E.L. Wilson
]
The infantry, heavily laden, found its own “foot-mobility” severely
restricted. In the words of Corporal Edward Hartman, a rifleman with
the 4th Marine Division: “the sand was so soft it was like trying to
run in loose coffee grounds.” From the 28th Marines came this early,
laconic report: “Resistance moderate, terrain awful.”
The rolling barrage and carefully executed landing produced the desired
effect, suppressing direct enemy fire, providing enough shock and
distraction to enable the first assault waves to clear the beach and
begin advancing inward. Within minutes 6,000 Marines were ashore. Many
became thwarted by increasing fire over the terraces or down from the
highlands, but hundreds leapt forward to maintain assault momentum.
The 28th Marines on the left flank had rehearsed on similar volcanic
terrain on the island of Hawaii. Now, despite increasing casualties
among their company commanders and the usual disorganization of
landing, elements of the regiment used their initiative to strike
across the narrow neck of the peninsula. The going became progressively
costly as more and more Japanese strongpoints along the base of
Suribachi seemed to spring to life. Within 90 minutes of the landing,
however, elements of the 1st Battalion, 28th Marines, had reached the
western shore, 700 yards across from Green Beach. Iwo Jima had been
severed--“like cutting off a snake’s head,” in the words of one Marine.
It would represent the deepest penetration of what was becoming a very
long and costly day.
The other three regiments experienced difficulty leaving the black sand
terraces and wheeling across towards the first airfield. The terrain
was an open bowl, a shooting gallery in full view from Suribachi on
the left and the rising tableland to the right. Any thoughts of a
“cakewalk” quickly vanished as well-directed machine-gun fire whistled
across the open ground and mortar rounds began dropping along the
terraces. Despite these difficulties, the 27th Marines made good
initial gains, reaching the southern and western edges of the first
airfield before noon. The 23d Marines landed over Yellow Beach and
sustained the brunt of the first round of Japanese combined arms fire.
These troops crossed the second terrace only to be confronted by
two huge concrete pillboxes, still lethal despite all the pounding.
Overcoming these positions proved costly in casualties and time. More
fortified positions appeared in the broken ground beyond. Colonel
Walter W. Wensinger’s call for tank support could not be immediately
honored because of trafficability and congestion problems on the beach.
The regiment clawed its way several hundred yards towards the eastern
edge of the airstrip.
No assault units found it easy going to move inland, but the 25th
Marines almost immediately ran into a buzz-saw trying to move across
Blue Beach. General Cates had been right in his appraisal. “That
right flank was a bitch if there ever was one,” he would later say.
Lieutenant Colonel Hollis W. Mustain’s 1st Battalion, 25th Marines,
managed to scratch forward 300 yards under heavy fire in the first half
hour, but Lieutenant Colonel Chambers’ 3d Battalion, 25th Marines, took
the heaviest beating of the day on the extreme right trying to scale
the cliffs leading to the Rock Quarry. Chambers landed 15 minutes after
H-hour. “Crossing that second terrace,” he recalled, “the fire from
automatic weapons was coming from all over. You could’ve held up a
cigarette and lit it on the stuff going by. I knew immediately we were
in for one hell of a time.”
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