Larry Linderman
The next meeting of the SaddleBrooke World War II Roundtable will be on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. in the DesertView Theater.
Borrowing from his uncle Nick’s personal letters, the memoirs of fellow marines, and from published accounts, Steve White will recount the battle for Iwo Jima from his uncle’s perspective. He will place Nick’s personal journey, from his landing over the beach until his departure from Iwo Jima, into the context of the overall campaign. He will also discuss the strategies, tactics, and weapons employed by both contestants.
Summary of Steve White’s presentation to the Roundtable:
In February 1945, nearly seven months before V-J Day, three divisions of U.S. Marines landed on the beaches of Iwo Jima. This small, remote island—totaling about eight square miles—was of strategic importance to both America and Japan.
The Marines, numbering about 37,000, were mandated, unequivocally, to capture the island. Its defenders, 21,000 Japanese, were ordered to fight to the death. They had no air or sea support. They had no hope of reinforcement or evacuation.
What ensued was, according to one historian, the “most famous, or notorious, battle of the Pacific War.” The Japanese were expertly dug in, fighting from hardened bunkers with camouflaged artillery. The Marines responded with tenacious assaults. It became, according to another historian, “a battle of man to man, a battle of caves and tunnels, of flamethrowers and satchel charges, knives and bayonets, the rifle and the grenade.”
The American command expected that Iwo Jima would be secured in less than two weeks. But the Marines’ advance, on some days, was measured in yards. On the fourth day after their landing, the Marines raised the Stars and Stripes over Mount Suribachi. The battle, however, raged for nearly five more weeks. When it ceased, the Marines had suffered the highest casualty rate of its history. More than 30% had been killed or wounded. On the Japanese side, 90% of the defenders had perished.
Steve White’s bio:
Steve White is a seasonal resident of SaddleBrooke. During summers, Steve lives in Juneau where he works as a boat captain in the waters of Southeast Alaska. He is a Navy veteran.
Steve’s father Jim was a SaddleBrooke resident until his passing in 2006. Jim served in the Pacific theater of World War II. He was a lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Jim’s only brother, Nick, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1943. He also served in the Pacific, most notably in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Several years ago, Steve began documenting the military careers of his dad, his uncle Nick, and his great-great-grandfather. (During the Civil War, Grandpa Billy was a private in the Union Army. His significant combat was during the Battle of Chickamauga.)
Steve recently finished the first section of this trilogy, a 50-page account of his uncle’s experiences on Iwo Jima. For his presentation to the Roundtable, Steve has drawn from that writing and has selected a few of its photographs.
When the trilogy is published, Steve will give copies to family members, friends, and other interested persons.