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Iwo Jima: Fighting for Every Inch
Understanding that conquering the vastness of the Pacific could take a very long time, and cost a huge number of lives the U.S. Armed Forces adopted a strategy of Island hoping, whereby they would skip past heavily fortified Japanese Islands, isolating them from supplies and reinforcements. This would allow the U.S. to access strategic islands across the Pacific without having to beat the Japanese back on every single island they occupied. One of the Islands identified to be captured was Iwo Jima – its black volcanic sand beaches would soon become the scene of horrific fighting, as the Japanese – against all reason, fought to retain every last inch of the island.
Featured Aircraft: Vought F4U Corsair
The Corsair, originally developed by Vought has become one of the most popular Fighter aircraft of the Second World War, however, its original debut as a Carrier-borne fighter was less than spectacular. The airplane had been intended to replace older naval fighter variants, but its difficult carrier landing characteristics caused the navy to pass many of the airplanes off to the Marine Corps' land based air support units. These quirks were eventually worked out, allowing the Corsairs to return to the Fleet's aircraft carriers – just in time to participate in some of the most grueling engagements in the war. The Palaus, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. It was here that the airplane earned a reputation as a "Mudfighter." Getting down and dirty to support troops on the ground. Its impressive performance characteristics also earned it a reputation as a Kamikaze hunter in these dark days. |