“On 1 January 1945, the 77TH Division was directed to relieve the 32D Division. Shortly thereafter, the 32D Division began to assemble in the Carigara-Pinamopoan area on Carigara Bay. There it received some well-earned rest, but it couldn't rest for long because it also had to start preparing for its next mission, the invasion of Luzon.
“The 32D Infantry Division suffered nearly 2,000 battle casualties during its 47 days of combat during the fight for Leyte, 450 of its soldiers had been killed, 1,491 soldiers wounded, and 8 soldiers were MIA.”
Nimitz Gray book:
IWO JIMA was hit on the 31st and 1st by a number of B-24s. On the 312st 10 B-2r’s snoop bombed the airfields by radar every 45 minutes. Again on the 1 of January 19 B-24’s bombed both airfields with 36 tons.
History has told us that the island was heavily bombed for 2-3 months prior to invasion. The insinuation is everything was done to prepare for invasion but there is indication here that the bombing was NOT to prepare for invasion but was to protect the b29s and it was not effective?
Hind sight is 20/20 and I am not being critical as I was not there but it is beginning to look to me like the only preparation for invasion was the very few days of artillery before the invasion? I am not saying this was intentional but was the result.
The marines claims the pre invasion was not enough and they might be right?