The first five weeks on Iwo Jima the United States suffered 26,000 casualties (Grant 154). Most people think that only the US Marines fought in Iwo Jima, but that is not true. The Marines, Army, Navy, and Coast Guard fought in Iwo Jima (Willie 19). The long and bloody battle was fought by the United States and Japan. The Battle for Iwo Jima was a turning point for the United States in World War II. Both the Unites States and Japan wanted Iwo Jima for many reasons. For instance, the island provided air fields so that bomb planes could make an emergency landing (Grolier Educational 84). 2,250 B-29 Super fortress bombers made emergency landings on Iwo Jima (World Book Online 49). Another example is that the US needed airfields close to Japan. Bombing missions came from Saipan, an island south of Iwo Jima; planes couldn’t carry the maximum bomb load because they needed extra fuel (Drez 223). On the other hand, the Japanese wanted to defend the island at all cost because of the threat that it posed to the mainland. Iwo Jima provided a warning for Japan on incoming attacks. To help in World War II, the US and Japan wanted Iwo Jima for various reasons. The United States had many fighting tactics to help overtake Japan. First, the Fourth and Fifth Division came ashore of Iwo Jima at 9:02 A.M. …show more content…
In fact, Iwo Jima prepared the US for the invasion of Okinawa. That battle was the last and largest in the Pacific Ocean (The National WWII Museum 5). Also, the United States used the airfields on Iwo Jima; there were 3 airfields on the island. The airfields provided a place for bombers to make an emergency landing. Lastly, Iwo Jima was used to launch bombing missions. Launching the mission from Iwo Jima saved fuel and bomb planes were able to carry more explosives. All in all, there were many uses of Iwo Jima in World War II after the US secured the