Battle of Iwo Jima - Complete Animated Documentary

Due to popular request, we are re-releasing our entire Iwo Jima series as one complete animated documentary!
US Marines storm the beaches of Iwo Jima after a short naval barrage, predicting a simple victory. The black volcanic island is a territory of Japan itself and so, unbeknownst to the Americans, has been heavily fortified, and will be defended to the last man.
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[@TheOperationsRoom]

Due to popular request, we are re-releasing our entire Iwo Jima series as one complete animated documentary! We have launched just our Patreon where we are creating an exciting new community. If you would like to support us, please take a look here www.patreon.com/TheOperationsRoom

[@johnnotrealname8168]

This is awesome. Thank You!

[@rayw3294]

I remember watching a documentary 30 years ago. They briefly mentioned the USAAF bombed a US division for 3 straight days in Italy. I have never been able to find it again. The gunhos killed far more than we are told?

[@hermatred572]

Oh wow nice

[@rayw3294]

It wasn't nice for US army. Against the Wermacht and their own medal hunters who thought they were the Wermacht.

[@johnnotrealname8168]

@@rayw3294 It was their first war and they did not exist yet so cut them some slack.

[@allegedkurd]

My piano teacher growing up was on Iwo Jima with the 24th Marine regiment as a flamethrower operator. He never mentioned anything about the Battle besides anecdotes about trading his cigarettes for chocolate bars, because he didn't smoke, or playing a pedal-powered pipe organ for church services, but I later found out that his entire platoon, barring him and his platoon Commander, was wiped out, and he temporarily lost use of his hand due to shrapnel from a mortar. Passed away peacefully from old age few years back. Frank Matthews. Fair Winds and following Seas.

[@kevinvilmont6061]

Wow. Cool.

[@chinqlinq89]

My entire life I've been enamored with WW2 history. I'm a first generation American but have many friends who had grandfathers who fought during WW2 on the ground or in the air. The stories I've read, watched, and have been told in 1st or 2nd hand accounts still never cease to amaze me. The men and women who sacrificed and rallied together in unity will never fail to remind me how humans with conviction could make sure Good would triumph over Evil when the time called. There is without doubt that they should be remembered as the Greatest Generation.

[@lg6707]

Thanks, now I shall never forget too

[@bossdog1480]

And now, unfortunately the Communists are winning at home.@@chinqlinq89

[@joeschmidt6597]

You should watch Shaun Ryan's interview with an Iwo Jima flamethrower, Don Graves, 36 days on the island and was the only one out of the 300 flamethrowers in his unit that survived. Its hard to listen to to 3 hour interviews all in one shot, but I can't remember the last time, if ever at all, I was glued to a 3 hour KZbin interview like that. 98 years old as sharp as ever, and part of the greatest generation that will ever live

[@HagsRideOrDie]

My best friends grandfather kept the sword he was stabbed with while in his bunker on Iwo Jima. The Japanese soldier stabbed him through the sandbags and then made the mistake of jumping over the bunker to finish him off only to find himself facing a 6' 2" Iowa farm boy who was only slightly wounded. He never told us the rest of the story but he brought the sword home.

[@Kylemathews1]

He probably beat the shit out him

[@Beau-wp9yi]

You don’t wanna know. It’s one thing to see a dead body, and see someone killed, like me… It’s a whole nother animal to take a life, something I have not done, and pray I never have to.

[@HagsRideOrDie]

Ironically @@Beau-wp9yi that same friend and I joined the Army in the mid 80's. He even went airborne. We both earned national defense medals and lost friends in desert storm but it was nothing like Iwo Jima.

[@ronnielittle6573]

​@brianhagmeier8065 thank you, Sir for your service.

[@kamakaziozzie3038]

If someone is foolish enough to try to take out a US Marine they will not escape the whirlwind

[@vasaaviarion]

I'm fairly certain if I took part in this battle I would have died without doing anything productive. The bravery of these men gives me chills

[@alexfloate2420]

I am a Marine, and i wonder the same thing.

[@lg6707]

@@alexfloate2420 You will know once you feet hit the sand, even if you take a volley maybe it will help one of your brothers get to cover.

[@BubblegumCrash332]

Crazy to think most of them were kids. 18 and 19 year olds

[@rickyism1576]

@@alexfloate2420Everyone in WW2 had balls of steel. I'm a Marine as well 2008-2012 and just felt like an imposter. Couldn't imagine being put on an AAV after just completing boot camp some never going at all. And knowing death was basically iminent.. greatest generation was just built different.

[@MrMr-ws3tv]

I have a feeling amphetamines and alcohol helped and made this war particularly brutal.

[@bodypilot2006]

I've been on Iwo Jima and the beach sand was like walking up marbles, Sarabachi was steep as hell, we attempted to climb the north east side from the supply beach until we linked up with the paved access road. The tunnel entrances are mostly still wide open and the sunken supply ships still sticking out of the surf. It's essentially locked in time. It was eye opening to see it largely untouched. Absolutely balsy fighting by my fellow marines! Semper fi

[@bettinaripperger4159]

How were you able to get there ? Who offers tours ?

[@ryanhampson673]

@@bettinaripperger4159 If I remember right a few years ago the Marines went back to do a honorary hike up the mountain side.

[@user-je7ot6ju9r]

That wasn't a cheap trip........... It must have been special.

[@socalsilver6397]

Did you see a bunch of shell casings and other remnants of the battles? I’d like to visit that island one day. Rest in Peace to all who fought there. 🙏🏻

[@Gemeneye0ne]

Thank you for your service, and thank God for men like them and yourself.

[@LittleMacscorner]

My Grandad was wounded on Iwo jima. As a kid he told me about the battle. It is fascinating seeing it told again with visuals. Thank you.

