largest tank battle in ww2 battle of iwo jima

The American public was quickly losing morale when it came to the duration of World War II. 5 Boot camp remained the only steadfast, principal training acquired by the troops headed to Iwo Jima. Operation reports such as ones from the 3d Marine Division Reinforced: Iwo Jima Action Report and the Task Force 56 G-3's planning report for Iwo Jima state that the troops were not consistently in an advanced state of training, and the training application was inconsistent and immeasurable. An examination of the Marine Corps' basic training, reserve troop training, and unit training will show that the latter two were deficient. Crowl describe as 'throwing human flesh against reinforced concrete.' 4 Missing from the discussion is how the Corps was able to mass-produce men, using a limited wartime schedule to function under heavy fire and enormous casualties.

It is unclear precisely what training these Marines received prior to what Jeter A. 3 Due to the draft, the high replacement rate, and the need for manpower in multiple theaters of war, a shortage of time and quality instructors alongside substandard methods underscore where these assumptions begin to falter. 2 The reported exemplary combat performance and ultimate capture of Iwo Jima led to the assumption that the Marines who attacked the island were expertly trained. The exploits on 19 February 1945 solidified the Marine Corps' legacy and eulogized the operations on Iwo Jima as iconic. Marines faced a ferocious Japanese underground defensive network that was never seen before or after on such terrain, resulting in more than 2,400 Marines killed or wounded the first day of the assault. 1 This is not surprising since more than one-quarter of all the Marine Corps' World War II medals of honor were earned during action on that tiny, sulfurous island. Marine heroics on Iwo Jima have been commended time and again in both academic and popular histories.

Largest tank battle in ww2 battle of iwo jima