The Battle for Iwo Jima 1945 [Paperback]

Derrick Wright (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 22, 2003

Iwo Jima was the United States Marine Corps' toughest ever battle and a turning point in the Pacific War. In February 1945, three Marine Divisions stormed the island's shores in what was supposed to be a ten-day battle, but they had reckoned without General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the enemy commander. 'Do not plan for my return,' wrote Kuribayashi in one of his many letters to his wife, Yoshii. He knew that he and his garrison could not defeat the Marines, but he was determined to exact a fearful toll in American casualties. In the 36-day battle for Iwo Jima, which eclipsed all that had gone before, the Marines lost nearly 6,000 men and the Japanese garrison was virtually wiped out.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"In the beginning, Iwo Jima was just an unknown island in the north Pacific Ocean. In the end, it was to become the island of death." That grim but accurate appraisal begins The Battle for Iwo Jima: 1945, a blow-by-blow eyewitness account of one of World War II's most critical--and bloody--conflicts, what author Derrick Wright (A Hell of a Way to Die) describes as "the greatest battle in Marine Corps history."

By 1945, Iwo Jima had become a linchpin of enormous tactical importance. Victory in Europe was all but assured, and the largest navy ever to set sail had chased Japan's Imperial fleet back to its native shores. But Iwo Jima remained a persistent thorn, giving Japan hours of warning for air raids and allowing Japanese fighters to harass B-29 bomber routes. The Americans were forced to take Iwo Jima, and the Japanese command knew it--and even though they couldn't hold the island, they were determined to make the U.S. pay dearly. "[F]orewarned of the American invasion and resigned to dying at their posts, [the Japanese] were determined to take as many Marines with them as possible. 'Do not plan for my return,' wrote the commander of the island, Lt. Gen. Kuribayashi, in one of his last letters to his wife."

Wright gets on the ground, down and dirty, covering both sides of the conflict, interviewing survivors from both sides, excerpting official documents and letters (including Kuribayashi's), digging up previously unpublished photos, and giving intimate tooth-and-nail (and often grisly) accounts of every engagement, from prelanding prep to D day to D+36. An excellent and engaging piece of work, with enough sketches, maps, photos, and command structure org charts to satisfy the most serious military history buff. --Paul Hughes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Derrick Wright's interest in World War II was stimulated by the many Luftwaffe bombing raids on his native Teesside. He is the author of Pacific Victory, Tarawa: A Hell of a Way to Die and Peleliu: To the Far Side of Hell. Married, with four daughters, he lives on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Sutton Publishing (December 22, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750931795
• ISBN-13: 978-0750931793
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,445,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why take Iwo?, August 30, 2001

By 

George G. Kiefer (Sevierville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Battle for Iwo Jima,1945 (Hardcover)

Once the Marianas fell, the U.S. wasted no time in building five airbases there in order to send the Superfortresses, the B-29s, over the Japanese home islands to bomb factories and large cities. On Iwo Jima, the Japanese maintained an airbase and a radar system. Situated half way between the Marianas and Japan, Japanese fighters were sent aloft to harass the B-29s both coming and going on their runs. The radar afforded the enemy a two-hour advance warning of the bombing raids. Iwo was taken to put an end to this and to provide a refuge for our damaged bombers on the return run. From now on, our own fighters from Iwo would accompany the big planes on the last leg of their flight.
In this relatively small book, Derrick Wright does not waste a word. In less than 200 pages he tells in great detail of the struggles of the three Marine Divisions which took this island. He also does justice to the strategy and leadership of General Kuribayashi, the commander of the Japanese forces. Taking a lesson from the earlier amphibious assaults, he adopted a defense in depth rather than attempt to defeat the enemy at the beach. Forbidden as well were the useless banzai attacks. Instead he would concentrate on attrition, forcing the Marines to pay heavily for every bit of ground gained. He oversaw the construction of dozens of subsurface blockhouses, bunkers and a labyrinth of underground fortifications, many connected by tunnels. Once again, Howlin Mad Smith comes under criticism, this time for refusing to send in the 3rd Regiment of the 3rd Division when casualties ashore had soared. If the book has a fault, it is the too kind treatment of H. M. Smith. The Marines suffered 5,885 dead and 17,272 wounded. The Navy lost 881 men and another 1,917 wounded. Japanese death toll has been calculated at 21,060. 27 Medals of Honor were awarded at Iwo and Wright tells each story briefly in an appendix.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another look at bloody Iwo..., January 26, 2002

By 

William E. Adams (Midland, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Battle for Iwo Jima,1945 (Hardcover)

Derrick Wright lives in England, and so his way of viewing the Iwo Jima fight has a slightly different tone than the two best books by Americans, Bill Ross's "Legacy of Valor" and James Bradley's "Flags of Our Fathers." I don't feel comfortable saying that I "enjoyed" any of these three books on the battle...the fight was too costly in American lives, and too horrifying, to use the word "enjoy." My former father-in-law was there, and is quoted in Wright's book briefly. This is a worthy effort, and surprisingly, although I read all three of the books I mentioned in the same year, each is different enough from the others so that I did not feel I was reading the same book three times at all. The current price on this book seems a little high to me, however, and I would suggest buying "Legacy" or "Flags" first. In all the Iwo books, the dominant impressions one is left with are of courage, grace under fire, stress, fear, tension, endurance, and the ugliness of violent death on both sides. If you want to begin to understand U.S. Marines, and to value them, start with the books on Iwo Jima. Imagine yourself, at l8 or 20 years old, having to face what these guys faced when hitting the beaches. Don't be surprised if you have nightmares after reading.

9 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, April 20, 2000

By 

"redleader" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Battle for Iwo Jima,1945 (Hardcover)

I first got this book to understand why my grand father hardly spoke of being on Iwo, and now i know. This book may be short, but it is good for the people who are curious about one of the Marines bloodiest battles. I will definatly use this book for reference when i write a scriopt about Iwo Jima in the future.