[@LittleMacscorner]

All i recall (I am 44 now and he has been dead of old age for awhile) is that he was in the second wave of the landings and wounded by a grenade. I remember him mentioning it was his job to secure the airfield. He had pieces of shrapnel from the grenade that would work it's way out of his leg till the day he died at 60+

[@AlucardDracula1000]

Mine great grandfather was on one of the crashing b-29s he had to kick out a fire bomb over the open bomb bay while plummeting towards the island

[@ME-ke7qc]

1.2.3..my grandad lol

[@LittleMacscorner]

@@ME-ke7qc ?

[@LittleMacscorner]

@@ME-ke7qc Yes.....I am...44.....My Mom is now.....I think around 70....my grandad...you know...her dad....died at 60+. Not sure why the math is that hard....

[@johnej8286]

John Basilone is the most badass soldier I’ve ever seen, his men must’ve felt like he was a superhero when they followed him into battle. When he got killed I can’t even imagine how that must’ve affected the morale of the troops behind him.. for them to keep fighting shows why these guys were the greatest generation

[@DonVigaDeFierro]

They truly don't make them like they used to. I mean, I'm 27, and I can't imagine going through half of the things they went through, at an even younger age.

[@MikeD56034]

@@DonVigaDeFierro in Marine Corps boot, during the Crucible, we have a challenge called the Basilone Challenge. it an ammo and water plus casualty run up a 50yeard hill at 40-45% incline. it fucking sucks but you find yourself wanting to do it again after the first time. i believe my squad did it 3 times.

[@NeoSovrnson]

Every generation of Americans is the greatest generation.

[@OwnedEpicStyle]

looks like someone forgot to take their meds@@JOECURR1488

[@soulbreakerthelastmanalive]

To say that WW2 vets are the greatest generation is a slap in the face of every combat vet. Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, the gulf War. Iraq Afghanistan each generation has it's hero's.

[@duderseb]

Few things make me as happy as an Ops Room upload, even if I have seen these multiple times before. Super congratulations on nearly reaching 1M subs, y'all deserve every one!

[@ebisu8824]

#sycophant

[@74KU]

Still seeing 971,000 subs.. must be a glitch?

[@jonslg240]

"12 days of shelling might waste too many shells.. let's cut it back to 3 days, with a further cutback to 1.5 days. Better to waste Marine's lives than waste shells." -The Navy, back then.

[@jonslg240]

@@74KU 972k subs is what I see.. why? What's the real number? I even see 972k when I go to their main KZbin account page

[@GiantPopIts89]

I second that!!!

[@76629online]

What a fantastic, well-made video. I enjoyed it thoroughly. My grandfather was at Iwo Jima, a sailor - he's still living today in fact! 98 years old!

[@LD-Orbs]

That's awesome! 🪖

[@kamotetopz6776]

I thank him for his service!

[@EmbeddedWithin]

Neat living piece of history!

[@garicrewsen1128]

My grandfather was a stretcher-bearer (corpsman) on Iwo Jima. While carrying one of the many wounded, a shell exploded next to him. He received minor shrapnel wounds and shortly after that, a purple heart. He lived to tell the tale of Iwo Jima, yet never uttered a word about it. He was one of the kindest men I've ever known. His soft spoken nature belied his 6'3"frame. Both those features landed him the corpsman designation. The shell shock (PTSD) he came away with, according to Mom, his daughter, affected him deeply, but I never saw evidence of that. He was a damn tough Marine, and damn proud of it, just quietly. He was a man of God who loved his family and his country, and I never knew what took place on Iwo Jima, the odds he faced, until today as I viewed this video. Now I know why he was so reluctant to share his experience and I have even greater respect and admiration for him and how he lived the rest of his life. Publishing this video, you did him and all the troops there a great honor and educated me in the process. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. God bless you and God bless America. ❤

[@karlheinzvonkroemann2217]

That stuff affects everybody differently. Most kids don't ask and the fathers don't think they're really interested. Iwo Jima was the 4th landing my father made with the 4th Marine Div, first wave. He was lightly wounded on the beach on Saipan by a Japanese 70mm knee mortar. If I asked him about the war he would tell me. Looking back I'm sure the war affected him with some form of PTSD though.

[@beachcomber1able]

Why do many American commentators on these types of WW2 videos always bang on about God blessing each other, were you all heavily indoctrinated in your formative years by religious nonsense. 🤔

[@karlheinzvonkroemann2217]

@@beachcomber1able It used to be a much religious country back then. It fact is was a Christian country for all intents and purposes. Just how far back does your memory go?

[@beachcomber1able]

@@karlheinzvonkroemann2217 Back to the days when Christian mobs would regularly lynch black people from the nearest tree and the USA operated an evil apartheid system.

[@beachcomber1able]

@@karlheinzvonkroemann2217 Back to the days when Christian mobs would lynch black people and the USA operated a brutal segregation policy.

[@QuestionableMorality]

So many deaths caused by miscommunication... First there was the corsair and naval barrage killing friendlies, then there was the breakout order by the Japanese that didn't reach the troops, and then there was a suicide charge despite explicitly being ordered not to charge.

[@outofturn331]

Lessons etched in blood for the future

[@tappytibbons735]

Welcome to the 1940s. They can't exactly send a text zoomer.

[@r.r.r.r.r.r.r.]

@@tappytibbons735 except not having today's technology has nothing to do with it, boomer. did you watch the video? none of these miscommunications were due to a lack of reliable tech, they were all human error.

[@ekothesilent9456]

@@tappytibbons735I’m surprised you even know what a text is. You’ve spent so much time replying random angry comments to people on this video that I thought it was your first time ever being on the internet. Do better bro, we can all see the drivel you type.

[@SerRompalot]

Jesus, seeing it animated like this really sets in how horrendous the battle was, along with the commentary. Kuribayashi really did a number in this battle, coming at it from a realist perspective the entire time.

