensacola, Salt Lake City, Chester, Tuscaloosa, and Vicksburg. On 17 February California joined Tennessee, Nevada, New York, and Chester in the close fire on the beaches. On the landing day North Carolina, Washington, and West Virginia brought 16-inch guns in, and Indianapolis, Santa Fe, and Biloxi joined the cruisers. West Virginia came up from Ulithi that morning and opened fire at 1247. Washington kept firing through 22 February. Missouri bombarded for the landings. South Dakota was with the fast carriers on 19 and 20 February. Essex struck the Tokyo area on 16 and 17 February and then sent planes to the island, and again on 25 February. Cabot's planes worked the home islands and the Bonins from 10 February to 1 March. Enterprise supported the Marines from the day of the landings. Saratoga was with her as a night carrier. Pittsburgh joined the Lexington (CV-16) group at Ulithi on 13 February. The ship's history says that group's planes supported the Marines on 19 February, and it also says the force had already sailed on 10 February. Hunt, in the screen, brought down one plane in the first raid that day. On the evening of 21 February the one large air attack of the operation hit ships off the island. Six planes scored five hits on Saratoga in three minutes, and another bomb hit her at 1900. She lost 123 dead or missing, recovered aircraft that night, and went to Bremerton. She did not return to combat. Two suicide planes hit Bismarck Sea. Fire and exploding ammunition sank her in about ninety minutes, and 318 men were lost. The same raid also hit Lunga Point, Keokuk, and LST 477. The landing ships, the transports, and most of the screen are not named one by one.
Sunk in this fight
One ship.
Map III, Landing Plan, in Lt. Col. Whitman S. Bartley, Iwo Jima: Amphibious Epic, Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps, 1954. Public domain. The sheet marks the landing beaches on the southeast shore, Green, Red 1, Red 2, Yellow 1, Yellow 2, Blue 1, and Blue 2, with the regimental numbers 28, 27, 23, and 25 on them. The beaches on the west shore, Purple, Brown 1 and 2, White 1 and 2, and Orange 1 and 2, are drawn too. Mount Suribachi, Airfields No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 (under construction), the East Boat Basin, and the objective lines are marked.
Map XX, Progress of the Attack, V Amphibious Corps, Iwo Jima, in Bartley, Iwo Jima: Amphibious Epic, 1954. Public domain. The colored lines are the front on the dates printed on the sheet, from D-Day to 24 March. Hills 165, 362-A, 362-B, 362-C, and 382 are marked. The sheet draws the division boundaries.
