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Original Items: Only One Available. The Battle of Iwo Jima arguably the most legendary battle of the Leapfrogging or "Island Hopping" strategy used by Allied forces in the Pacific. Less important islands were bypassed in favor of more strategically important island, saving much time and effort. The Japanese forces were heavily entrenched on the islands they held, and the time and human cost for even a small island would be huge, as the Japanese forces rarely surrendered.
During the Battle of Iwo Jima, out of 21,000 Japanese soldiers, only 216 were taken prisoner, mainly because they were unconscious and unable to resist. Of the 70,000 Marines that invaded, there were 26,000 casualties, including almost 7000 killed, making this the only battle where U.S. Marine Casualties exceeded the Japanese. It was an important island, but its capture came at a terrible cost.
What we have here is a very nice "Battlefield Dug Up" example of the Japanese WWII Type 92 Tetsubo (鉄帽 - "steel cap"), first introduced in 1932, Japanese National Era Calender year 2592. These were also colloquially called the tetsukabuto ( 鉄 冑 "steel helmet") by troops. This was purchased as part of a large military collection, and the information we received with the helmet was that it was dug up on the Island, probably during the era of U.S. occupation, which ended in 1968. Unfortunately we do not have any further information regarding this helmet shell's provenance.
The shell still has the front five pointed star, but shows total paint loss and extensive oxidation on the interior and exterior. There is cracking and chunks missing along the edge, along with some scattered larger cracks that extend up several inches. The other two liner attachment points can still be seen, but they are completely corroded over.
A great piece of Pacific War History, ready to add to your collection!
The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps and Navy landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II. Lying roughly halfway between American Army Airforce bases in the Mariana Islands and the Japanese islands, the military base on Iwo Jima gave the Japanese an ability to send early air raid warnings to the Japanese mainland and launch fighters from its airfields to intercept raids. The American invasion, designated Operation Detachment, had the purpose of capturing the island with its two airfields: South Field and Central Field. The strategic objectives were twofold: the first was to provide an emergency landing strip for battle-damaged B-29s unable to make it back to US air bases in the Marianas Tinian, Saipan, Guam. The second was to provide air fields for fighter escorts, long-range P-51s, to provide fighter coverage to the bombers. The five-week battle saw some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the Pacific War.
The IJA positions on the island were heavily fortified, with a dense network of bunkers, hidden artillery positions, and 18 km (11 mi) of tunnels. The American ground forces were supported by extensive naval artillery, and had complete air supremacy provided by U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators throughout the battle.
Japanese combat deaths numbered three times the number of American deaths although, uniquely among Pacific War Marine battles, American total casualties (dead and wounded) exceeded those of the Japanese. Of the 21,000 Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima at the beginning of the battle, only 216 were taken prisoner, some of whom were captured because they had been knocked unconscious or otherwise disabled. The majority of the remainder were killed in action, although it has been estimated that as many as 3,000 continued to resist within the various cave systems for many days afterwards, eventually succumbing to their injuries or surrendering weeks later.
Joe Rosenthal's Associated Press photograph of the raising of the U.S. flag on top of the 169 m (554 ft) Mount Suribachi by six U.S. Marines became an iconic image of the battle and the American war effort in the Pacific.
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