[@robertreid2931]

My grandfather was an Amtrack driver with the 11th AmTrack BN, 5th MarDiv in this battle. He went ashore at the foot of Suribachi (landing zone Red 2) in the first wave. He went back and forth exiting the vehicle to retrieve wounded to return to the hospital ships, then over to the transports to pick up fresh troops for the entire campaign. Said he didn't take his boots off for 36 days. Also had some much more tragic and grisly stories. :(

[@killerz3000]

All of these stories need to be told anywhere they can. I feel a lot of insight to these battles is being lost because no one shares them enough.

[@R_Alexander029]

John Basilone's death shows you how quickly you can go from living to instantly dying in war.

[@karlheinzvonkroemann2217]

65 million other people showed us the same thing...

[@47streetcop96]

@@karlheinzvonkroemann2217 If 65 million people "instantly" died it would have been a fairly short war. Please read posts before typing for likes please.

[@karlheinzvonkroemann2217]

What are you on about? I don't care if nobody likes what I post, I really couldn't care less.@@47streetcop96

[@karlheinzvonkroemann2217]

BTW, it's totally true or do you dispute that? People die in war, lots of them. How is pointing that out fishing for likes? Make a real point to someone who cares what you think!

[@47streetcop96]

@@karlheinzvonkroemann2217 /sigh

[@edweidemann7454]

This is simply fantastic. I'm showing it to my history class.

[@MonsterHDE]

would have LOVED these back in 2015 when I was in highschool

[@outofturn331]

Take teacher's permission first 😉

[@BrandonSmith-qx8jx]

Educate your history class on Jewish expulsions

[@Sparks00psn]

@@outofturn331I’m guessing he is the teacher

[@muhtasimfahmid7844]

You do that my brother. Show them all of the relevant ones. Ops Room is absolutely high-quality stuff. I learnt more history from these Brits than I did at uni.

[@theresaherman]

Old guy here. I loved this series. Very in depth and detailed. John Basilone was one heck of a marine! It makes me want to rewatch the pacific series. I just can’t imagine the kind of courage it took to land on that beach and face that carnage. They were the Greatest Generation!

[@michaelroos13]

Especially since no one was expecting that level of carnage.

[@philbrown9764]

My dad was in WW2 because he joined the Marines from 38-46. He never talked about what he did during the war but he passed before I hit 17. I joined the Marines from 68-70 and served at Chu Lai 68-69 1st MAW. I’ll always wonder what he did and where.

[@ShadowMoon878]

I BET HE WENT TO TOKYO AND DROWNED HIMSELF IN TOKYO LOLI PUSSIES

[@tomdowling4810]

You can obtain his record of service. Contact the Veteran’s Agent for your city or town. If they do not exist in your state contact the DAV or a military recruiting office. The process starts with a standard form; SF 180.

[@MichaelClark-uw7ex]

My wife's best friend's dad was a Marine scout on Iwo, he refused to ever talk about it. He would only say that assaulting hell itself would have been preferable.

[@karlheinzvonkroemann2217]

Some will talk about it and some won't. My father made 4 landings in the Central Pacific with the 4th Marine Division , including Iwo Jima (Yellow Beach 2 first wave) and if I asked him he would answer me. I could be wrong but I think it has a lot to do with those combat vets realizing that most young people don't care about that stuff nor do they have any understanding of history or war. It's totally foreign to them. They're just wrapped up in their own worlds. It's only years or decades later that their children (sometimes) realize that they have no idea what their father's did in the war and wish that they had asked so they could tell their children.

[@dylanmorgan2752]

@@karlheinzvonkroemann2217While that could be a reason in some cases. I think watching dozens of men get mown down by mg fire and killed by random mortar blasts not knowing if every crevice was looking back at you. Plus seeing the enemy get melted alive would maybe make you unforthcoming in all the gruesome detail. Some people can look back on trauma objectively in detail without digging up all the emotions with it some can’t.

[@karlheinzvonkroemann2217]

People react differently, that's all I'm saying. The first Jap(anese) my father killed was with his combat knife (I never heard him say "Kabar" though it may well have been one. @@dylanmorgan2752

[@sneville44]

Excellent presentation! My Dad tried to enlist into the SeaBees during WW2 but was denied because he wore glasses. Instead enlisted with the Army Engineers and served in Europe. Who knows what would have been his fate (and mine too!) had he been able to join the SeaBees.

[@jimmyhaley727]

My dad was a Seabee and went from North Africa to France,then on to the Pacific, to build more airstrips, never wounded by bullets but would never go to a movie or talk about the war, until I enlisted in the USN 1961-65,, and then, said WE all bleed the same color blood, alcohol wouldbring him down after only 61 years on thisFzzzz89ked world

[@ioance3526]

What is seebee

[@sneville44]

@@ioance3526 It is the construction arm of the Navy. The SeaBee is a nickname for the letters “CB” which is short for “construction battalion”.

[@ScrogginHausen]

My wife's grandfather was a Marine combat demolition man laying satchel charges as part of a flamethrower squad on Tarawa. After that he became a Underwater Demolitionman as the Navy UDTs were getting ready for Normandy. The wife said he could never go into caves.

[@mikechevreaux7607]

Doubtful Story

[@sotunijek7418]

Explain more... fascinating yet true life story...pls continue whenever possible...PLUS, hope all is GOOD on UR side of the World🤕🤟🤟

[@that-plane-guy]

The effort in these videos and animations is incredible!

[@QueenSLAYciroc]

These videos are both incredible graphically but the content is 10/10 as well. Hands down my favorite military history videos

[@rayw3294]

Yes. I love these guys. And they tell the truth. Our stupid channels try to be nice. But, being telling the truth is real. And we get it from Deutchers and Ruskies. Tell the truth and let everyone know. It was fucking evil.

[@GaryNumeroUno]

Yes, they did a much better job than the dumbass navy barrages! They had one job from point blank range and still could not manage it! Useless.

