The Lake Norman Brief
Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima, 19 February to 26 March 1945: nine chaptered articles on the Volcano Islands campaign, island minimaps, the two flag raisings, the Medals of Honor and the honest numbers. Start with the interactive island atlas.
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The Airfields and the Center: The 3d Marine Division at Iwo Jima
From the capture of Airfield No. 1 on 20 February 1945 to the ruins of Motoyama on 28 February, the 21st and…
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Sea, Air and the B-29s: Kamikazes, Fighters and the Emergency Field
On 21 February 1945 kamikazes knocked USS Saratoga out of the war and sank Bismarck Sea off Iwo Jima; on 4 March…
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The Meat Grinder: Hill 382, Turkey Knob and the Amphitheater
From 25 February to 10 March 1945 the 4th Marine Division fought through Hill 382, Turkey Knob and the Amphitheater on Iwo…
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Kuribayashi’s Island: Iwo Jima Before the Landing
From Kuribayashi’s arrival in June 1944 to the night of 18 February 1945: the tunnels, the fight over three days of naval…
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To the Sea: Hill 362C, Cushman’s Pocket and the Northeast Coast
In the predawn dark of 7 March 1945 the 3d Marine Division attacked Hill 362C. By 1800 on 16 March, when Iwo…
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Hills 362 and Nishi Ridge: The 5th Marine Division in the West
From 25 February to 8 March 1945 the 5th Marine Division fought up Iwo Jima’s west side over Hill 362A, Nishi Ridge…
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The Gorge and the Last Attack: Kitano Point and the End on Iwo Jima
From Kitano Point to the gorge Marines called Death Valley: the 5th Marine Division’s last fight on Iwo Jima, 8 to 26…
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Mount Suribachi: The 28th Marines and the Two Flags
On 23 February 1945 a patrol of the 28th Marines raised a small flag on Mount Suribachi at 1020; a larger one…
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D-Day on the Black Sand: The Iwo Jima Landing, 19 February 1945
On 19 February 1945 the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions landed on Iwo Jima’s black-sand beaches at 0902. By nightfall about 30,000…