Iwo Jima Trivia

1. Who were the invaders?

From Quiz The Invasion of Iwo Jima: Operation Detatchment

Answer: Americans

The US 5th Naval Fleet, 5th Amphibious Corps, 7th Air Force, 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions and the 147th Infantry Regiment took part in the invasion to take Iwo Jima.

From Quiz Iwo Jima: Uncommon Valor

Answer: The Volcano Islands

Iwo Jima is located in the Volcano Islands. Roughly under 700 miles from the Japanese mainland, seizure of this island was of the utmost importance for several very vital reasons: it would eliminate raids on the Mariana Islands by destroying Iwo based aircraft. It would deprive the Japanese of early warnings of approaching B-29s, and the incoming B-29s that were damaged in raids on Japan could land on Iwo instead of ditching at sea. The final more strategic importance of the island would give the US an air base for fighter escorts to the Japanese mainland. Never did one single objective have more importance than this last in the closing days of the Pacific Theatre.

From Quiz They Raised the Flag on Mt Suribachi

Answer: the 5th Division

All six sevicemen belonged to the 28th Regiment, 5th Marine Division. The landing on Iwo Jima was this division's first and only operation during WWII.

From Quiz Iwo Jima

Answer: Mount Suribachi

Mount Suribachi was the mountain where the Japanese placed huge guns to fire on the Americans. They posed a great threat they could shell any part of the island. Mount Suribachi is where the famous photograph was taken.

From Quiz "Flags of Our Fathers" and Iwo Jima

Answer: 6

The men were Sgt. Mike Strank, Ira Hayes, Harold Schultz, Franklin Sousley, Rene Gagnon, and Harlon Block.

From Quiz Iwo Jima

Answer: Japanese

The Japanese were an 'unseen' enemy on Iwo Jima, they built miles and miles of underground tunnels, bunkers, pillboxes, and even a seven- storey bunker inside Mount Suribachi.

From Quiz The Invasion of Iwo Jima: Operation Detatchment

Answer: Mount Suribachi

Mount Suribachi is located on the South-West of Iwo Jima. Japanese defenders who were well dug in on Mount Suribachi killed many American Marines in the beach landings.

From Quiz Iwo Jima: Uncommon Valor

Answer: The beaches were to be undefended and there were to be no Banzai charges

General Kuribayashi made two decisions that were diametrically opposed to Japanese Army doctrine. Refusing to defend the beaches would assure a successful landing and refusing to allow the men to sacrifice themselves in Banzai charges would not allow them to die honorably. Both of these orders were met with opposition by his senior commanders as well as the rank and file.

From Quiz They Raised the Flag on Mt Suribachi

Answer: Michael Strank

Sergeant Michael Strank was the squad leader that day. All the men belonged to E Company, 2nd battalion. Sergeant Strank was the most experienced of the group and was an exceptional squad leader. He was later killed in action during the final days of the campaign.

From Quiz Iwo Jima

Answer: North Pacific

Iwo Jima is located about 750 miles to the south of Japan. Japan is located in the far North Pacific.

From Quiz "Flags of Our Fathers" and Iwo Jima

Answer: Mount Suribachi

The American flag that Strank, Hayes, Schultz, Sousley, Gagnon and Block raised was not the first one hoisted on Iwo Jima. Another flag that had been raised earlier, without being photographed, was taken down and sent to the War Department as a memento.

From Quiz Iwo Jima

Answer: The Flagraising

"The Flagraising" photograph, taken by Joe Rosenthal, is the most reproduced photo in the nation. The six flagraisers are (from left to right) front row- Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley, John "Doc" Bradley, Harlon Block. Back row- Mike Strank (behind Sousley), Rene Gagnon (behind Schultz).

From Quiz Iwo Jima: Uncommon Valor

Answer: The 5th Marine Division

The III Amphibian Corps comprised of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions. The brand new 5th Marine Division which was raised and trained at Camp Pendelton was seeing combat for the first time as a formation. Although it was 'new', it was made up of veterans from the disbanded Para Marines and other formations.

From Quiz They Raised the Flag on Mt Suribachi

Answer: Harlon Block

Corporal Harlon Block was the asssistant squad leader that day. He was later killed one hour after Sergeant Strank was killed. He was only 20 years old.

