Iwo Jima means Sulphur Island.
There were 91,000 men on the 8 square mile island: 70,000 Marines, 21,000 Japanese.
The U.S. underestimated the number of Japanese by as much as 70%.
They also underestimated U.S. causalties by 80%.
This was the most costly
single battle of WWII.
600 Americans died on the first day.
Approximately 1/3 of all Marine deaths in WWII happened on Iwo.
The Japanese built over 800 pilboxes and three miles of tunnels.
Flamethrowing tanks were brought in.
Small hills on Iwo Jima were given names by the Marines such as Turkey
Knob.
The Japanese had an underground hospital that could hold 440 wounded.
General Kuribayashi ordered there would be no suicide bonzai attacks.
He also ordered his soldiers to kill at least
ten Americans before they could die.
General Kuribayashi performed a ritual suicide by stabbing himself in the stomach.
