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Raising the flag on Iwo Jima
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Iwo Jima Facts
Franklin Roosevelt was
the 32nd American President who served in office from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945,
the day of his death.
One of the important events during his presidency was
the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Iwo Jima Facts: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
about Iwo Jima.
Who won the battle of Iwo Jima? The
United States won the battle and secured the
island from the Japanese on March 16, 1945
What date was the Battle of Iwo Jima? The date of the
Battle of Iwo Jima was from February 19,
1945 - March 16, 1945
Who raised the flag on
Iwo Jima island?
The Iwo Jima flag was raised by five
marines, Harlon Block, Franklin Sousley,
Michael Strank, Rene Gagnon, Ira Hayes, and
Navy Corpsman John Bradley.
Where is the Iwo Jima Memorial?
The Iwo Jima Memorial statue is based on the
famous photograph by Joe Rosenthal and
located at the entrance to Arlington
National Cemetery next to the Netherlands
Carillon, in Arlington near Rosslyn,
Virginia
Iwo Jima Facts
for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting information, history and
facts on Iwo Jima for kids.
Iwo Jima
Facts for kids
Iwo Jima
Facts - 1: In WW2 Iwo Jima Island, meaning
Sulfur Island in Japanese, was part of the Tokyo
Prefecture (under the jurisdiction of Japan) and was
considered to be Japanese soil. The island covered just
7.5 square miles.
Iwo Jima
Facts -
2: The dominating feature of Iwo Jima
Island was Mount Suribachi, an extinct volcano 550 feet
high on the southwest tail of the 'pork- chop-shaped'
island.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 3: Northeast of Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima Island
was a flat lowland which the Japanese used as an air base they
called Motoyama airfield
Iwo Jima
Facts - 4: There were no natural water sources on the barren
Iwo Jima Island and there was no network of roads but its location
was critical to the United States. The rugged terrain was covered
with volcanic ash and consisted of ravines, cliffs and dozens of
caves.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 5: Instead of building roads the Japanese had built
miles of tunnels connecting the caves together with numerous
concrete bunkers. The concrete tunnels were 60 feet underground with
3-foot-thick walls.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 6: Iwo Jima island was positioned about halfway
between Japan and the Mariana Islands. WW2 Japanese fighters taking
off from the tiny Iwo Jima Island were intercepting US B-29 bombers
en route to Japan and attacking the US air bases on the Marianas.
The United States military were determined that Iwo Jima Island must
be captured.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 7: On November 24, 1944 bombs fell on
Tokyo for the first time since the
Doolittle Raid
on April 18, 1942.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 8: However, the B-29 Superfortress
bombers had to travel over 1,500 miles (2,414 km) from
the new US airbases in the Mariana Islands that had been
won from the Japanese in the
Battle of the
Philippine Sea.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 9: The long distance the B-29's had to
travel resulted in the US airmen missing their targets.
By the time the B-29 bombers reached Japan they did not
have enough fuel left to correct their navigational
errors or to adjust for high winds.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 10: Tokyo was simply too far away from
the Mariana airbases. The US desperately needed an air
base closer to Japan where the B-29 Superfortress
bombers could re-fuel.
Iwo Jima
Facts -
11: Iwo Jima island was in the perfect
location for the B-29's to re-fuel. The decision was
made to capture the island and on February 19, 1944
approximately 60,000 marines launched a full scale
invasion and landed on Iwo Jima island and the Battle of
Iwo Jima began. The island was defended by between
18,000 - 21,000 Japanese soldiers.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 12: Major General Harry Schmidt V was in
command of the US operation. The general in charge of
the island for the Japanese was General Tadamichi
Kuribayashi. Knowing the American forces could not be
defeated, General Kuribayashi made clear his intention
to defend the island to the last man.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 13: The US marines used small amphibious landing
crafts (amphtracs) to breach the island. The amphtracs hit the beach
unopposed and began to churn through the ash but were confronted
with a 15-foot-high terrace of black volcanic sand. The
amphtracs were unable to mount the terrace and sank into the black
sand.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 14: The 4th and 5th Marine Divisions
bounded from the amphtracs but as the marines jumped
they sank up to their ankles in the soft volcanic ash.
The Japanese, who had been watching from their hidden
bunkers, pillboxes and caves, unleashed their artillery
and began to batter the US invaders.
Iwo Jima
Facts -
15: The marines were hit by snipers and
machine gun teams and then the guns and mortars on Mount
Suribachi opened fire. It was a scene of bloody carnage
as the bodies of men were blown apart. Wave after wave
of men and vehicles added to the carnage, congestion and
confusion of the battle.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 16: Slowly the marines crawled inland but by the end
of the first day of the Batlle of Iwo Jima there were over 2,400
casualties.
