Flags Of Our Fathers

An armada of 880 American ships sailed to Iwo Jima. Aboard some of the vessels were thousands of amphibious-landing Marines. Operated by Navy and Coast Guard men, the ships also carried weapons, ammunition, tanks, supplies and American flags.  

          US Navy Photo 80-G-415308

A request for the Navy to fire its big surface-ship guns at Iwo, for at least four days before the Marines landed, was denied. (In the documents, "Dog" refers to D-Day; "Workman" refers to Iwo Jima.) Admiral Spruance believed the island had to be taken by assault but gave permission for three days of surface-ship firing. Bad weather interfered with those instructions, effectively limiting big-gun pounding to less than three days.

Marines would be brought ashore by LSMs (Landing Ships, Medium), which could also carry five Sherman tanks, and LVTs (Tracked Landing Vehicles). At least for the Iwo attack, Marines would not have to board their landing craft by first dropping down the sides of transport vessels on nets - doing their best to keep the contents of their stomachs inside their bodies.

The landing-plan map divided Iwo’s beaches into color-coded sections. The beach closest to Mt. Suribachi was designated “Green Beach.”

Iwo is a small island with few, if any, good places to unload and store supplies. At the time, it did not have existing roads - or easy access. Sherman tanks and amphibious tractors (dubbed “Amtracs”) would have trouble moving through the soft volcanic ash. To scale Suribachi, Marines would have to inch their way to the top. To advance from the beaches to the island’s interior, troops would need bulldozers to clear the way.

Before any progress could be made, however, the Marines would have to face - and overcome - Iwo Jima’s incredible defenses.

"Portrait of Artist as a Young Man," by Col. Charles H. Waterhouse.  U.S. Marine Corps Art Collection.  Image depicts D-Day +2.