Battle of Iwo Jima questions

The island of Iwo Jima (750 miles off the coast of Japan) had three _________ that could serve a staging facility for a potential invasion of mainland Japan.

American military leaders planned an attack on Iwo Jima believing it would last no more than a few ____.

• hours

• days

• weeks

Despite heavy bombardment from American bombs and artillery, the Japanese suffered little damage and were ready to defend Iwo Jima against the American attack.

• True

• False

Feb. 19, 1945 - U.S. ________ struggled to gain a foothold on Iwo Jima because of the soft, volcanic ash beaches and Japanese artillery firing on them from the mountains above.

• Army

• Marines

• Navy

Despite the early attacks and a ______ charge by Japanese soldiers, the Marines were eventually able to move past the beaches and seize one of Iwo Jima's airfields.

Although some 70,000 Marines landed on Iwo Jima and significantly outnumbered the Japanese, five weeks of fighting would create more than ______ U.S. casualties (including nearly 7,000 deaths).

• 15,000

• 25,000

• 40,000

The Japanese also suffered major losses and were running low on supplies, so they mounted most of their attacks under the cover of _________.

• bad weather

• darkness

• jungle trees and plants

March 25, 1945 - After four more weeks of battles, the Japanese mounted a final attack but the Americans were able to hold them off and eventually ________ Iwo Jima.

• abandoned

• captured

• destroyed

In the end, neither the U.S. Army nor the U.S. Navy were able to use Iwo Jima as a staging area.

• True

• False

Because of the great significance of the Battle of Iwo Jima, a memorial statue was dedicated near _________ National Cemetery to honor all Marines.