How Marines Established Their Bridgehead

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 44, 21 February 1945, Page 5

How Marines Established Their Bridgehead

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19. United States Marines have estabshed a 4600-yard beachhead on Iwo aland and arc now driving inland to he edge of an airfield, says Admix al Unfit* in a special communique. The nemy gunfire was at first sporadic, but übsequently steadily increased. Our asualties were moderate. The landing was made at 9 a.m. and •y 11 a.nx. our penetrations from the 'eacfiea were about 600 yards in depth. ’Advanced units reached the southern nd of one airfield and penetrated the arfield defences east of the airstrip, .'wo light units of the supporting fleet uffered some damage during the attack •rior to the landing. The United Press correspondent on tuanx says that the invasion of (wo ima came on the fourth day of a errific naval bombardment and after t 70-b Our air assault. At the outset esistance was light, but the Japanese ounterfire steadily intensified as the Marines smashed against the enemy ntrenched on the ridges and burned hem out of pillboxes with flame - hroweru. The warships which Tokio radio said ncircled the island furnished the rtillery support while swarms of arrler planes dived on the Japanese in ront of the Marines. At nightfall to-day Admiral Nimitz nnounced that the invasion was proressing satisfactorily. ‘ ‘ The Marines stormed ashore on Iwo s the tiny island rocked under the eaviest naval bombardment of the •acific war,’* says a United Press orrespondent, giving an eye-witness ccount of the landing. “Hundreds of our small craft moved jwards the beach unleashing thousands f rockets. Waves of Marines followed. Within 46 minutes smoke and dust sneloped the island. Iwo looked like a it pork chop sizzling in a skillet as Lanes swept in, stafing and bombing /ery installation that could be found. NO JAP PLANES SEEN “There was not a single Japanese Lane in the sky. Bursts of orange imes from the big guns of the battleups and cruisers caused huge columns T smoke and fire to rise skywards. It as systematic murder and destrucon. “Suribachi'a crater steamed from iccessive hits along its ridges. The vasion armada spread out for scores ’ miles around the island. There was x mistaking the fact that the Amerims had arrived on Tokio’s doorstep » stay. “The fight looks like requiring a eek to finish, and an awful lot of ood will be spilled before it is over.” BIG SUPPLY SYSTEM The Associated Press correspondent .ys that 800 warships participated in te Honshiu raid and provided the ibsequent covering for the landings on vo Jima. The fleet’s mobile supply id repair depots made these projects issible by eliminating the necessity of arships returning thousands of miles >r refuelling and reconditioning. The mobile supply squadron has proided the Fifth Fleet with enough fuel ir a train of tank cars of 10,000 illons each, extending over 238 miles, ad also enough gasolene for 30,000 atomobiles for a full year, enough mmunition to fill 480 freight cars, and aough food to feed a large city for 0 days.