The Battle of Iwo Jima

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Battle of Iwo Jima
Background Information
The battle of Iwo Jima refers to a military operation between the United States marine and the Japanese army in 1945. The island was located 750 miles from the Japanese coastal region and contained three airfields that served as a platform to counter any potential attacks on mainland Japan. The American army attacked the territory on 19th February 1945 when general Douglas MacArthur, the southwest pacific region high commander, resolved to capture the Iwo Jima volcanic island that 20,00 veterans of the Japanese forces guarded. The battle lasted for five weeks, resulting in substantial casualties of American soldiers. Mark Grimsley, the writer of “the marines had bypassed Iwo Jima,” states that one in each three Marines who lost their lives during the pacific war died on Iwo Jima. The number of casualties witnessed in Iwo Jima is attributable to the quick downfall of the Japanese kingdom during the second world war. In the recent past, Robert Burrell, the author of “breaking the cycle of Iwo Jima Mythology,” and Mark Grimsley deduced that the Iwo Jima invasion was nonessential. The joint chief of staff sent 82,000 marines to Iwo Jima without justification, and approximately 7,000 lost their lives. The joint chief of staff had multiple reasons for the invasion that does not justify the massive number of marines who lost died in the attack.[History, “Iwo Jima,” HISTORY, August 21, 2018.] [Mark Grimsley, “What If the Navy and Marine Corps Had Bypassed Iwo Jima?,” Navy Times, February 19, 2020.]
The strategy formulated by the U.S marines and its allies in the Second World War justified the attack on Iwo Jima as unnecessary. Military experts in the pacific region revised a specific plan known as the war plan orange that could ensure their victory. Louis Morton illustrates the initial strategies implemented to resist an attack on japan that occurred in 1907. The plans were executed through multiple phases of changes and modifications depending on foreign affairs. For instance, the Joint Board, an advisory body of the navy and army, commanded the examination of war plan orange after the war between japan and china in 1937. The program was finally amended in February 1938, and the navy secretary approved it on 26th February. The main objective of the project was to defeat the Japanese empire. The final document indicates that after mobilization of the army and the navy and improving the power of each military branch, the navy could conduct its attacks on Japan. The battle could start on islands and proceed towards the west across the pacific. Also, blocking the economic activities in japan could play a substantial role in ensuring the United States’ victory in the war, a strategy is known as island hopping. On 22nd January 1943, the JCS provided a memorandum illustrating the entire pacific strategy and how it remained effective during the war. The directive states that the final downfall of Japan would be achieved through bombing, obstruction, and assault.[Louis Morton, “Strategy and Command: The First Two Years,” December 16, 2010.] [Edward Drea et al., “Intro...