Coming up on the 71st anniversary of Iwo Jima

[whitehall]

Everybody knows what happened but nobody wants to discuss why 7,000 Marines died between Feb 19 1945 and March 11 1945 to take a God forsaken hunk of smelly land that could have and should have been bypassed. The Navy bowed out after having bombed the island for three days instead of the requested 30 days. Intelligence claimed that the island would be taken in a week. The initial mission statement was that the airfield needed to be taken to stop Japanese fighter plane harassment of U.S. bombers but that didn't make much sense at the time because the U.S. had almost total air superiority and could have bombed the Iwo air field into volcanic ash. Most people educated by the FDR propaganda historians weren't aware that the initial mission statement was changed after the Marines took the island. The revised propaganda message would justify the loss of an incredible 7,000 Marines in a month by claiming that the island was taken in order to provide a landing zone for crippled bombers. The question is where did the crippled bombers land before Iwo Jima was taken and how many bombers were lost because they were directed to and couldn't find a tiny island when they could have flown to China or the Philippines? The point is that nobody wants to consider the fact that the Marines were sacrificed by the FDR administration to gauge how well the Japanese would defend their own turf when they had forty years to defend it . It was a part of justifying the use of the Bomb.

 

[Moonglow]

More guys died in the Air Corp than Marines, what day signifies their sacrifices?

 

[eagle1462010]

The Significance of Iwo Jima: Analysis by Alex Asirvatham

Americans found the island a wanted treasure. The island provided fuel for bombers and would be a resort for damaged planes. The U.S had 74 consecutive days of bombing. On February 1, 1945 every plane in the pacific had a target to Iwo Jima. On the morning of February 19, 1945, 30,000 marines under Major General Harry Schmidt joined the warships. The marines had to fight upward over the hills and other barriers. On the first two days, 3,650 soldiers were killed. However the U.S controlled 1/3 of the island.

American air forces pounded Iwo Jima in the longest sustained aerial offensive of the war. "No other island received as much preliminary pounding as did Iwo Jima." Admiral Nimitz, CINPAC

 

[whitehall]

I wonder if the brave Marines of the 3rd division had a chance to joke about the ironic first name of their Major General? Graves was his first name. General Graves Erskine.

 

[regent]

I wonder if the brave Marines of the 3rd division had a chance to joke about the ironic first name of their Major General? Graves was his first name. General Graves Erskine.

One of my best friends was in the ninth of the third. He went in early and finally ended up on Iwo. I claimed that Iwo and the high Marine casualty rates were from what Forrestal said about Iwo: the Marine Corps was now good for 500 years. He disagreed but...I hope I was wrong.

 

[whitehall]

Post war unelected President Harry Truman repaid Marines for their uncommon valor in the Pacific by comparing Marine Corps history to Stalinist propaganda. While Truman was trying to downsize the Corps into a ceremonial detachment, ironically the Marines saved the Truman administration's sorry ass from the debocle in Korea. But that's another story that get's away from the original point. Dying president (FDR) visibly gasped when the Marine casualties from Iwo Jima were reported. Who was running the show? Was it the clerk with the photographic memory that FDR appointed as COS? Was it the Old Soldier who abandoned his Troops at Corrigidor? Was it Admirals Halsey or Nimitz? Who was responsible for sending the Marines into the hell hole of Iwo Jima four months before the end of the war?

 

[regent]

Post war unelected President Harry Truman repaid Marines for their uncommon valor in the Pacific by comparing Marine Corps history to Stalinist propaganda. While Truman was trying to downsize the Corps into a ceremonial detachment, ironically the Marines saved the Truman administration's sorry ass from the debocle in Korea. But that's another story that get's away from the original point. Dying president (FDR) visibly gasped when the Marine casualties from Iwo Jima were reported. Who was running the show? Was it the clerk with the photographic memory that FDR appointed as COS? Was it the Old Soldier who abandoned his Troops at Corrigidor? Was it Admirals Halsey or Nimitz? Who was responsible for sending the Marines into the hell hole of Iwo Jima four months before the end of the war?

The marines were, as usual great, in Korea but we fought the entire European war with few marines, all army. It was not MacArthur who made the decision, it was not his theater, Iwo was navy. In any case it was probably a taste of what the invasion of Japan would be like. I came home on the Bountiful with marines, from Iwo and Okinawa and army from Luzon and Okinawa. We had many interesting discussions as to the different tactics of each branch and while they were never resolved, by the time the ship docked, many of us had dropped the old childish inter-service rivalries that are constant.

