Hanson Baldwin has noticed that the Marines have been quiet for too long and are probably preparing for an operation. He has even figured out it will probably be in the direction of Iwo Jima.
Dang he’s smart.
Baldwin knows that P51s flying from Iwo can reach Tokyo, and it’s pretty obvious Iwo has been getting special attention by naval and aerial bombardment. Not that tough to figure it out. I’ll bet even the Japanese know it.
As for the surface bombardment, it appears from previous reports that the USN has created a special high-speed task force dedicated to quick hitting shore bombardment raids composed of heavy cruisers Salt Lake City, Pensacola and Chester. All three of them are obsolescent ships, having been built in the 1920s. They aren’t considered worthy of escorting the flattops, and are somewhat expendable. But they can still make speed and deliver 8” shells. So they will run in, fire off their rounds, and retire. They’ve worked over Iwo Jima more than a few times in the past two months.
This is one case where even if Baldwin had inside dope and indiscreetly revealed some it wouldn't have made much of a difference. They knew we were coming and had a plan. We knew they were waiting and tried to soften them up. With very little success as it turned out.