[@Coastfog]

Right? So much attention to detail, very easy to follow and understand, just great storytelling.

[@davidponseigo8811]

My wife's uncle was with the 4th Marines and was killed in this battle and my uncle was Admiral George McFadden O'Rear and was the commander of USS Arkansas and commanded the fleet during the battle.

[@KorbinX]

Thank you for sharing

[@-ZM_Gaming-]

Wow... a truly small world isnt it

[@highdesertutah]

I don’t know whether the Japanese had anything equivalent to the Medal of Honor. But if they did then General Kuribayashi should have been posthumously awarded one. What a magnificently planned defense.

[@jason200912]

They did late in the war. The stories were not as heroic as medal of honor stories.

[@agentmueller]

I read a book a long time ago that touched quite a bit on him, if I remember correctly he was an ambassador to America before the war, or he went to a military academy maybe, I’m not sure. I wanna say it was similar to Yamamoto in that regards, but I digress. All I know is he didn’t do the retarded shit the Japanese usually did, like wasting men by using human waves that maybe cause 8% casualty’s while taking 100% causality’s yourself. He mounted a serious defense, and he would have kept it up for a lot longer if his subordinates didn’t disregard direct orders. He would have made a fine military commander for America or for any other country where the military was more United and not two competing factions like the IJN and IJA.

[@jason200912]

@@agentmueller the most hilarious was alligator creek where 900 freshly deployed, fully supplied troops were ordered to banzai charge and only inflicted 40 wounded and like 3 dead. Only two got stabbed while all the rest were hit by grenades. They all got mowed down by mgs and blasted by the 3 field guns

[@Thunderlord_Tozn]

@@jason200912idk if men that were lied to, and died as a result, in order for the insubordinate leadership to fail anyways is necessarily funny but ok.

[@AlexDMC]

​@@jason200912you are so right , 100's of dead? That's so funny! Let's all laugh at their suffering! That's not disgusting or anything

[@kenowens9021]

Our former VFW commander was on one of the transports at Iwo Jima. He said that when the fleet saw the flag raised on Mt. Suribachi, all the ships whistles and horns sound all around the island.

[@borristhebutcher6632]

Dan Daly was awarded 2 medals of honor, the Army Distinguished Service Cross and the Navy Cross, while serving as a United States Marine. John Basilone was an epic Marine and outstanding badass, but he was not the only U.S. Marine to receive the United States 2 highest awards for gallantry.

[@karlheinzvonkroemann2217]

They are very high gallantry medals.

[@majorearl12]

I always find it funny how the Secretary of the Navy wanted the first flag, and the Marines are just in disgust over him being a politician and wanting a "souvenir" of a deadly battle. Then the second flag raising being the photo most people know of. Just ironic, and the Flags of our Fathers movie and book just represent this so well.

[@Butter_Warrior99]

A strong yet cocky Eagle, vs a strong yet desperate Dragon. Truly one of the battles of all time.

[@outofturn331]

Dragon or Godzilla..

[@jaed2630]

​@outofturn331 no Godzilla till they had atomic weapons.

[@MrSneaksful]

and how is it "cocky"? They never thought it would be a "piece of cake". They threw everything they had at the island. Of course they knew they'd win because you can only hold out so long in a siege type battle. "cocky" though? Japan, at this point in the war was loosing badly. They were still using 1930's tech. There was no advancements militarily. It was a matter of time for them. Resources were dwindling, completely unable to continue a global war campaign.

[@audiosurfarchive]

@@MrSneaksful It's just a characteristic of the mythology about Iwo Jima; the US' global superpower status in geopolitics was only being defined at the time, it doesn't actually say much about the actual men and women involved in the campaign. It's metaphor.

[@MiishaKorvian]

The Light Cruiser mentioned as part of the bombardment is (CL-97) USS Flint. Being from Flint, Michigan it's a point of pride, albeit a forgotten one. It was "purchased" with a single war bond drive, and was oringally supposed to be (CL-64) a Cleveland-class cruiser. The sinking of (CA-44) USS Vincennes resulted in the reallocation of the hull, and was commissioned as (CL-64) USS Vincennes. USS Flint was instead commissioned as an Oakland-class, which is a sub-class of the Atlanta-class Light Cruisers.

[@jamespike5161]

Well, Michiganders couldn’t very well purchase something in a class named after a city in Ohio, could you? Lol.

[@MiishaKorvian]

@@jamespike5161It's the principal of the matter, Indiana stole the ship Flint paid for. It's also not the first time something that belongs to Michigan is inside Ohioan state borders. ***looks at Toledo***

[@branmcg9844]

I'm a sub class of flint called Battle Creek😁

[@timothydonlan9112]

@@MiishaKorvian We got the UP for Toledo. We got the better end of the deal. For those interested, there's actually is a 3rd peninsula to Michigan. It's located in Lake Erie just Northeast of Toledo.

[@MiishaKorvian]

@@timothydonlan9112 we might have gotten a concession, but it's still Michigan's rightful clay :P

[@user-yx4gd2wt2m]

Every soldier fighting on that island should get the Navy cross

[@Revy8]

Imagine being told your son is dead because the navy didn't feel like using more shells?

[@outofturn331]

Or worse we hit him from behind

[@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid]

But of course they wouldn't. They would lie and say that he died heroically, because they don't have the guts to face parents with the truth. They don't even have the guts to WRITE the truth - let alone speak it in person. They hide behind propaganda...just like every other group of spineless cowards we call "politicians".

[@audiosurfarchive]

..and it happened multiple times for the Marines; Navy screwing them over strategically that is.

[@SeanCondieAudio]

I would love a medal of honor series. Telling those stories with your detail would be wonderful.

[@garicrewsen1128]

And heart wrenching 😢 but I second the request.