Iwo Jima
Facts for kids
Facts
about the Iwo Jima Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with interesting information, history and facts
on Iwo Jima for kids.
Iwo Jima
Facts for kids
Iwo Jima
Facts - 17: On the second day of the battle the
Marines attacked Mount Suribachi but were faced with
fanatical Japanese defence. Mount Suribachi was taken on
February 23 after three days of heavy fighting.
Iwo Jima
Facts -
18: On February 23, 1945, Joe Rosenthal,
an Associated Press (AP) photographer covering the
battle for Iwo Jima, made the climb up Mount Suribachi.
As he reached the summit he saw a US flag had been
raised and was struck by a wave of emotion about the
lives that had been sacrificed and the patriotism of the
men who had raised the flag.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 19: Joe Rosenthal then spotted a group of Marines
holding a second flag. The Marines said they had been ordered to
replace the first flag with a bigger one so more people could see it
from below. Joe Rosenthal took the famous photograph of the second
flag being raised.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 20: As the Battle of Iwo Jima raged on
Joe Rosenthal’s iconic photograph he called "Raising the
Flag on Iwo Jima" was published in thousands of
publications around the world.
Iwo Jima
Facts -
21: The memorable photograph held a
powerful visual message capturing the heroism of the
Marine Corps and battles fought by US servicemen during
WW2. Joe Rosenthal won the 1945 Pulitzer Prize for
photography for his iconic image.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 22: The Battle of Iwo Jima continued on as Marines
used explosives and flame throwers to attack the Japanese tunnels
and bunkers. Clearing a bunker did not put it out of action as
Japanese troops would use the tunnel network to make it operational
again.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 23: The following orders were given to the Japanese
by General Tadamichi Kuribayashi.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 24: Japanese losses in fighting the
Battle of Iwo Jima were just under 18,000. During the
fighting only 216 Japanese soldiers were captured.
Iwo Jima
Facts -
25: Iwo Jima island was declared secure
on March 16, 1945 but it was estimated that
approximately 3,000 Japanese remained alive in the
tunnel system.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 26: Many Japanese continued the fight and
some were captured scavenging for food. Others committed
ritual suicide in preference to being captured. US
forces reported that they had killed 1,602 Japanese and
captured an additional 867 prisoners during this last
ditch attempt at resistance in the tunnels of the
island.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 27: The Marines lost 6,891 men killed in action with
18,070 wounded.
Iwo Jima
Facts -
28: The battle showed the Americans was
how far the Japanese would go to defend their country
which influenced the future actions of the US against
Japan
Iwo Jima
Facts -
29: After the battle, Iwo Jima island
served as an emergency landing site for more than 2,200
B-29 bombers and prepared the way for the last and
largest battle in the Pacific - the Invasion of Okinawa.
Iwo Jima
Facts -
30: A total of 27 Medals of Honor, more
than any other battle in U.S. history, and the nation's
highest military award for bravery, were awarded for
actions taken during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 31: The names of the six men who raised the flag at
Iwo Jima were Cpl. Harlon Block, Navy Pharmacist’s Mate John
Bradley, Cpl. Rene Gagnon, PFC Franklin Sousley, Sgt. Michael Strank,
and Cpl. Ira Hayes. Three of these men, Sgt.Strank, PFC Sousley, and
Cpl. Block, were killed before the battle for Iwo Jima was over.
Iwo Jima
Facts - 32: The famous photo by Joe Rosenthal was
used as a model for the Iwo jima Memorial at Arlington
National Cemetery. The Iwo Jima Memorial is dedicated to
the "Marine dead of all wars, and their comrades of
other services who fell fighting beside them."
Iwo Jima
Facts - 33: The massive Memorial statue is by sculptor Felix
de Weldon and was unveiled on November 10, 1954, the 179th
anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
dedicated the memorial in a ceremony at Arlington Cemetery
Iwo Jima
Facts - 34: The cast bronze memorial based on the
photograph features figures of 32 feet (9.8 m) tall with
the flagpole rising to 60 feet (18 m). The flag at the
top of the pole flies at full mast 24 hours a day, 365
days a year.
Iwo Jima
Facts -
35: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz made the
following quote about the men who fought in the battle:
"Among the men who fought on
Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue"
Iwo Jima
Facts for kids
Facts
about
Iwo Jima for kids
For visitors interested in the important US battles
in WW2 refer to the following articles:
Iwo Jima Facts for kids - President Franklin Roosevelt Video
The article on the
Iwo Jima Facts provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Franklin Roosevelt video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 32nd American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945.
Iwo Jima Facts
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Iwo Jima Facts for kids
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Franklin Roosevelt
Presidency from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945
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