 

[whitehall]

Post war unelected President Harry Truman repaid Marines for their uncommon valor in the Pacific by comparing Marine Corps history to Stalinist propaganda. While Truman was trying to downsize the Corps into a ceremonial detachment, ironically the Marines saved the Truman administration's sorry ass from the debocle in Korea. But that's another story that get's away from the original point. Dying president (FDR) visibly gasped when the Marine casualties from Iwo Jima were reported. Who was running the show? Was it the clerk with the photographic memory that FDR appointed as COS? Was it the Old Soldier who abandoned his Troops at Corrigidor? Was it Admirals Halsey or Nimitz? Who was responsible for sending the Marines into the hell hole of Iwo Jima four months before the end of the war?

The marines were, as usual great, in Korea but we fought the entire European war with few marines, all army. It was not MacArthur who made the decision, it was not his theater, Iwo was navy. In any case it was probably a taste of what the invasion of Japan would be like. I came home on the Bountiful with marines, from Iwo and Okinawa and army from Luzon and Okinawa. We had many interesting discussions as to the different tactics of each branch and while they were never resolved, by the time the ship docked, many of us had dropped the old childish inter-service rivalries that are constant.

Too bad the freaking president didn't drop his childish inter-service rivalry. It took courageous Marine Generals like "Beast" Krulak to risk their careers to save the Marines from being downsized to nothing by a vindictive president who had little respect for the Marines. MacArthur did his duty as a hard charging WW1 Army officer and he retired at the top of his game as COS. Why FDR talked him into coming out of retirement to be commander of an area most likely to be the first to be attacked by the Japanese is anybody's guess. MacArthur lost his entire army and earned the nickname of "Dugout Doug" by the combat Troops. MacArthur still had a lot of influence in the Pacific theater after he abandoned his Troops. The theatrical landing in the Philippines says it all. The point is that 7,000 Marines KIA and 20,000 wounded on a God forsaken Island that could have and should have been bypassed was a criminal act by the administration.

 

[regent]

Post war unelected President Harry Truman repaid Marines for their uncommon valor in the Pacific by comparing Marine Corps history to Stalinist propaganda. While Truman was trying to downsize the Corps into a ceremonial detachment, ironically the Marines saved the Truman administration's sorry ass from the debocle in Korea. But that's another story that get's away from the original point. Dying president (FDR) visibly gasped when the Marine casualties from Iwo Jima were reported. Who was running the show? Was it the clerk with the photographic memory that FDR appointed as COS? Was it the Old Soldier who abandoned his Troops at Corrigidor? Was it Admirals Halsey or Nimitz? Who was responsible for sending the Marines into the hell hole of Iwo Jima four months before the end of the war?

The marines were, as usual great, in Korea but we fought the entire European war with few marines, all army. It was not MacArthur who made the decision, it was not his theater, Iwo was navy. In any case it was probably a taste of what the invasion of Japan would be like. I came home on the Bountiful with marines, from Iwo and Okinawa and army from Luzon and Okinawa. We had many interesting discussions as to the different tactics of each branch and while they were never resolved, by the time the ship docked, many of us had dropped the old childish inter-service rivalries that are constant.

Too bad the freaking president didn't drop his childish inter-service rivalry. It took courageous Marine Generals like "Beast" Krulak to risk their careers to save the Marines from being downsized to nothing by a vindictive president who had little respect for the Marines. MacArthur did his duty as a hard charging WW1 Army officer and he retired at the top of his game as COS. Why FDR talked him into coming out of retirement to be commander of an area most likely to be the first to be attacked by the Japanese is anybody's guess. MacArthur lost his entire army and earned the nickname of "Dugout Doug" by the combat Troops. MacArthur still had a lot of influence in the Pacific theater after he abandoned his Troops. The theatrical landing in the Philippines says it all. The point is that 7,000 Marines KIA and 20,000 wounded on a God forsaken Island that could have and should have been bypassed was a criminal act by the administration.

Couple more nicknames for MacArthur: "Stick with Mac and never get back. Move over God it's me, Mac."

 

[whitehall]

Post war unelected President Harry Truman repaid Marines for their uncommon valor in the Pacific by comparing Marine Corps history to Stalinist propaganda. While Truman was trying to downsize the Corps into a ceremonial detachment, ironically the Marines saved the Truman administration's sorry ass from the debocle in Korea. But that's another story that get's away from the original point. Dying president (FDR) visibly gasped when the Marine casualties from Iwo Jima were reported. Who was running the show? Was it the clerk with the photographic memory that FDR appointed as COS? Was it the Old Soldier who abandoned his Troops at Corrigidor? Was it Admirals Halsey or Nimitz? Who was responsible for sending the Marines into the hell hole of Iwo Jima four months before the end of the war?

