16 March 1945 A.D. IWO JIMA: Declared Secured
16 March 1945 A.D. IWO JIMA: Declared Secured Editors. “ 1945 – Iwo Jima is declared secured by the U.S. military after months of fiercely fighting its Japanese defenders. ” This Day in U.S. Military History. N.d. https://thisdayinusmilhist.wordpress.com/2014/03/16/march-16/ . Accessed 12 Mar 2015. 1945 – Iwo Jima is declared secured by the U.S. military after months of fiercely fighting its Japanese defenders. The Americans began applying pressure to the Japanese defense of Iwo Jima in February 1944, when B-24 and B-25 bombers raided the island for 74 days straight. It was the longest pre-invasion bombardment of the war, necessary because of the extent to which the Japanese–21,000 strong–fortified the island, above and below ground, including a network of caves. Underwater demolition teams (“frogmen”) were dispatched by the Americans just before the actual invasion to clear the shores of mines and any other obstacles that could obstruct an invading force. In fact, the Jap...