During World War II, Why Did Japan Strongly And Passionately Defend Iwo Jima?

Iwo Jima was a part of Japan’s homeland, but not a colony of the Japanese Empire.

It was a small Island of 21 square km, located 750 miles away from the coast of Japan. 

Japanese military leaders like Lieut. Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi knew that they couldn’t win the battle against American & allied forces.

But they hoped, if they succeed in causing devastating causalities in their forces, then American, British and Australian allies could think again of their invasion of Japan’s other home Islands.

In other words, the Japanese authority wanted to send a strong signal to the allied forces that the invasion of Japan’s homeland is not going to be easy.

This was the primary reason why did during World War II Imperial Japanese army and navy strongly and passionately defend Iwo Jima.

To make this agenda successful, they built a very strong fortification. Even Iwo Jima’s fortification was one of the strongest fortifications in the history of warfare.

How Many Japanese Soldiers Participated In The Battle of Iwo Jima?

A total of 21,060 Japanese troops participated in the battle of Iwo Jima against 110,000 US navy and marines.

Although the number of Japanese was much lower than the invaders; but Japanese soldiers succeeded in causing devastating causalities in the US and its allies.

Did you know? During the battle of Iwo Jima, the United States faced more than 27,000 causalities, where 19,709 were wounded, 7,360 got killed in combats and a few were captured.

3 Facts You May Not Know About The Battle of Iwo Jima

1. Did you know? For the battle of Iwo Jima, the Japanese built 11 miles of fortified tunnels.

The tunnels connected 1500 rooms for various purposes. The tunnels widely helped Japanese soldiers to conduct their operations.

2. Did you know? For the victory in Iwo Jima, the United States government awarded 22 of its Marines and 5 Navy personals with the Medal of Honor.

The medal of Honor is the highest military honor in the United States.

3. Did you know? After the battle, a few Japanese soldiers remained hidden in the tunnels of Iwo Jima for six years. They finally surrendered in 1951.