G-2 Situation Map No. 1 [Battle of Iwo Jima]

Strategic planning for Operation Detachment, or the Battle of Iwo Jima.

This spectacular relic from World War II – a Special Air and Gunnery Target Map – was prepared by the Chief of Staff of the G-2 (Intelligence) Section for the Fleet Marine Force, Pacific in late October 1944. At the time, planning was ongoing for Operation Detachment, a joint invasion by the Navy and Marine Corps to capture the island of Iwo Jima – only 350 miles from the Japanese home islands. The attack, which commenced in February 1945, was part of the broader Allied strategy of island hopping across the Pacific, focusing on strategically important targets with the capacity for airfield construction.

Air reconnaissance played a vital role in obtaining the information within the image, which depicts local topography, geographic features, and dozens of military installations. Trenches, barbed wire, tank barriers, and rifle pits offer only the first line of defense against amphibious assault. A tally in the lower center notes nearly 300 machine guns, 18 artillery emplacements, 34 pillboxes, and almost 70 medium AA guns – all on an island approximately 11.5 square miles in size. What the image fails to show is the vast network of subterranean facilities that housed the islands’s approximately 20,000 defenders.

It would take over 5 weeks to completely secure the remote outpost, resulting in approximately 7,000 American deaths and only ~ 1,000 Japanese prisoners (the rest perished). Such heavy losses on both sides have raised many subsequent questions about the merits of Operation Detachment. The map depicts strategic information that would have been of use to officers, gunnery crews, and airmen stationed aboard the vessels in the invasion fleet. A massive bombardment by air and sea preceded the amphibious assault, and at least three versions of the ‘Special Map’ were issued by various units.

This particular example, printed by the 64th Engineer Topographic Battalion, was used by an officer in the Chemical Warfare Section, Arthur B. Gurda. Major Gurda was assigned to the unenviable task of acquiring any chemical weapons that may have been stored on the island. Tape in the lower left corner shows a ‘Restricted’ label, indicating it was used in the field (otherwise the designation remains Secret). More information on the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Special Air and Gunnery Target Map can be found on my blog post here.