Iwo Jima During WWII: Surviving Until the Battle Began
What The Japanese Imperial Army Faced While On The Island Even Before the Fighting Began
Japanese Strategy:
The Mission of the Japanese soldiers while in Iwo Jima was to make sure that the American troops did not take over the island. So the Japanese Imperial Army brought in a Japanese born but American educate man to lead the troops. His name was General Kuribayashi. Many people believed he was a man with great honor, dedication, and had experience dealing with Americans.
When General Kuribayashi and his men arrived to the island, they found it was much harder to live on than they expected. Iwo Jima was only 8 miles long and it smelled of sulfur. The soil was made up of volcanic ash instead of dirt, so barely anything grew there.
Since nothing grew there, shelter or coverage was not available for the troops to hide from the enemy. Kuribayashi had to come up with another idea to survive and protect the island. He he decided to live in the huge mountain rather than on it. He knew the further into the mountain they dig, the longer they would survive. He pushed his men to work long hours to the point of complete exhaustion. They ended up with tunnels in the mountain that were like a bee's honeycomb. they weaved in and out of each other and had very few exits. The caves also went down into the ground six stories.
Unfortunately, the mission for the soldier of Iwo Jima was a little different then other battles for a few reasons.
"1. The soldiers were going to try and fight this battle from underground. Only leaving the area if necessary to out wit the enemy.
2. They were ordered to kill 10 American soldiers before they were killed or committed suicide.
3. The soldiers were told to never to surrender to the enemy. If they were going to be caught, they were told to kill themselves first. If they surrendered they would be considered a disgrace to Japan and bring humiliation to their families (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iwo_Jima).
With these orders in place and the fact that they were not going to return home or fear of being dishonored 95% of the soldiers died withing the 5 day battle to hold Imo Jima.
Life Inside The Caves
General Kuribayashi's soldiers began to dig into a mountain for coverage. Making more then 13 miles of underground tunnels through back breaking, digging and lifting. When completed they all lived underground in the large area of the island under the mountain. They lived up to 65 feet under ground. The walls were 3 to five feet thick to help protect them from attacks.
Life in the tunnels was less then enjoyable. The men had to live in air tight conditions with temperatures getting as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit without any air current. The caves were dark and they only had lanterns for lighting.
Passing the Time
General Kuribayashi and his troops arrived in Iwo Jima in June of 1944. The majority of the troops were on the island for about 10 months before the battle started. The average age of the soldiers was 16 or 17 years old. They spent most of the day working and woke up early to work some more. When they had time off they would usually write letters to their families, make shoes, clean their weapons or blacksmith swords, play games similar to cards or read books.
The Japanese Imperial Army Tropical Uniform
The uniform of the Japanese imperial army was light weight for tropical weather and had holes in the sleeve of the arms so that the soldiers didn't sweat to death. The flaps that hung down from the hat and covered the back of the neck were used to shade them from the sun and protect them from mosquitoes. Small but strategic things like these helped the soldiers survive while on the island.
The Uniforms: They had holes in the sleeves so they didn't sweat as much and they where tan so they would blend in to the mountain
Issued Accessories:
The helmet with the net would allow you to put weeds and branches on them when needing to hide from outside the caves. The hard metal helmet helped protect them from bullets being fired at them or from flying debris.
The soldier were also issued a wrist band compass and leather combat belt. The belt would hold things like ammo, maps, cigarettes, a gun oiler, and small pocket for their personal items.
Different Types of Shoes:
The shoes that had the big toe separated from all the other toes (sneak boots) was made for grip and speed and the regular boots were just for traction and standard protection.
Eating and Drinking:
Standard Issued Water Canteen and Mess Kit and Daily Food:
The canteen obviously for holding water.
The mess kit was used as a pot when you took the lid off and the lid was the plate the silver ware was held inside of the pot.
Weapons:
They used the pistol for fast firing and the riffle for accurate firing and the swords were used for backup incase they ran out of bullets.
Dying before the battle
There were just over 21,000 young men living inside the caves or concrete bunkers waiting for the battle to begin. The caves quickly began to smell from filth, sweat, and human waste.
A lot of the soldiers became ill from dysentery because of the poor living conditions and contaminated food and water supplies. Hundreds of them died while serving their military orders out on the island. They died even fore the battle started.
Dysentery: "Amoebic dysentery is transmitted through contaminated food and water. Is an infection of the digestive system that results in severe diarrhea containing snot and blood in the feces. Dysentery is basically the result of unsanitary water containing micro-organisms which damage the intestinal lining (www.wikipedia.com)".
