IOn February 19 to March 26, 1945 the Battle of Iwo Jima took place. It was a bloody battle for both the Marines of the United States and the soldiers of the Empire of Japan. Japan had it...America needed it. The result.:a bloody battle that took a heavy toll on both sides.

Strength
United States: 70,000                                             
Japan: 18,591                                                      

 Casualties and Losses
United States: 6,822 dead (216 Captured)
Japan: Over 18,000

It was pretty clear then but not so clear today....why did the US pay such a price for a small volcanic island in the vast Pacific Ocean? 

The answer is very simple. Just look at the small map showing pertinent locations. The huge B-29 Superfortresses that were pounding the home islands of Japan flew from large bases on Tinian, Saipan and Guam all of which were in an area of less than 50 miles apart.

The United States was in the process of bombing the main islands of Japan on a regular basis but it was beginning to take a large toll on the aircraft and on the men flying the Superfortresses.

The distance between the B-29 home fields and their targets on the Japanese main islands was approximately 1,500 miles, a round trip of about 3,000 miles. The return trip from Japan back to the 'home base' of the 29's no doubt seemed like many times the distance on the way up.



If you're wounded or have wounded on board there is still that long wait before a doctor or aide is available.

Many 29's came home with one or two engines shot out and just limping along wondering how long those smoking engines will last.  All along the 1,500 or so miles between their home base and the Empire of Japan were U.S. submarines, rescue aircraft and, fairly close to their home base, some surface craft. But believe me the Pacific Ocean is a very large body of water. It cannot be described in plain words. It seems to take forever to fly 1,000 or so miles when the aircraft is functioning correctly and there are no wounded crew members breathing their last.

But just imagine how long it seems to take to fly 1,000 miles, give or take a few, when you or a buddy is injured and bleeding or the big Superfortress has one or two of its engines shot out. Talk about a lifetime!....an hour or two can seem like at least one lifetime!  But back to Iwo.

The B-29s flying out of Saipan, Tinian and Guam had to fly to Japan alone, at least until they were near the Japanese home islands where they would circle and form a combat formation. That was not done regularly, however. It took too much time and too much fuel to try to get a group together. Most of the time the 29s simply went over their targets solo.

No American fighter plane had the fuel capacity to fly 3,000 miles and then, at the half-way point, engage the enemy fighters in combat!

The taking of Iwo Jima would provide the US two vital things. First, the US could place fighter aircraft on the island where they would join up with a "mother" B-29 who would provide the navigation for the fighters up to Japan and then, while the US fighters were engaged in tangling with the Japanese, simply orbit outside the area of combat.

Once the mission was completed, the P-51's would form on their "mother ship" and let the B-29 navigate the way back to "home" (Iwo Jima).

The second benefit of the US having Iwo was a haven for shot-up B-29s.
If the aircraft itself was heavily damaged or running low on fuel or had wounded crew on board they could land at Iwo Jima instead of having to fly all the way back to Saipan, Tinian or Guam.

This was not the perfect solution to all the problems facing the B-29 and P-51 outfits but it sure was better than it had been.

 (Next month the final part of Iwo Jima)