| Infantry of the United States Fifth Marine Division moves ashore under the guns of Mount Suribachi. This photo was likely taken in the first twenty of the invasion, before Imperial Japanese Army General Tadamichi Kuribayashi gave the order to fully open fire, since so many men are upright. The Japanese had 361 artillery pieces of 75 mm or larger caliber, a dozen 320 mm mortars, 65 medium (150 mm) and light (81mm) mortars, 33 naval guns 80 mm or larger, and 94 antiaircraft guns 75 mm or larger. In addition to this formidable array of large caliber guns, the Iwo defenses could boast of more than 200 20 mm and 25 mm antiaircraft guns and 69 37mm and 47mm antitank guns. The garrison also had over 350 machine guns. The fire power of the artillery was further supplemented with a variety of rockets varying from an eight-inch type that weighed 200 pounds and could travel between 2,000-3,000 yards, to a giant 550-pound projectile that had a range of more than 7,500 yards. Altogether, 70 rocket guns and their crews reached Iwo Jima. As a result of American attacks against Japanese shipping, a number of artillery pieces were lost. Others reached Iwo, but their crews, traveling on other ships, drowned en route. In several instances, guns and crews arrived intact, only to discover that vital optical sights, shipped on other vessels, had been lost. All the guns that could be sighted on the beach opened fire between 0920 and 0930 Hours. Casualties mounted quickly. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1163.jpg |
| Image Size | 179.03 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 640 x 500 |
| Photographer | Unknown |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | February 19, 1945 |
| Location | Fourth Division Sector, Blue or Yellow Beach |
| City | Iwo Jima |
| State or Province | Bonins |
| Country | United States |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2007, ©2024 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission |
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