The Naval bombardment of only 3 days leading up to the invasion was far short than what was required. The Marines had requested 13 days of prelanding bombardment but were denied this request because of commitments to MaCarthur's campaign in Luzon.
The U.S. had underestimated the Japanese strenght on the island by as much as 70 percent.
The change in Japanese tactics was not ever contemplated because of earlier invasions on Saipan, Tarawa and Peleliu. These all had early Banzai attacks that were easily defeated and turned the tide of each invasion. This would not be the case with Iwo Jima. The nature and the difficulty of the soil on the island was never examined before the invasion.
The estimates made on the U.S. casualties was underestimated by 80 percent. 23,000 Casualties out of 70,000 Marines. Over third of the total Marines who participated in the invasion were either Killed, Wounded or suffered from Battle Fatigue.
This would be a strong warning of what was to come with the invasion of Okinawa.
Total Losses
U.S. personnel 6,821 Killed 19,217 Wounded 2,648 Combat Fatigue Total 28,686
Marine Casualties 23,573
Japanese Troops 1,083 POW and 20,000 est. Killed
Q: I have a relative who served on Iwo Jima. How can I learn about his past?"
A:
1. Get his service record from:
Military Records Facility 9700 Page Avenue St. Louis, Missouri 63132-5100 NAVY and MARINE CORPS (314) 538-4141 NARA Facilities
2. From that record you can determine his unit. Just as your identity goes from general to specific--ie, Country, State, City, Street--your Marine or Corpsman was identified by his Division, Regiment, Battalion, Company and then Platoon designation.
3. Send that information to one of the following Divisions, asking for people who knew your relative:
Third Marine Division Association PO Box 297 Dumfries, VA 22026
Fourth Marine Division Association PO Box 595 Laurel, Fl. 34272
Fifth Marine Division Association Dean F. Keeley PO Box 44250 Lafayette, LA 70504-4250
Q: I am looking for a list of those KIA on Iwo Jima?
A: I know of no complete listing. The most complete I'm aware of is at: www.geocities.com/mbackstr2000/dead
