![]() ![]() Many of his brother tankers were not as lucky to survive Iwo Jima since the Japanese garrison had practiced how to neutralize tanks and destroyed almost a hundred of them during combat. He fought most of the battle as a M4-Sherman tank crewmember. When he discussed the experiences he had in combat, he talks about them as if they were self-evident when nothing he was doing was that. He is very methodical when he answers questions and a proud Marine. Most would never leave on their own two feet.Leighton Willhite is a soft spoken, kind, elderly gentleman. They dug 16 miles of tunnels, broken up into 1,500 different bunkers, underneath the island. ![]() Tadamichi Kuribayashi’s 21,000 Japanese troops, which had largely evacuated the civilian population on Iwo and has spent months preparing the island’s difficult terrain to best resist the amphibious assault. ![]() At three airfields built on the volcanic ash, American B-29 bombers could make emergency landings and escorting P-51 Mustang fighters based there could sortie to the Japanese Home Islands, putting the Empire squarely under the bombsights of the world’s most powerful air force.ĭefending the fortress was Lt. Soon, they would never forget it.ĭominated by Mount Suribachi, a dormant volcano, Iwo Jima in February 1945 was an important and strategic steppingstone to the ultimate invasion of Japan during World War II. troops began a campaign to seize an 8 square mile pork chop-shaped island none of them had likely heard of before– Iwo Jima. Movement on it was described as “trying to run in loose coffee grounds.” The battle for Iwo Jima would last for six weeks, from Feb. Marine Corps Archives, showing M-1 Carbine-armed Marines taking cover behind slopes of soft black volcanic ash on the beach. “Iwo Jima: Another Wave Moves In,” as captioned by the U.S. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |