CONTENTS
Preface ix PART I
Iwo JimaI Decisions, Plans and Preparations, October 1944-February 1945 3 1. The Bonins and Ryukyus in Pacific Strategy 3 2. Planning for Iwo Jima 5 3. Air Bombing and Naval Bombardment 9 4. Japanese Preparations 13 II Preliminary Poundings, 10-18 February 1945 20 1. Carrier Wings Over Japan 20 2. Two Day's Pounding, 16-17 February 25 3. D-day minus 1, 18 February 30 III D-day at Iwo Jima, 19 February 1945 33 1. Pre-landing Bombardment 33 2. H-hour, 0900 35 3. Build-up and Support 40 4. Air Operations 44 IV The Conquest of Iwo Jima, 19 February-16 March 1945 47 1. The Struggle Ashore, 20-21 February 47 2. Carrier Strikes and Air Support, 21 February-1 March 52 3. The Land battle, 22 February-16 March 59 V Securing the Island, 17 March-1 June 1945 67 1. The Mopping-up Process 67 2. Air Base and Conclusion 70 3. The Advance Expeditionary Force 95 PART II
OkinawaVI Preparing for the Ryukyus, October 1944-March 1945 79 1. . VII Moving In on the Ryukyus, 18 March-1 April 108 1. . VIII More Preliminaries, 25-31 March 1. . IX The Landing, 1 April 1945 1. . X ICEBERG Logistics, March-June 1945 1. . XI Feeling Each Other Out, 2-5 April 1945 1. . XII TEN-GO Gets Going, 6-8 April 1. . XVVV Fast Carrier Support, 1-12 April 1. . XIV The Second Week at Okinawa, 7-13 April 1. . XV The Crucial Fortnight, 14-30 April 1. . X May Days at Okinawa 1. . X Okinawa Secured, June-September 1945 1. . PART III
Miscellaneous OperationsXVIII 1. .
List of Illustrations (All photographs not otherwise described are Official United States Navy) 1. List of Maps and Charts 1.