Pacific War
World War II was fought across more land and involved more men than any other war in the history of human civilization. Never before or since has there been a war of such vast importance and of such a large scale. The United States had an absolutely crucial role in the outcome of this war. The U.S. was faced with the colossal challenge of waging two wars at the same time on two very different parts of the planet. The European front was, of course, the more obvious of the two considering the undeniable atrocities and evils that were being committed by Adolf Hitler. Involvement on the European front was inevitable and, generally more accessible for U.S. forces. Less than thirty years before, the United States had fought in Europe, so we were familiar with the terrain and appropriate strategy. However, the Pacific Campaign of World War II presented a unique challenge for United States Armed Forces. Never before had we fought in the South Pacific or even on terrain that resembled that of the Pacific islands. With the Army heavily involved in Europe, in December of 1941 the United States were forced into a war that it was not familiar with nor knew how to fight. Luckily, however, for the U.S., the Marine Corps were the perfec
The next morning, more landing craft moved in to bring more troops. However, enemy snipers had moved out into the lagoon in the cover of night. They were now waiting in burnt out tanks and Amphtracs. This added firepower of the Japanese brought casualties to higher levels than the first day's landing operation. At noon, however, five U.S. destroyers began to deliver horrifying blows to the Japanese batteries and pillboxes. Troops could now raid the beaches with relative ease. The fight inland still remained a slow and stubborn one. Marines armed with flamethrowers or sometimes just riding bulldozers tore into the Japanese pillboxes. After three grueling days, the Marines finally succeeded in taking Tarawa. Of the enemy survivors were only 1 Japanese officer, 16 soldiers, and some 129 Koreans who were used for labor. Many more committed suicide rather than be taken captive by American forces. What had bee planned as a simple one day takeover, had turned into an 18,000 man, three day operation. The Marines had proved victorious but at no small expense; it was "'the bitterest fighting in the history of the Marine Corps'" (Costello 438). The Navy bombarded the island fiercely. General Smith had wanted ten days of shelling prior to landing in order to break up all Japanese defenses; the operation was that huge. When the first wave of Marines landed, Japanese troops seemed unfazed by the shelling and rained fire down upon the 9,000 Marines advancing on their beaches. The 28th Regiment made their way through 1,000 yards of defense and to the base of Mount Suribachi, the 27th was stuck by enemy firepower, and the men of the 5th Division were struggling on the beaches on "15-foot sand ridges, which made it 'like trying to fight in a bin of loose wheat'" (Costello 544). t outfit for the kind of fighting need in the Pacific Campaign. Because of their training in land to sea combat, the Marines were uniquely prepared for the war that faced them, whereas, the Army could never have successfully waged war in the Pacific. Without the Marine Corps fighting in the Pacific, the whole war against Japan would not have succeeded. Eleven transport ships accompanied by cruisers made their way towards Lunga Point at the north of the island. Because of a failure in Japanese intelligence, the enemy had no knowledge of the creeping American Marines that were so close to their shore. At 6:13 in the morning, the first shots were fired on the island by a heavy cruiser called Quincy (Costello). Not long after the shelling commenced, American aircraft carriers let loose bombers and fighters the further assault the Japanese held island. The enemy was caught completely off guard. The actual landing of the island was performed with incredible ease. "More Marines were injured by sharp coral heads as they waded up the dun-colored beach than by enemy bullets" (Costello 323). By midday casualties had reached an astonishing 20 percent with only 1,500 Marines of the first wave having reached the shore. By the end of the day, nearly a third of all the troops who made the attempt at landing on Tarawa were dead. That does not include the countless that were wounded. By nighttime, thirty thousand Marines were ashore on Iwo Jima and 2,000 had been killed. The next day the Marines began their push towards the two airstrips on the island. U.S. troops were only moving 400 yards a day on Mount Suribachi (Costello). By February 23, however, Marines were at the base of the volcanic peak. On the 24th, Marines planted an American flag on a crater of the volcano; it was the first sign of victory. Away from Mount Suribachi, Marines were slowly wearing down the Japanese defenses by never resting. They fought their enemy's war by pushing relentlessly and with extreme force. After a week or so, the Japanese line was no longer a line, but scattered groups of resistance. After nearly six weeks of fighting only 216 Japanese were taken cap
Some common words found in the essay are:
Baird's Amphtrac, Marine Corps, Mount Suribachi, Infantry Division, Air Force, War II, Suribachi Marines, World War, Japanese Plus, Assault Corps, marine corps, world war, air corps, army air corps, pacific campaign, army air, pacific war, japanese mainland, land sea, island hopping, iwo jima, world war ii, land sea combat, island hopping campaign, united marine corps,
Approximate Word count = 4032
Approximate Pages = 16 (250 words per page double spaced)
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