[@orozcousmc]

This is hands down the most in depth overview of the battle of Iwo Jima I have seen thank you for this video. I am friends with a WWII Marine who fought at Iwo Jima and it is amazing to see what exactly him and his fellow Marines faced during that battle.

[@fingolfin9086]

You say "I am friends", does that mean he's still alive? There are so few left, that would be amazing.

[@SouthernYankee037]

My uncle was a pilot during the campaign and my grandfather was on the USS New Jersey providing support fire. I couldn’t be prouder.

[@ELMS]

I’ve seen other channels go to long-form, but they don’t have the production capability and knowledge required to make it work. But this is excellent! Never once did I think “This is too long.” The content is there and it’s so well presented! Keep it up!

[@j_napierht3581]

This channel’s ability to portray the info in such an easy to understand way is amazing. Not many channels can show battles like this🔥👍🏾

[@willo7734]

This is one of the best history series I’ve ever seen on any media platform. Ops Room is king.

[@jdogdarkness]

I like that Medal of Honor recipient, Basilone's perspective/actions is included in this video.

[@dukejohnson99]

I've visited Harry Martin's grave in his hometown of Bucyrus, Ohio. A large granite marker with his picture and MOH etched on one side, and a ship that was named after him on the other. A small glass window in the marker has sand from Iwo in it

[@peterkemmerly6055]

My father was on Iwo Jima as a Marine. His duty was as a radio repairman for airplanes that were forced landed. He told me that when he was on sentry duty one night, a jeep drove by and failed to give the required password. As he cocked his gun and was about to fire, the jeep slammed on its brakes. Happily just US Marines. In addition, 3 years ago I met a old man who was wearing a B-29 hat. I asked him if he ever landed at Iwo Jima. He told me that his plan was the very first B-29 to land there. They lost 2 engines from flak while flying a mission over Japan and were forced to land on Iwo Jima. Upon landing he and his crew ran to a trench while Japanese machine guns were shooting at the plane. Told him of my father. Just an interesting meeting.

[@rc5924]

Well according to this video that guy was a liar

[@skipperwarp9]

@@rc5924not necessarily just because the airfield was safe when that first plane landed doesn’t mean it was always, especially since Japanese infiltrators would break through american lines in small groups constantly. Even after the battle was “ officially over”, the US kept an infantry regiment on the island to clear out holdouts from caves, tunnels, and bunkers which still took 3 months after the end of the battle. Also it could’ve been that these airmen were not used to machine gun bullets at such a range and were more scared than a marine who would be more used to the distance.

[@OGPatriot03]

@@rc5924 The video's depth and representation of the battle is extensive, however it's FAR from depicting every soldier's location and where they would have been. Let's not forget that fact, it's detailed but it's also a best guess to fill in the gaps of documented information which is scarce. Furthermore Planes are extremely easy to see and all you would need to fire on it from a great distance would be a slight hill, something they had plenty of.. I don't doubt for a second that guns would've been firing at the first plane, which according to the video did land during the battle...

[@Batmans_Pet_Goldfish]

Fun fact. These beaches are now 50 feet above sea level due to the swelling of the magmatic chamber under the island.

[@HeisenbergFam]

Battle of Iwo Jima gives strong "never let them know your next move" vibes

[@salamantics]

You suck

[@seanm241]

Retarded comment from the worst bot on youtube

[@ReaperRestorations]

my friend and neighbor Mel Lemon fought on Iwo. he is 97 and still farming. he told me he recently found out his neck had been broken years prior and somehow he never knew! He said the only thing he could think of that would've caused it was that an American bomb was dropped short as he was cresting a hill blowing him 20 feet into the air. he came down on his head and was knocked out. he said he had a horrible headache when he woke up, but apparently he had a broken neck too and never knew it!

[@whtghst8105]

These videos are so compelling, the fear these boys must have felt, but there superb training, and shear bravery got them through. As American citizens we owe these soldiers, more than can be given!

[@aaeraag5724]

After watching this it's obvious to me that nukes saved hundreds of thousands of American soldiers, had tney invaded the main islands

[@johncee853]

Actually, they saved a lot of Japanese lives too. An invasion of Japan would have killed millions.

[@Genessyss]

what part of this video made genocide of civilians obvious to you? clown

[@Genessyss]

@@johncee853 what a bunch of bullshit.

[@erikdrake6317]

They saved Japanese lives too. Liberals hate pesky little facts like that.

[@GremlinGrenadier]

My great grandpa was in the Marines at the Pacific, he always told us that if we had to invade Japan that we wouldn’t be here. He essentially told us that he would have died.

[@lefthookouchmcarm4520]

These animations are crazy! I went to Iwo Jima for 2 days with 3rd MarDiv, 4th Marines back in the early 2000s. It was remarkable. Walking on the black sand at night was like a dream. Must have been a hellscape during the battle! Imagine the fear and the courage from both sides of men. Good lord.

[@bettinaripperger4159]

What was the sand like ? 🏝️

[@AbuctingTacos]

This is what happens if you try to have family Thanksgiving dinner in your 550 square foot apartment

[@randyjennings9063]

My dad was in the 5th Marine Division. He is now 97 years old and in good health. You can also find him in the Library of Congress by searching Iwo Jima Alfread Jennings

[@fortusvictus8297]

I remember learning in combat engineer training that, especially in the later half of the battle, US forces didn't bother rushing Japanese positions and would just bring up dozers and collapse or fill in cave entrances. The story was they knew when all the entrances had been filled when they started hearing and feeling the 'thumps' of grenades underground, from the trapped Japanese on themselves. Also, the unit doing most of this work was the exact same as the one targeted in that final mission, coincidence?

