Posted on 03/10/2005 7:10:45 AM PST by rcocean
Our awe at the bravery of the Marines and their Japanese adversaries should not cause us to overlook the stupidity that forced them into this unnecessary meat grinder. Selective memories of World War II, which record only inspiring deeds and block out all waste and folly, create an impossible standard of perfection against which to judge contemporary conflicts.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Hindsight is better that foresight by a damnsight.
Not completely.
Most of the Pearl Harbor oil tanks were exposed to air attack.
This writer certainly doesn't know his history. Practically every war has had this type of scenario. During the Civil War, one such incident was Morris Island and Fort Wagner. Union gun ships had bombarded Morris Island and Wagner repeatedly, in an attempt to prepare for an assault. Thinking that their heavy bombardment had depleted the number of Confederates inside the fort, the Union forces stormed Fort Wagner on three separate occasions during July, 1863. Each time they suffered high losses, and never captured the fort. Union forces then turned to digging trenches in an attempt to gain control of Wagner. After a lengthy siege, Confederates evacuated the fort on or about the evening of September 6th, leaving the island in the possession of Northern forces.
Exactly. That was all that was needed to make action there necessary and right.
Sorry. This is often repeated but it's simply doesn't hold up under scrutiny.
It assumes every single crewman on every B-29 that landed on Iwo would have otherwise died, which is absurd. Many of those B-29s probably would have made it back to base. Even ones that ditched would have had the crewmen rescued in most cases.
Though one could argue the tactical balance of Iwo Jima, the stategic value was that we would do what was needed to win the war. After Iwo Jima, it was clear that no one was ever going to stop the US Marines. Our enemies knew that.
As in the American Civil war, when one side decided that they wanted to win (aka Lincoln, Grant, Sherman) and were willing to do what it takes, the war was over.
Liberals should learn that on the War on Terror. Men die because our enemies doubt that we will do what it takes. If it was 100% clear from day 1 that we would slaughter them all and spend our entire treasury to win, they would give in and live in peace. Our enemy knows they cannot defeat us militarily. Their only hope are our weak brothers. Though we can't lock them away as we should, we should shame them every moment of the day as the weak humans they are.
Analyze Iwo Jima as you wish and if we have to island hop again, we will know better. But, the real contemporary lesson of Iwo Jima is what it costs to win. Why not learn that lesson?
If this guy wants to write about bad judgement and mistakes, he should consider reporting on the Canadian government's sending untrained soldiers to the front in Holland (Sheldt Estuary) in the fall of 1944. Thousands were killed, wounded and taken prisoner because they lacked the proper infantry training. Many had only been in the service for a month or less before being shipped off to fight the Germans. A good number of them didn't even know how to fire their weapons or how to use grenades.
It is.
In Europe: Omaha Beach was an avoidable disaster, the Normandy hedgerows were a suprise, B-17s killed hundreds of GIs in Operation Cobra, the Falaise Gap allowed the German 7th Army to escape, the Sherman tank was inadequate, etc., etc.
Wars are difficult, criticism is easy.
OK, let's play your "auumptions" game:
The field commanders (not even Truman!) knew we had the bomb, nor did ANYBODY knoew (in Feb '45) know if it would work, could work, or could be built.
So, with enemy airfields on IWO behind the fleet's back as they tried to land on the homeislands, why do you think that Iwo could be ignored.
How long would the air bombardment last?
Of 2400 airplanes that landed on Iwo because they were damaged/shot up, are you going to assume 80% could KEEP FLYING home? That 10% could keep flying another 5 hours to the Mariana Islands?
If 90% of those 2400 aircraft would crash (putting 21000 airmen in the water): Could even 50% have been rescued? What would happen to the bombing campaign/the mining campaign if we LOST 21,000 trained pilots and crew?
Actually a bigger example is the entire Italian Campaign; basically a waste. Easily defensible terrain that tied down only a tiny force of Germans.
Theater definitely should have been shut down after Italy surrendered, and a case can be made that the Italian mainland shouldn't have been invaded in the first place.
I also strongly believe France should have been invaded in 1943 but that's a a pretty controversial one.....
The Marines encountered this kind of fanaticism long before Iwo Jima. For example, only 17 Japanese surrendered on Tarawa from a defending force of about 2,000. More casualties were suffered on Tarawa per square mile than anyplace else anywhere in World War II.
According to the Naval Proceedings article that the LA Times article is based on, even the figure above is bogus; most of those landings were for training or refueling or rearming, not because of damage.
I kinda liked the liberation of the Philippines. My mother and father were freed from Los Banos the same day the flag was raised on Suribachi. Two weeks earlier my grandfather and uncle were liberated from Bilibid and my grandmother, aunt, uncle, and cousin were liberated from Santo Tomas.
I say "Thanks Doug!"
That's an obviously too low figure, but the "1 million US dead" figure from an invasion is equally bogus.
I have sold equipment that is used for those underground facilities and until I did, I was unaware that they even existed.
This author either hates-America or is one of those people who thoughtlessly enjoys his freedoms won by men of greater courage. Or both.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.