The Lions of Iwo Jima (John MacRae
Books) by James A. Warren
Decent Overview Of A Gruesome Battle
“In 1945 my father, John Bradley, and other members of Combat Team 28
raised a flag on Iwo Jima. Now with The Lions of Iwo Jima, [Haynes] helps
America understand how it was done.”—James Bradley, author of Flags of
Our Fathers and Flyboys
Combat Team 28, one of the greatest units fielded in the history of the U.S.
Marines, landed on the black sands of Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. The
unit, 4,500 men strong, plunged immediately into ferocious combat, and by
the time the battled ended, 70 percent of the men in the team’s three
assault battalions were killed or seriously wounded. The stories told here,
many for the first time, will seem too cruel, too heartbreaking to be
believed. As one veteran remarked, “Each day we learned a new way to
die.” Major General Fred Haynes, then a young captain, is the last
surviving office in CT 28 who was intimately involved in planning and
coordinating all phases of the team’s fight on Iwo Jima. In this astonishing

narrative, Haynes and James A. Warren recapture in riveting detail what
the Marines experienced, drawing on a wealth of previously untapped
documents, personal narratives, letters, and interviews with survivors to
offer fresh interpretations of the fight for Suribachi, the iconic flag-raising
photograph, and the nature of the campaign as a whole.
Personal Review: The Lions of Iwo Jima (John MacRae Books)
by James A. Warren
Major General Fred Haynes (USMC ret) was a young captain of Combat
Team 28 in the fight on Iwo Jima. James A. Warren wrote a history of the
US Marines from Iwo Jima to Iraq. In February 1945 Iwo Jima was the
most densely fortified piece of real estate on earth (p.1). The attack on Iwo
Jima was the most difficult mission for the Marine Corps. One-third of the
Marines killed in WW II died on Iwo Jima. The Japanese fortifications were
the most elaborate for a static defense to the last man against a frontal
assault (p.7). The capture of Iwo Jima and Okinawa would allow P-51
fighter escorts for the B-29 Superfortresses that would bomb Japan (p.9).
Iwo Jima could not be used by the enemy to attack American forces but for
American bombers (p.10). This book tries to tell the history of the five
weeks of combat (p.12).
The worst fighting was at Bloody Gorge on the north side. Three of the six
men in that famous flag raising photo were lost there (p.13). Many of the
recorded stories have conflicts (p.15), this book attempts to resolve them
(p.16). Military strategists believed any assault against defended beaches
would fail like Gallipoli. Marine Corps strategists believed that it could be
done with coordinated navy and aerial support and specialized landing
craft (p.18). The Combat Teams were well-trained. Iwo Jima was fortified
to perfection (p.44). The assault troops practiced for hundreds of hours
(p.49). The Navy did spend nine days shelling the heavy gun
emplacements (p.51) since they had other objectives (pp.52-53) and
attacked Japan. Cloudy misty weather severely limited visibility (p.64); the
first casualties were sailors. Religious beliefs bound people together
(p.64). Chapters 3, 4, and 5 tell about the invasion and capture of Mount
Suribachi.
The first flag raising occurred around 10:20 on February 23, 1945. It was
photographed (p.128), Marines on the ground cheered. A few minutes later
the Japanese attacked. Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal, present on
the beach, asked for this flag so a larger flag was obtained. Photographers
recorded this (p.130) and the one photograph became famous as the first
flag raised on Japanese territory. Over four more weeks of fighting
continued until the Army landed to finish the fight. The Marines were being
readied for the next invasion. The symbolism of this photo resonated with
all Americans (p.132). It reversed the criticism of the Navy over high
casualty figures (p.133). Those who raised the first flag were ignored
(p.134).

The capture of a Japanese map revealed the precise location of defensive
positions (p.137). Chapter 6 describes "The Enemy". The official flag
raising occurred on March 14 (p.205) but fighting continued. Chapters 7, 8,
and 9 tell of the combat to defeat the Japanese. On March 26 the
remnants of Combat Team 28 sailed back to Camp Tarawa on Hilo to train
for the invasion of Japan. The end of the war in August 1945 meant they
would land in Japan as occupation forces ("Epilogue"). This book tells how
the Marines were driven to take the island without a fresh combat team
(p.195). Was this done as a test to see how much could be done with a
given number? One interesting item was the high use of the M-1 carbine
for close range combat in addition to the M-1 rifle.
For More 5 Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price:
The Lions of Iwo Jima (John MacRae Books) by James A. Warren 5 Star Customer
Reviews and Lowest Price!