[@vinny142]

"Also, the unit doing most of this work was the exact same as the one targeted in that final mission, coincidence?" First; Bulldozing is a common tactic against trenches and tunnels. There is nothing special about that; when people are dug in the easiest way of killing them is to bury them alive. It's not nice, but neither are flametanks, napalm, nuclesar bombs and stealth bombers. There is no civilized way if killing a person. Second: You need to be much much less gullible: "The story was they knew when all the entrances had been filled when they started hearing and feeling the 'thumps' of grenades underground" The japanese were dug in so deeply that even the mighty 19" shells from battleships could not reach them and still you believbe that the pathetic pop of a handgrenade would be detectable on the surface? And why would the japanese not simoply try to dig their way out? The US army didn't even find most of the entrances at all, that's how the japanese kept popping up. Be... less... gullible. Next you'll be telling me that the japanese surrendered when they saw a flametank coming. This is another myth. The japanese carried out suicide missions flygin their airplanes into a wall of flak, they did not care about your flametank at all, they welcomed a warrior's death.

[@fortusvictus8297]

@@vinny142 You should watch the video. The whole last segment is how most of the remaining force not only left their bunkers but conducted a night land navigation without being detected by nearby Marine units, and focused on this engineer camp. They bypassed thousands of marines to target this camp. You should really learn to read and listen critically.

[@shotnothing3419]

​@@fortusvictus8297you sound like you drank the kool aid lmao

[@RobinTheBot]

The more angry and confident a comment is, especially a correction, the more likely it is to be nonsense. Especially when you realize the angry poster above thinks sounds can't travel well through rock because shells couldn't penetrate it ... Yeah, I know. Just wait till he learns about tank kills without penetration. Like, just think of water ... shells can't go fast in it at all, but the sound of a hand grenade going off travels for miles. That's bc sound has little to nothing to do with penetration. He's not a historian, or an expert, you can see from his other comments. He just thought "shells can't get in, grenade can't get out" and in doing so spat on the honest testimony of dozens of heroes. There's lots of evidence to the contrary in the very video he's ignoring! He outright states in another comment his Anti-America Bias. He's a idealogue here to publically grind an axe. Just truly sad behavior. And I'm sure he was proud of that embarrassing shit.

[@RobinTheBot]

​@@fortusvictus8297Well said. The crazies will be crazy, but I see you.

[@michaelphelan423]

The larger flag raised on suribachi was provided by Lt Theodore Tuttle, a humble man that I came to know in 1980

[@hfar_in_the_sky]

The fact that men on Iowa Jima were still fighting a good four years after the war ended is kind of nuts to think about. I know that Hiroo Onoda, Teruo Nakamura, and Shoichi Yokoi made history by not surrendering or being captured until the 1970s, but to me there's something extra grim about the Iowa Jima men holding out for years after the surrender of Japan since the conditions for them were particularly hellish

[@spearfisherman308]

That was at the Philippines

[@CharlesDeGoat]

The american loss are horrific, the marines really fought a battle like few armed forces did in history. Those man should never be forgotten 😊

[@jonny-b4954]

Basilone was a true bad ass. Man knew what to do at all times.

[@Dannymiles1987]

I have been on that beach in 2008. I walked up that slope of black beach. There is nowhere to hide and the defense can see them all.

[@mac_attack_zach]

I'm so glad you turned this into a movie. This is why I love this channel

[@voodoolovedr]

My great grandpa received a Purple Heart on Iwo Jima due to a wound to his shoulder. He was in a foxhole with two of his dead friends until he was finally found. He was a part of the 5th after he was injured at Bougainville when he was a marine paratrooper and then reassigned to the 5th

[@DarkGlass824]

Believe it or not this could have been much much worse. The Japanese had plans to link both sides of the island through tunnels. They were unable to do so due to conflicts between the army & navy over strategy. If they had casualties for the Americans could have been doubled.

[@ex-navyspook]

The friendly fire incident on D+1 at the quarry was madness. I was shaking my head at the F4U attack, and then when the ship's artillery hit just after? Unbelievable luck; Mr. Murphy was busy that day. I don't remember learning about this incident; good on you for teaching me something new.

[@user-gl5yk5ys5b]

some battles in wwii had up to 10% of US casualties due to friendly fire. that happens when you combine mobile warfare with lots of artillery and lots of ground attack aircraft bombing.

[@ex-navyspook]

@@user-gl5yk5ys5b Proof that the only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.

[@deeznoots6241]

@@user-gl5yk5ys5band then there is Kiska island where the USA suffered a load of casualties against zero Japanese soldiers due mostly to friendly fire but also to booby traps left behind by the Japanese.

[@Phil-ey6yh]

I'm proud to say my grandfather Harry was one of those Seabees on Iwo. This was an excellent overview of the operation. Keep the great content coming!

[@rwes61]

It’s fascinating to watch this video because in 1995 I had asked my stepdad to write a bio of his time in the Marines during WWII and turns out he was in the 4th Marines and fought (received a Purple Heart) on Iwo Jima at hill 382! I know this because after watching this video I pulled the letter out and reread it and he recounted exactly every step he took and it matches exactly day by day of what is in this video even his description of the “bloodiest battles” in Marine Corps history during WWII up until that point! It literally brought chills down my spine! He spent seven days in battle and saw several of his comrades get shot or blown up right next to him! He recounted how he felt he had a 50-50 chance of making it out alive. This is a very accurate video of what happened because I read it from someone who was there!

[@crashburn3292]

These videos should be shown in high schools.

[@Rimasta1]

Find someone in life who is as good to you as Operations Room is to us.

[@alansnyder8448]

My great-uncle was aboard the USS Pensacola which had 114 killed two days before the invasion. My understanding is he was manning one of the large machine guns with his best friend on the ship. When the explosion arrived his friend was killed instantly by a metal shrapnel about the size of a door, and he was just a few feet away and wasn't touched. There was no time to do anything but go fight the fire after that to save the ship. My understanding about what the USS Pensacola was doing was they needed to give cover to the frogmen who were trying to de-mine the beaches before the invasion, so came in close so the attention would be put on them instead of the men in the water.

