_The crew of the Sherman tank “Cairo” awaits a repair crew to replace
its tread after it hit a Japanese mine. Note wooden sheathing on sides
of vehicle to protect against magnetic mines. Damaged vehicles became
prime enemy targets._]
This day’s slow start led to more setbacks for the tankers; Japanese
antitank gunners hiding in the jumbled boulders knocked out the first
approaching Shermans. Assault momentum slowed further. The 28th Marines
overran 40 strongpoints and gained roughly 200 yards all day. They
lost a Marine for every yard gained. The tankers unknowingly redeemed
themselves when one of their final 75mm rounds caught Colonel Atsuchi
as he peered out of a cave entrance, killing him instantly.
Elsewhere, the morning light on D+1 revealed the discouraging sights of
the chaos created along the beaches by the combination of Iwo Jima’s
wicked surf and Kuribayashi’s unrelenting barrages. In the words of one
dismayed observer:
The wreckage was indescribable. For two miles the debris was
so thick that there were only a few places where landing craft
could still get in. The wrecked hulls of scores of landing boats
testified to one price we had to pay to put our troops ashore.
Tanks and half-tracks lay crippled where they had bogged down
in the coarse sand. Amphibian tractors, victims of mines and
well-aimed shells, lay flopped on their backs. Cranes, brought
ashore to unload cargo, tilted at insane angles, and bulldozers
were smashed in their own roadways.
Bad weather set in, further compounding the problems of general
unloading. Strong winds whipped sea swells into a nasty chop; the surf
turned uglier. These were the conditions faced by Lieutenant Colonel
Carl A. Youngdale in trying to land the 105mm-howitzer batteries of
his 4th Battalion, 14th Marines. All 12 of these guns were preloaded
in DUKWs, one to a vehicle. Added to the amphibious trucks’ problems
of marginal seaworthiness with that payload was contaminated fuel. As
Youngdale watched in horror, eight DUKWs suffered engine failures,
swamped, and sank with great loss of life. Two more DUKWs broached
in the surf zone, spilling their invaluable guns into deep water. At
length Youngdale managed to get his remaining two guns ashore and into
firing position.
[Illustration: