By the end of 1941 the Japanese Imperial Navy had control of most of the Pacific Ocean. They spent the first half of 1942 capturing more territory to secure their sphere of influence. Maintaining control was their new problem. By mid-1942 their fleet was spread a little too thin to do this.
The Japanese attacked Midway in June 1942 hoping to lure the U.S fleet into a trap and destroy its remaining aircraft carriers. This would allow them to firmly establish control of the Pacific and, they hoped, force the U.S. to negotiate for peace. However, American cryptographers cracked the Japanese military communications code. This turned the tables on what was supposed to be a surprise attack. The Japanese Navy suffered its first defeat in 350 years, and from this point on the U.S. had the upper hand, though the Americans would earn every gain they made in blood.
The U.S. military planners knew they had an opportunity they should seize quickly so they laid out a plan to strike back at Japan. This plan involved bypassing Japan's stronger bases throughout the Pacific and capturing some of their weaker bases, all the while working their way closer to the Japanese home islands. General MacArthur was to take a southerly route along the coast of New Guinea to regain the Philippines and on toward Japan while Admiral Nimitz pursued a more northerly route through the Gilbert Islands, Marshall Islands, Mariana Islands, and Iwo Jima.
Two key battles in this plan from the perspective for the crew of the Star Duster and the 73rd Bombardment Wing in general were the Battles of Saipan and Iwo Jima.
The Battle of Saipan
The Mariana Islands lay about 1200 miles south of Japan. Control of these islands would put the heart of the Japanese Empire within reach of the newly developed B-29 Superfortress. The U.S. started the campaign by attacking Saipan on June 15, 1944. Within five months the 73rd Bomb Wing would be operating from Saipan and the crew of the Star Duster would have been to Tokyo once.
This battle was different from previous campaigns in that Saipan was a large island (five miles wide and fourteen miles long) with all kinds of terrain. It was defended by about 30,000 Japanese troops, but was also home to another 20,000 civilians. When the battle was over it was remembered as one of the costliest battles of the war to date. Over 13,000 American troops were killed or wounded. The Japanese fared worse with about 24,000 soldiers dead and another 5,000 choosing to commit suicide rather than surrender. The U.S. took fewer than 1,000 prisoners.
At sea the Japanese Navy tried to reinforce their troops on Saipan. The U.S. again decoded Japanese communications and were ready. On June 19 the Battle of the Philippine Sea began. It was four times larger than Midway, and just as devastating for the Japanese Navy. This battle became known to the Americans as the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot."
The saddest part of this battle were the civilians. About 4,000 people, mostly women and children, fled to Marpi Point, a tall cliff at the northern tip of the island. They had been told they would be cruelly mistreated by the Americans if captured. Terrified by the prospect of this they jumped to their deaths in the rocks and waters below in spite of Japanese Americans pleading with them to surrender over bullhorns. Those who were deciding not to jump were shot by Japanese officers at the cliff.
The Battle of Saipan brought a new concern to American military planners. Seeing civilians choose suicide over surrender they began to wonder just how costly an invasion of Japan would be if the Japanese people would choose to fight to the very end. From this point on the Japanese could not be fighting for victory, but for the honor of their Emperor.
Iwo Jima
If Saipan was bad, Iwo Jima was worse. The Battle of Iwo Jima is the bloodiest battle in U.S. Marine history.
Iwo Jima is a small volcanic island about 660 miles south of Tokyo, directly along the route taken by B-29s from the Marianas to bomb Japan. It is a barren piece of volcanic rock with no available drinking water. The most prominent feature is Mount Suribachi at the southern tip of the island.
The Japanese used Iwo Jima as an air field from which they could attack B-29 bases in the Marianas and harass B-29s going to and from Japan. The U.S. wanted to take this island not only to knock out these defenses, but to convert it to a fighter base to support B-29s on their bombing raids as well as providing a safe haven for damaged and fuel starved B-29s that couldn't make it back home.
The Battle for Iwo Jima commenced on February 19, 1945, and lasted until March 26. Iwo was defended by 22,000, well dug in Japanese troops. All except approximately 1,000 of these men would die in battle or commit suicide. The Marines assaulted the island with 110,000 men. Some 6,800 Marines would die with another 19,000 wounded. This further proved to the Americans that the Japanese would fight to the extreme to defend their homeland.
While Iwo Jima was captured at a terrible price to the Marines, it helped turn things around for B-29 crews raiding Japan, giving them a better chance not only for success, but survival.
Related Articles
- U.S. Involvement in the War
- Fighting on Two Fronts
- Island Hopping
- Bombing Raids against Japan
- The End of the War
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