Editorial: The glorious Marines
Our losses on Iwo Island will sober those who had concluded, from the Luzon victories and the unchallenged sweep of our fleets into Tokyo waters, that the Japs were weakening. American military men never had that idea. But even they, apparently, are somewhat surprised by the ferocity of this battle.
Adm. Halsey predicted that it would not be as tough as Tarawa. Now the Marine command says it is the worst in the Corps’ 168 years, which is the most extreme description an American can think of.
No immediate letup is in sight. There is no front line or rear in the usual sense; that is, there is no spot on the five-mile island where our troops are safe from enemy fire. The Japs have the heights overlooking all of our hard-won positions, and are making use of that advantage.
All of which makes the American advance more remarkable. The Marines not only have lived up to their heroic history, but have written a grim new chapter of valor. Without cover of any kind, they have climbed the treacherous rocks under enemy fire from all sides and kept going. They took the main airfield 30 hours ahead of schedule, cut the island in two, and are now flanking the second field.
Every possible aid is being given our ground troops by the supporting services. Surface ships, ringing the island, keep up a steady bombardment of enemy positions. Carrier planes follow the ground forces like protective hawks, regardless of foul weather. So far, the sea and air patrol has been so complete that not a single Jap ship or plane has broken through.
And not least important, virtually all American casualties on the island are being removed at once to safety and care.
Nobody will question the strategic necessity of this battle. To the Japs, Iwo is a base which must be held at all cost; to Americans, it must be taken at all cost. That is why the fighting is so bloody. Iwo and the Bonins, 100 miles north, are the last fixed sea defenses before Tokyo itself – only about 700 miles away.
Iwo, when captured, will protect the flanks of our fleet operating in Jap home waters. Iwo will give us air bases from which even medium bombers can blast Japan, and from which fighter planes can escort Superfortresses. The fall of Iwo will shake the enemy as nothing before.
It’s a job that must be done. It’s a job the Marines are doing with great glory.