The marines were, as usual great, in Korea but we fought the entire European war with few marines, all army. It was not MacArthur who made the decision, it was not his theater, Iwo was navy. In any case it was probably a taste of what the invasion of Japan would be like. I came home on the Bountiful with marines, from Iwo and Okinawa and army from Luzon and Okinawa. We had many interesting discussions as to the different tactics of each branch and while they were never resolved, by the time the ship docked, many of us had dropped the old childish inter-service rivalries that are constant.

Too bad the freaking president didn't drop his childish inter-service rivalry. It took courageous Marine Generals like "Beast" Krulak to risk their careers to save the Marines from being downsized to nothing by a vindictive president who had little respect for the Marines. MacArthur did his duty as a hard charging WW1 Army officer and he retired at the top of his game as COS. Why FDR talked him into coming out of retirement to be commander of an area most likely to be the first to be attacked by the Japanese is anybody's guess. MacArthur lost his entire army and earned the nickname of "Dugout Doug" by the combat Troops. MacArthur still had a lot of influence in the Pacific theater after he abandoned his Troops. The theatrical landing in the Philippines says it all. The point is that 7,000 Marines KIA and 20,000 wounded on a God forsaken Island that could have and should have been bypassed was a criminal act by the administration.

Couple more nicknames for MacArthur: "Stick with Mac and never get back. Move over God it's me, Mac."

MacArthur was way, way past his prime when Truman appointed him commander of U.S. Troops in Korea. He never spent a single night on the Peninsula and relied on "intelligence" from a sycophant officer, Ned Almond who had a racist problem with Colored troops in WW2. MacArthur disrespected Truman during the Wake Island meetings and timid Truman took the insults until the biggest ambush in U.S. history at Chosen and MacArthur's blubbering excuses to nuke China before he relieved him of duty. But I digress from Iwo Jima which is just starting 71 years ago with inadequate bombing and would last a month with the loss of almost 7,000 and 20,000 WIA.

 

[Weatherman2020]

Everybody knows what happened but nobody wants to discuss why 7,000 Marines died between Feb 19 1945 and March 11 1945 to take a God forsaken hunk of smelly land that could have and should have been bypassed. The Navy bowed out after having bombed the island for three days instead of the requested 30 days. Intelligence claimed that the island would be taken in a week. The initial mission statement was that the airfield needed to be taken to stop Japanese fighter plane harassment of U.S. bombers but that didn't make much sense at the time because the U.S. had almost total air superiority and could have bombed the Iwo air field into volcanic ash. Most people educated by the FDR propaganda historians weren't aware that the initial mission statement was changed after the Marines took the island. The revised propaganda message would justify the loss of an incredible 7,000 Marines in a month by claiming that the island was taken in order to provide a landing zone for crippled bombers. The question is where did the crippled bombers land before Iwo Jima was taken and how many bombers were lost because they were directed to and couldn't find a tiny island when they could have flown to China or the Philippines? The point is that nobody wants to consider the fact that the Marines were sacrificed by the FDR administration to gauge how well the Japanese would defend their own turf when they had forty years to defend it . It was a part of justifying the use of the Bomb.

Knew a Marine who was there as well as Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Okinawa and other smaller battles. He went on to fight in Korea and Vietnam.

 

[gipper]

A terrible waste of American and Japanese lives and all for the benefit of corrupt politicians, bankers, and bigger government.

 

[regent]

A terrible waste of American and Japanese lives and all for the benefit of corrupt politicians, bankers, and bigger government.

In what way was it a waste?

 

[gipper]

A terrible waste of American and Japanese lives and all for the benefit of corrupt politicians, bankers, and bigger government.

In what way was it a waste?

Asking such a question, indicates a complete lack of understanding.

 

[regent]

A terrible waste of American and Japanese lives and all for the benefit of corrupt politicians, bankers, and bigger government.

In what way was it a waste?

Asking such a question, indicates a complete lack of understanding.

Then you should do some homework so you might understand. What would your decisions have been to avoid waste? How close did the Navy come to their expected casualty figures? Were the casualty figures indicative of what was coming with the invasion of Japan?

 

[gipper]

A terrible waste of American and Japanese lives and all for the benefit of corrupt politicians, bankers, and bigger government.

In what way was it a waste?

Asking such a question, indicates a complete lack of understanding.

Then you should do some homework so you might understand. What would your decisions have been to avoid waste? How close did the Navy come to their expected casualty figures? Were the casualty figures indicative of what was coming with the invasion of Japan?