From Quiz Iwo Jima

Answer: Japan

Japan was defending Iwo Jima because they thought it was sacred ground. Japan had lots of defences set up, more then any other island or even the Atlantic Wall.

From Quiz Iwo Jima

Answer: The taking of Iwo Jima was in progress

Mount Suribachi was not fully secured but the Marines had made it up the mountain.

From Quiz The Invasion of Iwo Jima: Operation Detatchment

Answer: Arkansas, New York, Texas, Nevada, Idaho and Tennessee

These were the battleships that were bombarding Iwo Jima. The Tennessee and Nevada were both veterans of Pearl Harbor.

From Quiz Iwo Jima: Uncommon Valor

Answer: They disappeared

Despite extensive shelling of the island, the installations (bunkers, pillboxes, rifle pits, covered artillery) disappeared. The assumption was these fortifications had been destroyed; in reality they simply went underground. Everything was expertly concealed and camouflaged.

From Quiz They Raised the Flag on Mt Suribachi

Answer: Hank Hanson

Sergeant Hank Hanson one of the platoon sergeants was mistakenly identified as one of the flag raisers in Joe Rosenthal's photo. This was later cleared up by Ira Hayes in a sworn affidavit that it was Harlon Block, not Hank Hanson in the photo. Sergeant Hanson was killed in the fighting later as well.

From Quiz "Flags of Our Fathers" and Iwo Jima

Answer: Japanese fighter planes took off from its air fields

Airplanes stationed at Iwo Jima had caused major damage to the U.S. Navy, and would surely present problems when the U.S. mounted an offensive against the Japanese mainland. Iwo Jima had three airfields. The second reason the U.S wanted Iwo Jima was to use it as a stepping stone to attack Japan.

From Quiz Iwo Jima

Answer: 6 & six

Left to right, front row- Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley, Harold Schultz, Harlon Block. Back row- Mike Strank (behind Soulsey), Rene Gagnon (behind Schultz).

From Quiz The Invasion of Iwo Jima: Operation Detatchment

Answer: Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima

Both these films were directed by Clint Eastwood but "Flags of our Fathers" is in the American perspective while "Letters from Iwo Jima" is in the Japanese perspective.

From Quiz Iwo Jima: Uncommon Valor

Answer: It was continous and accurate

Upon landing on Iwo Jima, veterans immediatly noticed that Japanese gunnery was both continous and highly accurate. Japanese gunnery also featured heavy 320mm mortars and rockets which required no accuracy on a crowded beachead.

From Quiz They Raised the Flag on Mt Suribachi

Answer: Franklin Sousley

Nineteen year old Franklin Sousley, the youngest member of the squad of flag raisers, 'did git it'. He was killed 10 days before Iwo Jima was declared secure.

From Quiz Iwo Jima

Answer: underground cave systems

They used underground caves so that they could hide and not be seen by the Americans.

From Quiz "Flags of Our Fathers" and Iwo Jima

Answer: 3

Most Americans thought the flag raising marked the end of the battle. In reality, the flag was raised on February 23, the fifth day of the invasion. Heavy fighting continued for more than a month after that flag was raised. Before the battle ended, Mike Strank, Franklin Sousley and Harlon Block were killed in combat.

From Quiz Iwo Jima

Answer: 21,000

The Japanese that weren't killed by their enemy either committed suicide or (in only a couple of cases) surrendered.

From Quiz The Invasion of Iwo Jima: Operation Detatchment

Answer: 6

Five Marines and one Navy Corpsman raised the flag. Later in the fighting, three out of the six Americans were killed in the fighting.

From Quiz Iwo Jima: Uncommon Valor

Answer: Hotrocks

Hotrocks was code name for the seizure of Mount Suribachi. The 28th Regiment of the 5th Marine Division was given this task of isolating Suribachi and taking it. All the Marines seen in Rosenthal's famous photo were members of the 5th Marine Division.

From Quiz They Raised the Flag on Mt Suribachi

Answer: Doc

Pharmacist mate Second Class John Bradley was known as 'Doc'. This was the standard nickname given to every US Navy Corpsman who served with Marine infantry. John Bradley was wounded in the battle. In 2016, the Marine Corps announced that Harold Schultz was one of the flag-raisers, and not John Bradley.

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