[@BrianC1664]

Being English, I've absorbed so much information on the European theatre, and while I had heard many times that the pacific theatre was no joke, this video really brought home just how much harder you guys had it there... While the Germans were well trained, at least they would surrender when it made sense to.

[@user-gl5yk5ys5b]

It's almost bizarre how vicious and savage that the Pacific theater was. The Japanese were utterly brutal and without any mercy, and they loathed any soldier who surrendered. The massacred the Chinese like dogs, and frequently tortured and murdered US prisoners. About 3% of US POWs were murdered by the Germans in captivity, compared with 35% of US POWs in Japanese hands. So very early in the pacific war, the US forces realized that they would be given "no quarter" by the Japanese, and they just stopped taking Japanese prisoners. The problem was so bad that the US intel officers had to start offering a reward to soldiers who bought in live Japanese prisoners. Another strange thing was the US troops taking Japanese skulls as trophies. That was pretty commonplace and is said to be a by-product of the rage and hatred they felt for the Japanese. Navy sailors would drag heads behind their ship in a net to scour all the flesh off. It was forbidden, but happened anyway.

[@audiosurfarchive]

I will always argue that (as a Americlap myself) the US' true story about WW2 is told in it's journey across the Pacific Theater of Operations. It's immeasurable and almost completely decisive in its involvement compared to the Greater ETO (East & West).

[@djsi38t]

An amazingly detailed account of the battle.I think with this one you hit a home run.Imagine this island right at this moment...when its really quiet you can still hear"You Die Marine"on the wind..

[@saltymethods2637]

This documentary is probably the best visual of a battle I've ever seen. Nice work!

[@user-iw8pg8kq2q]

I thank ur channel 4 showing these brave men the respect they deserve. Many channels say so and so won this medal or that medal. As if it is a game show. Your channel, and ur sister channel, the Intel Report, always say either "Awarded" or "Received" a medal. That is showing the respect these men deserve. As the son of a vet, grandson, great grandson, and great great grandson of vets, I thank both channels.❤😊

[@babachloe7140]

Awesome having Drach on. This long format videos are super good. Thank you so much. I'm reading "So sad to fall in battle" so its great having this along

[@Leescreativeart]

Funny little coincidence. My birthday is February 19 and my wife’s is March 26 so the battle of Iwo Jima happened between our births lol that’s kind of neat.

[@simonbanks3058]

I like that you discuss each side's perspectives ahead of the fight.

[@brickmickbrick]

Imagine being that crazy mf that sees them getting ready to charge you and you take it personally and charge them first this battle was truly like a action movie

[@bagavondo2477]

what a nice surprise when u realize its a cooperation with drachinifel. very nice! quality is off the charts!

[@clopec]

Expected some of the top comments to mention this!

[@Dissistheway]

John Basilone WHAT A BADASS AND A LEGEND

[@EDVRTS]

i love. detailed, with beautiful and objective distance but sprinkled with heartfelt empathy when needed. gives happiness to both the nerd and the story enjoyer

[@MrFahrenheit200]

Damn, according to Wikipedia when the USS Bismarck Sea was hit the 1st time the plane elevator was being used, nearly being at the top. The kamikaze cut through the cables causing the platform to plummet down

[@bjbrochu]

I love all of your content. I showed my wife one of your videos and she really liked it a lot as well. That is huge coming from her. She loves history but has never had an interest in war but how you showed and explain it is something that she really enjoyed. Allow me to suggest that for what you did for Iwo Jima that you consider doing the same for the Battle of Okinawa. I know that is an even bigger project I am sure but you people have what your doing perfect if my wife enjoyed it! I love you guys!

[@ShadowMoon878]

General Tadamichi Kuribayashi and Colonel Baron Takechi Nishi were both students of Harvard and even attended West Point as guest students. So they both know alot about American Tactics and Strategies. Also, General Kuribayashi were good friends with alot of the American and UK officers since he was a veteran of ww1. Colonel Baron Nishi also lived in the US before ww2 since he was an Olympic Athlete in Showjumping and Horse Dressage and won medals in two olympic games

[@OldSwampy]

These are so well done! This channel will be a treasured resource for people to learn from for years.

[@flynn6737]

Absolutely love the effort of these videos and the time it takes to verify all the actions of each individual battle. Please do an in-depth series of the KOKODA campaign. The stories and individual heroes… Australian,others and especially the local FUZZY is a story that deserves your dedication to the awareness you’re channel gives the audience.

[@wrobinson1702]

My 2-greats uncle died on the beach at Iwo Jima. He was 19 years old.

[@robertconey6288]

This is incredible! Thank you! It is so hard to find such detailed animations of WW2 battles, and yours is the best I have yet to find!

[@oldgreybear963]

Just found this channel. Hell of a job on this. Your "team" (however many that may be) did their homework. Subscribing right now. Thank you for the time and effort you put in to this.

[@YaofuZhou]

This series is so good. Since I watched the original release months ago l, when I read or hear Iwo Jima, my mind automatically pictures the black volcano on the bottom left corner animated in this series!

[@hansvonmannschaft9062]

Absolutely fantastic, thank you so very much, thoroughly enjoyed the whole vid. Not sure why I missed these when they were originally released as shorter episodes. Drach's presence was a really nice surprise as well!