Again...you are blinded by lies, so the truth is impossible to see.

The US should never have entered WWII. Had we had an honest leader, rather than a lying warmongering fool, we might have avoided that war entirely and thus not wasted all those lives on a stupid tiny worthless island.

 

[regent]

A terrible waste of American and Japanese lives and all for the benefit of corrupt politicians, bankers, and bigger government.

In what way was it a waste?

Asking such a question, indicates a complete lack of understanding.

Then you should do some homework so you might understand. What would your decisions have been to avoid waste? How close did the Navy come to their expected casualty figures? Were the casualty figures indicative of what was coming with the invasion of Japan?

Again...you are blinded by lies, so the truth is impossible to see.

The US should never have entered WWII. Had we had an honest leader, rather than a lying warmongering fool, we might have avoided that war entirely and thus not wasted all those lives on a stupid tiny worthless island.

So where did we make our first mistake?

 

[gipper]

A terrible waste of American and Japanese lives and all for the benefit of corrupt politicians, bankers, and bigger government.

In what way was it a waste?

Asking such a question, indicates a complete lack of understanding.

Then you should do some homework so you might understand. What would your decisions have been to avoid waste? How close did the Navy come to their expected casualty figures? Were the casualty figures indicative of what was coming with the invasion of Japan?

Again...you are blinded by lies, so the truth is impossible to see.

The US should never have entered WWII. Had we had an honest leader, rather than a lying warmongering fool, we might have avoided that war entirely and thus not wasted all those lives on a stupid tiny worthless island.

So where did we make our first mistake?

Electing Stalin's Stooge.

 

[Syriusly]

It was a part of justifying the use of the Bomb.

In 1945- no one was very concerned about justifying the use of the Atomic bomb.

While there were a few concerned about the morality of using the atomic bomb, that I believe was mostly ignorance- ignorance of the massive bombing campaigns over Tokyo and other Japanese cities. Most Americans had no qualms with inflicting any harm to Japan- and FDR was a master of the pulse of the American people. He didn't have to justify using a weapon that he didn't live to authorize the use of.

Was Iwo Jima a mistake? Very possibly- certainly we committed to very many other costly battles that in hindsight accomplished little- and to our point of view- should have been foreseen.

Is your thread intended to be a warning of how governments can commit to make strategic errors- or is it just another attack on FDR?

The one thing that we should absolutely remember about the Battle of Iwo Jima is the bravery and sacrifice of the Marines who believed that they were making a difference in the battle to defeat Imperial Japan.

 

[elektra]

It was a part of justifying the use of the Bomb.

In 1945- no one was very concerned about justifying the use of the Atomic bomb.

While there were a few concerned about the morality of using the atomic bomb, that I believe was mostly ignorance- ignorance of the massive bombing campaigns over Tokyo and other Japanese cities. Most Americans had no qualms with inflicting any harm to Japan- and FDR was a master of the pulse of the American people. He didn't have to justify using a weapon that he didn't live to authorize the use of.

Was Iwo Jima a mistake? Very possibly- certainly we committed to very many other costly battles that in hindsight accomplished little- and to our point of view- should have been foreseen.

Is your thread intended to be a warning of how governments can commit to make strategic errors- or is it just another attack on FDR?

The one thing that we should absolutely remember about the Battle of Iwo Jima is the bravery and sacrifice of the Marines who believed that they were making a difference in the battle to defeat Imperial Japan.

Yes, in the eye of those who are beholden to the foreign powers, all that the USA does in our defense is a mistake. Of course our biggest mistake is allowing folks like Howard Zinn to become professors in our Universities.

That Japanese were a very cruel, sadistic, murderous people who needed to be stopped, is ignored by the revisionist, It is a shame we did not have the Atomic Bomb in 1941 to stop them and Hitler.

The Atomic Bomb and the Marines saved the lives of countless Americans, 100,000? Maybe 500,000? The estimates vary, at the least destroying Nagasaki and Hiroshima saved a 1,000,000 Japanese lives.

Thank God, Truman treated the Atomic bomb as if it was simply the biggest, best, bomb ever made. All these emotions that syriusly attach to the bomb is just revisionist marxism as published by Howard Zinn.

Yes, syriously speaks of morality? In syriously's mind morality was to never to stop that japanese before or after they began their campaign of raping 10 year old chines virgins or the bayoneting of pregnant chinese women.

Yes, syriously would of had the USA cower and retreat, leaving Pearl Harbor and Hawaii to the Japanese, most likely surrendering California and the entire west coast of the USA to the Japanese.

syriously has no idea what is, moral.