Picture this: you just landed on a foreign beach with thousands of other invading American soldiers. The sound of bombs exploding all around you is deafening. The enemy's fire has already made it impossible to take a step let alone breathe. There's panic, but it's an organized panic. Your sweating palms are loosening your death grip on your assault rifle. You sense the ice rushing through your veins. Fear. Bullets are whizzing past your head ever which way, and your fellow soldiers are being gunned down as if they were tissue paper. There are screams of extreme pain and agony. The stench of dirt and warm blood makes you feel nauseated. The only thing you are thinking about is getting out of there alive and in one piece.

This may seem like just another scene you only see in movies, but this is similar to what actually happened at the battle of Iwo Jima. This historic battle was one of the most significant battles during WWII.

First of all, the island of Iwo Jima was of strategic importance t

The fighting during this battle was guaranteed to be vicious and in-your-face. There were approximately 100,000 combatants, Japanese and American, who were "embraced in a death dance over an area smaller than one third of the size of Manhattan island" (Iwo Jima). God only knew the deadly outcome.

Since the summer of 1944, the Japanese home islands had been hit by from strikes by the new, long-range B-29's. The Americans, however, had no protective fighters with enough range to escort the big superfortresses. Many aircraft were lost to Japanese fighter-interceptor attacks. Iwo Jima, with its three airfields, was ideally located as a fighter escort station. It was also an ideal sanctuary for crippled bombers returning from Japan. (Myrick)

The battle of Iwo Jima had its own way of getting into the history books. The Japanese utilized a brilliant defensive tactic to prevent the U.S. from capturing the gateway to Japan's front door. The United States used the largest armada invasion, the longest sustained naval attacks, and the greatest number of Marines of the Pacific War to invade and seize Iwo Jima. "Historians described U.S. forces' attack against the Japanese defense as 'throwing human flesh against reinforced concrete'" (Battle; Myrick; The Land). It was arguably the bloodiest and hardest fought battle of the war. In the end, Iwo Jima "was won not only by the fighting spirit of the Marines, but by the meticulous planning and support provided by the Navy and Army through supply efforts, medical care, and air and naval gunfire;" and one photograph captured it all (Battle). The capture of Iwo Jima provided the U.S. with a vital link that allowed emergency landings for American bombers and created the ability to conduct the intensive air bombardment of Japan's mainland from escorted B-29 bombers. When you think about the battle of Iwo Jima, remember this unforgettable quote that was chiseled outside one of Iwo Jima's cemeteries:

On Monday, February 19, 1945, over 450 U.S. ships congregated off the coast of Iwo Jima. As the bombardment from the Navy and B-29 bombers subsided, Marines of the 4th and 5th divisions daringly landed ashore on Iwo's southwestern beaches. The coarse volcanic ash and sand immediately bogged down the Marines' advance. As soon as all the protective naval fire ceased, the Japanese, hidden underground, sparked to life reigning hell on the invading Marines. They were "sitting ducks for the Japanese gunners" (The Land). In order seek refuge, they sought cover in shell holes or bomb craters. Digging foxholes was impossible due to loose sifting sand and volcanic rock impenetrable to their shovels. This heavy Japanese fire was in range of every single Marine on every inch of the island, which turned the beaches into mass confusion. The Marines didn't buckle, however. The 4th Division stubbornly pushed ahead facing heavy resistance and captured the Quarry, a Japanese strong point. Meanwhile, the 5th Division succeeded on its mission of isolating Mt. Suribachi (Battle). This "ultimate storm landing" didn't come without a price, though. Over 3,000 of the 30,000 invading Marines were already killed in action.

The battle of Iwo Ji

Some common words found in the essay are:
Iwo Jima, Mt Suribachi, Navy B-29, , Myrick American, Marine Division, Pacific Battle, Fear Bullets, iwo jima, Suribachi Battle, War Myrick, battle iwo, battle iwo jima, mt suribachi, capture iwo jima, capture iwo, japanese forces, island iwo jima, island iwo, b-29 bombers, february 23, 5th divisions, 36 days, 3rd marine division,
Approximate Word count = 2156
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)