[@Gunbudder]

the fighting on iwo jima continued for 4 YEARS after the end of the entire war. completely insane

[@papasitoz7891]

Can you even imagine being a Japanese soldier and seeing the 5th fleet coasting up to Iwo Jima? You know you’re not going to be around much longer but yet these soldiers fought on. Much respect 🫡

[@landonbohinc8146]

respect? They know they are going to die and know that if the war goes on the taking of Iwo JIma will allow America to bomb the mainland so they could surrender and save a whole lot of lives and there would be no need for an atomic bomb and the mainland they are "fighting for" would not be too bruised but instead they choose to initiate a battle that will kill around 15,000 men and allow the war to go on for what? not for their country if that was their goal they would stop the war so it doesnt get bombed/invaded. Not for their families if it was for them they wouldnt kill themselves. For Tojo? the person in charge of the EoJ and would start one of the bloodiest wars in history? (not ww2 as a whole I mean the PTO) I think respect is the wrong word. Jesus loves you!

[@StevenKeery]

Exceptional video. The courage and fortitude displayed on both sides was amazing. I was incredulous at the numbers killed in the friendly fire incidents. I suppose this led to the resistance to use supporting fire from the troops without accurate co-ordinates being supplied. The raw courage displayed was outstanding, truly the Greatest Generation. The machinations by politicians and the photo op over the flag. Although an iconic image, I can't help but feel a little disgusted at politicians wanting a souvenir when they weren't involved in the sacrifice to obtain those results. We owe those that fought for freedom, a debt that we can never repay. God bless them and their families, who had to pick up the pieces and carry on with life, when their loved ones didn't return. Words seem so paltry and inadequate for that Generations sacrifice but for what it is worth, every day, from the bottom of my heart, I thank God for you.

[@Killin_365]

Thank You Brother! For those of us who can’t read enough about the great men in our history, you give a much needed visual perspective of these battlefields.

[@lonestarintn9137]

I was a young Airman in the USAF on a C-130E operating out of Yokota AB Japan in the 80s. 1 training mission we used to do for the Navigators was to fly out to Iwo. It was and I guess it still is a Japanese weather station. Not much else at the time. We hung out for several hours. We wanted to go down to the black sand beach and they said ok but to stay on the trail and absolutely to not explore any caves. When we got down to the beach it was surreal. There were old trucks, jeeps, amphibious vehicles and other military equipment strewn all over. It was all rusted and falling apart. I could see where the Marines landed. Looking up from the beach to Sarabachi I saw what the Marines were up against. After a few hours of walking around taking in the old battle field scene, the smell of the ocean, the waves rolling in and nature taking its course we took off back to Yokota. No history book or media can compare to being there. I’m 63 now but that memory of Iwo is 1 that I have never forgotten.

[@CounterSniper67]

If you could do an in depth video like this on the Battle of Okinawa that would be amazing.

[@MH-Tesla]

Lesson: NEVER underestimate your enemy. War 101. Even if that war is sports. Never underestimate your opponent!

[@outofturn331]

Someone: Nein nein

[@stephenaviaspace5056]

Well, war is disgusting... You could just die as soon as you step into the beach at any time. But seeing the bravery in these men, they were warriors, they were indeed the greatest generation. I give my greatest respect to all of them who served in Iwo Jima and the entire war. And even the modern wars.

[@adog7787]

My grandfather was placed several reinforcement cycles back and was told he’d likely not have to land. Basically his wave was not supposed to go ashore. 48 hours into the landing he was on the beach. He lasted 10 days before taking a mortar directly to the chest and somehow survived after losing part of his lung, 2 feet of intestine, half his liver, part of his pancreas and a couple of fingers. He manned a browning 1919 on a bipod and was responsible for mowing down hundreds of Japanese during his 10 days. He was(passed away in 2018) and is a legend. Semper Fi

[@mikewhite965]

This was fantastic! My grandfather was a corpsman with the 2nd Marine Division on Saipan and Tinian...it would be so awesome if you could do the same video for those battles

[@karlheinzvonkroemann2217]

My Father was on both islands in the 4th Marine Division. He always told me that for him Saipan was the worst of the four landings that he made, including Iwo Jima. I guess it depends when and where you are in any given battle.

[@mikewhite965]

Do you know what regiment and company he was in? The only record for corpsman was the battalion they were assigned to and he was in the 1st battalion 2nd Marine Regiment. From the limited stories he told I'm pretty sure he was assigned to a rifle company but don't know which one.

[@karlheinzvonkroemann2217]

We'll, there are four Companies in a USMC Battalion so 1st Battalion, 2nd Regt should be enough information to get you a fairly small list of names... from the US Government at least if you order his service record. It's not rocket science and since you're his son it shouldn't cost you much if anything at all to get them sent to you.@@mikewhite965

[@leeroyjames]

Love a crossover from Drach, thank you so much for releasing this as one video - onto 3rd watchthrough now!

[@jeffgoldenberg9579]

I've always wondered had we been abled to drop as many of the RAF's Grand Slam bombs as we could get (assuming we could reverse Lend Lease a few hundred Lancasters), that that might have entombed a significant number if not the majority of the Japanese and made the campaign much less costly. Of course, it's just a what-if.

[@TheOperationsRoom]

Would have been achievable. I wonder why the USAAF never made this request.

[@jeffgoldenberg9579]

Well, as you state, US intelligence didn't think the island was fortified to the extent it was. I enjoy your videos immensely.

[@morefiction3264]

Black sands, Fire, Sulphur, Death? Hell.

[@specb211]

This was very fascinating. 😢 Thank you for the extraordinary breakdown of this battle.

[@TnT_shadow9]

Thank you for LT Colonel Johnson who knew that flag belonged to the marines.

[@gavinwallace48]

One of my great grandpas served on Iwo Jima. He was tasked with destroying tank and landing traps the morning before the invasion. Under heavy machine gun and mortar fire, they somewhat completed their mission and withdrew, woke up the next morning, and participated in the attack. His unit served as kinda a pre marine special forces. While I never met him, my mother and grandmother did research on it and found some of his notes

[@MaritimeToast]

My great grandfathers ship the USS Sibley, carried the 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Divison at this battle. He never talked about what he saw as he was a corpman who was in charge of stitching up the Marines after operations were done on them.