Iwo Jima Banzai Attack
Why the battle for iwo jima was especially hard and bloody.
Iwo jima banzai attack. The banzai charge is considered to be one method of gyokusai 玉砕 shattered jewel. The battle of iwo jima stands out as one of the bloodiest encounters of the pacific theater of world war ii. The battle of iwo jima 19 february 26 march 1945 was a major battle in which the united states marine corps and navy landed on and eventually captured the island of iwo jima from the imperial japanese army ija during world war ii. Honorable suicide a suicide attack or suicide before being captured by the enemy such as seppuku.
Many of them were crippled in the attacks and a significant number were. It was not a suicidal banzai charge but a silent co ordinated attempt to inflict one last blow against the americans. Goon members of many other nearby units were involved including a signal air warning company a negro aviation squadron a nightfighter squadron a navy. Nothing more is known about how kuribashi met his end but it is likely that he died in the final attack from his position in the gorge on the 26th march.
All officers and men of chichi jima goodbye from iwo. What american leadership estimated would take mere days stretched into five bloody weeks in a fight against the japanese imperial army over a small volcanic island. In anticipation of the battle of iwo jima lieutenant general tadamichi kuribayashi prepared a defense that broke with japanese military doctrine rather than defending the beaches kuribayashi devised a defense that maximized enemy attrition the american plan of attack was made in anticipation of a standard defense. Imperial japan was dug in and ready to fight to the death.