The Pittsburgh Press (March 8, 1945)
Yanks across Rhine
First Army seizes bridgehead, drives into heart of Reich
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Marines nearing north tip of Iwo
Strong Jap defenses still to be overcome
GUAM (UP) – The 3rd Marine Division drove to the northern edge of the central plateau of Iwo Island and plunged down toward the northern beaches, only a few hundred yards away, in savage fighting today.
A breakthrough to the coast would split the last few thousand Japs holding out in pillboxes and gun emplacements studding the north and northeast coasts.
But those last few hundred yards were as the crow flies. It was considerably farther over the rocky ground, laced with steep crevasses and bristling with defenses.
Gain along coasts
The 4th and 5th Marine Divisions, fighting north along the east and west coasts, also hammered out new gains in what had literally become a battle to the death with the remnants of the enemy garrison.
Maj. Gen. Harry Schmidt, commander of the Marine invasion corps, said the campaign had been “even tougher than we figured, and we figured it tough from the very start.” He described the island as the most heavily-defended spot in the history of warfare and said the remaining Japs would have to be “crowded out of their holes and killed one by one.”
Drive 500 yards
The veteran 3rd Division at the center of the line reached the northern rim of the 300-foot central plateau after an advance of some 500 yards in hand-to-hand combat yesterday.
The 5th Division, on the west flank, also advanced up to 500 yards, but the 4th Division was able to push ahead only 100 to 200 yards on the east flank against bitter enemy resistance.
Carrier planes continued their daily attacks on Chichi and Haha in the Bonin Islands, just north of Iwo. A Navy Liberator bombed and strafed two enemy cargo ships north of the Bonins.
Hit by Jap shell burst –
Hero of Guadalcanal killed in first wave of Iwo attack
Sgt. Basilone held Medal of Honor
By Lisle Shoemaker, United Press staff writer
Sgt. John F. Basilone
WITH THE 5TH MARINE DIVISION, Iwo Jima (Feb. 21, delayed) – Marine Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone, who won the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism on Guadalcanal, was killed early on the first day of the assault on Iwo.
Sgt. Basilone, a handsome, dark-haired boy from Raritan, New Jersey, was in one of the early D-Day waves which swarmed ashore on this bloody, volcanic fortress island. He was, then, one of the handful of living holders of the Congressional Medal.
Sgt. Basilone led his machine-gun platoon to Iwo’s deadly beach. He was directing the platoon’s progress inland when a Jap artillery burst killed him instantly. He had been leading his men toward a spot where they could set up their guns. His last words before the shell burst were, “All right, you guys, let’s go on in there and set up these guns for firing.”
Modest, almost shy
Except under the stress of combat, Sgt. Basilone was quiet, modest, almost shy. He was extremely embarrassed whenever anyone asked him about his Medal of Honor.
Everybody who knew him said he was a tremendous asset to the newly-formed 5th Marine Division. This division, as such, went into action for the first time here. Among its personnel, however, were many veterans of other Pacific island campaigns.
Sgt. Basilone, 28, was the son of an Italian-born father. He won the Medal of Honor for action with the 1st Marine Division in the Lunga area of Guadalcanal on October 24-25, 1942.
Kills 38 Japs
The Japs made a savage and determined assault on the Marines’ defensive positions. With all but two of his men out of action firing a machine-gun and a pistol, Sgt. Basilone piled up 38 Jap bodies in front of his emplacement. He was credited with a major part in the near annihilation of an enemy regiment.
With his ammunition critically low, Sgt. Basilone fought his way through enemy lines to get and bring back bullets for his gunners.
Sgt. Basilone was born in Buffalo, New York. He served in the Army before joining the Marines. At the time of his death, he had been in the Armed Forces about eight years. In July 1944, he was married to Sgt. Lena Riggi of Oakland, California, a member of the Marine Women’s Reserve.
He was the first enlisted Marine to win the nation’s highest award for valor.
Patton swims cold river to inspire Yank crossing
Thousands of troops follow general, fight ‘like madmen’ over stream in Germany
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U.S. losses rise 10,600 to 823,632
WASHINGTON (UP) – U.S. combat casualties announced here reached 823,632 today, an increase of 10,600 over a week ago.
The total included 732,922 Army casualties through February 28, as announced by Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, and 90,710 Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard casualties, as announced by the Navy.
The figures:
| Army | Navy | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Killed | 142,285 | 34,513 | 176,798 |
| Wounded | 438,734 | 41,209 | 479,943 |
| Missing | 91,237 | 10,671 | 101,908 |
| Prisoners | 60,666 | 4,317 | 64,983 |
| TOTALS | 732,922 | 90,710 | 823,632 |
Secretary Stimson said more than half of the Army wounded, 221,155, have returned to duty.
Yanks clearing Batangas area below Manila
17 Jap ships blasted in Far East raids
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First B-29 raid on Wake reported
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UNRRA critics put blame on Washington
Action, no results brings censure
By Charles T. Lucey, Scripps-Howard staff writer
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Britain hangs Boston soldier for murder of taxi driver
Paratrooper shows no emotion at gallows – dancer-accomplice starts life term
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Men turned into torches as Japs set fire to ship
Navy tells story of assault-transport which survived attack to land men in Philippines
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Four accused in charity racket
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Philippine puppet captured by Yanks
Aguinaldo served on Jap-created council
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Million Nazi troops captured since D-Day
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