Return to Iwo Jima: 75 years after US-Japan battle, what is the island like today?
- With human remains still being found, the Japanese island is covered in sobering reminders of its bloody past
- US marines regularly make the pilgrimage to the top of Mount Suribachi to remember their fallen countrymen
The concrete of the strongpoint is crumbling and the metal bars designed to reinforce it are exposed, rusty and twisted. A protective roof has been ripped away and the pockmarks of low-calibre shells scar the walls. Nearly 75 years after one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, much of what remains has been reclaimed by the undergrowth that thrives unchecked on Iwo To – better known in the history books as Iwo Jima.
The bunker was torn apart in February 1945 by the force of American naval guns supporting US marines as they stormed beaches to the north and east of this position. It occupies a natural hollow at the base of Mount Suribachi, which is the only dominant feature on the island and a honeycomb of tunnels and defensive positions that were hacked from the volcanic earth by Japanese soldiers in the months before an invasion they knew was inevitable. Those troops were also aware few of their men would survive.
According to post-battle reports, the crew manning the artillery piece that still sits amid the wreckage of the bunker failed to follow the orders of lieutenant general Tadamichi Kuribayashi, who had been entrusted with frustrating US efforts to capture an island critical to the defence of Japan, even if the outcome of the conflict was already apparent.
It is not known why the gun commander decided to open fire independently, instead of remaining concealed in his carefully obscured position until the invading marines were better targets, but he did. The response was swift and devastating.
More than 450 US warships had gathered off an island covering a mere 21 sq km and their gunners were all looking for targets.