And the Oh, Welcome to Part 2 of Ewojima, a World War II special presentation from from 1001 Stories Podcast Network.

This episode, as was the first, is dedicated to all the servicemen who had a part in this very

deadly 38- day operation.

Marines, Navy, Army Air Force, C.B.

and even U.D.T. teams with respect to early intelligence gathering.

In episode one, we covered the need for the decision to attack rather than bypass Ewo, that being

mainly to remove Japanese radar and landing strips from Ewo as well as provide landing strips for

flack damaged B 29 returning from bombing runs over Japanese targets.

We discussed day one, the landings, and the defenses that have been carefully placed by Japanese

Commander General Kurevayashi using 16 miles of underground tunnels, massive guns on rails that could fire at will from Mount Serabachi and then disappear inside.

And 21,000 Japanese troops that had no option but to fight to the death trying to take 10 Americans for every Japanese soldier that died.

The option being knowing that their families would be made to suffer the shame at home if they

failed.

You heard and will hear Department of Defense interviews

with veterans who served there, written testimony from veterans and the

story of the flags that the Marines placed atop Mount Surabachi, the larger of which was photographed by Joe Rosenthal

and soon released to magazines and newspapers all over the world, providing a huge boost for the

war effort and a renewal of spirit.

In the days after the landings, the Marines expected the usual Japanese Banzai charge during the night, the likes of which we illustrated in our previous episode, Guadalcanal.

This had been the standard Japanese final defense strategy in previous battles

against enemy ground forces in the Pacific, such as during Guadalcanal and the Battle of Saipan,

where Marine PFC Lee Marvin, who would later become a major motion picture star, was hit twice.

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