FEBRUARY 19, 1945 USS YUMA ATF 94
LEON EMERSON QM 1/c

Fifty- nine years ago we were approaching Iwo Jima Island for one of the WWII greatest battles. This island, where our story takes place, is three miles long and two miles wide, pear shaped. On it is Mt. Suribachi an extinct volcano 550 feet high at the western end.

The island is eight hundred miles south of Tokyo and 675 miles north of Siapan where the B-29s, our largest long range bombers are based. The B 29s have been raiding Japan but suffering considerable losses. None of our fighters have enough range to protect them.

The island contains three airfields shown on the maps, the largest of which is above on the hill where we were to land. All of the northern part of the island is rocky and not suitable for landings, only the southern beach about two miles long. The Japs knew exactly where we would be landing. For six months this island has been regularly bombed by our carrier forces. The Battleships and Cruisers, the primary bombardment forces had been shelling the island for several days softening it up for the Marine landings.

We all knew that this operation was not going to be easy. We were warned that it was heavily fortified and had lots of interconnecting caves. They had many months to prepare for our invasion. We knew that the Japanese soldiers also would fight to the death. We had seen this in every battle in the Pacific from Guadalcanal onward. Very few prisoners were ever taken. We were given clear warning about the task from Admiral Turner, Commander of all amphibious landing forces. Japan is going to hold on to this island as long as possible. We knew we must take it, no matter what the loss and expense. We thought we were mentally prepared for the worst, we had no idea how bad it would be.

Intelligence reports that the island was volcanic in nature, with fine volcanic ash covering the surface. The island turned out to have an underground network of caves and a very large army was prepared to fight it out to the last man.
The ash was so fine one could hardly walk through it much less run. The tanks and vehicles would stick as if they were in mud. The 12 foot bank of ash on the beach was a real problem to because it operated like a sea wall barrier. The Sea Bees had to bring in bulldozers and make a road through the bank and line the roads with the steel matting they planed to use for the airstrip. It took time and this caused a pileup of men, materials and equipment on the beach, all under a withering fire from above. The Japanese had the ranges on the beach set for their artillery and mortars. There were land mines everywhere. Lots of men lost their lives or were wounded right on the beach. The foot soldiers made it through and kept advancing

We have a force of about 800 ships on this operation with unknown thousands of Marine, Army and Sea Bees aboard ready to go ashore. The large Battlewagons and Cruisers have been bombarding for several days softening up the beach but no one knows how effectively. The pill boxes and machine gun and mortar nests are so well camouflaged that they cannot be seen even from a few feet away.

The USS Yuma is a fleet tug carrying a crew of about 100 men. Our class is 205 feet long, 39 foot beam, 1740 tons displacement, drawing 13’ 9” of water. It is armed with a 3”-50 Caliber deck gun, two 40MMs and two 20MMs antiaircraft guns, antisubmarine sonar screening gear and surface search radar.

Our primary assignment on this invasion was to keep the beach clear and the landing craft moving on and off the beach along with whatever other jobs we might be given. Our area is nearest Mt. Suribachi which was on the western end of the beach. The main airport was on the hill just above our area. The USS Zuni ATF-95 a sister ship, has the other end of the two mile beach.

The Landing craft followed by the amphtracs, light tanks, approached the beach in perfect formation followed by the LCTs and LSTs. The shore bombardment by the battleships, cruisers and destroyers laid down a withering fire staying about 200 yards ahead of the forward marines after they got on the beach. Within a short time after the first landing the Japs opened up with everything they had and the fire was withering, a veritable hell.
The first call we got was from an LSM that had opened up its gates right into the face of a machine gun nest that laid down a withering fire right down the deck. Many were killed and wounded. We were able to pull her off the beach as it could not get off on its own power. This was repeated many times over the day.
The Japs had the beach zeroed in and the mortars, machine gun and artillery fire was devastating. Land mines were everywhere. The amphtracs and tanks got stuck right on the beach in the light volcanic ash. There was almost a sea wall of the volcanic ash about twelve feet high which was such a fine dust that they could not move off the beach. It was so fine the men could only walk, not run. When they tried to dig a fox hole, the ash would only come down into the hole. Most could only get their heads down and many were shot in the back and butt causing a huge number of spinal casualties.
The landing ships were side by side almost all along the beach. Everything was happening so fast it was difficult to keep up. Just trying to get over that ten or twelve foot bank was a Herculean task. The Sea Bees came in with bulldozers and made roads up through the bank after lining the roads with the interlocking steel matting used for roadbeds airport runways. This was very helpful to all of the tanks and vehicles. They began to move again in face of the withering fire.
The were hundreds of marines pushing ahead up the hill. Others are getting artillery set up and firing at designated targets. The beach is littered with lots of casualties, dead and wounded. Materials, ammunitions and supplies are stacking up making things very crowded. All the men are trying to keep their head down and dig in where they can. The artillery guys have the advantage of artillery caissons they can use for lining their fox holes, others have to snuggle down in the volcanic ash.
The Beach Masters are running up and down the beach directing traffic with a bull horn, a navy signalman/ radioman following in their footsteps. They seem to be the only one’s standing in most of the areas where everybody else is prone on the ground. Periodically you will see one fall and another will jump up and take his place. They are trying to get the unloaded ships off the beach and bring others in. The ships are so thick that we can hardly maneuver.
Some of the landing ships seem to be stuck in the volcanic ash. It acts like a suction cup to the landing craft and their engines are not strong enough to get them off the beach. We then have to hook on to them and pull them off. At one time, the Beach Master, a commander asked if we could spare a signalman/radioman if another was needed. The executive officer mentioned to me that if they called he would like me to go. I did not relish that idea from what I could see it was not healthy down there. Fortunately they did not ask us again and he did not mention it further.
There were many of our planes in the air. However, we did not see any of the enemy planes but the radio was talking about several ships getting hit with kamikaze. It is clear there is a big task force of our carriers out there somewhere. Those above us were all carrier planes. There was heavy antiaircraft fire coming from the island. We saw three of our planes shot down. It was clear that one pilot did not make it but the others apparently made it okay.
The CVE BISMARK SEA one of the escort carriers doing submarine screening was sunk last night by kamikaze we understand. Admiral Turner had warned us this was not going to be a picnic.
An ammunition dump was blown up. Boy what a show! Our marines seem to be on top of the hill trying to take the landing field. There are three shown on the island maps. We cannot see the others. We are working down below one of them. If this keeps up they might take this small island in a short time. (It took 46 days).
We came along side an LSM and it was really shot to hell. There were mortar and machine gun holes all in her. Six men killed, a lot wounded. They were carrying tanks and lowered their gates right into a Jap machine gun nest.
Every ship coming off the beach is carrying wounded. They are transporting most of them to the hospital ships as they can put them aboard. Those Marines are really taking a beating. There is a pile of bodies on the dune. I am glad my brother Cecil is not in this division, they are really being hit hard. Those Marines have guts. No matter how many casualties they keep advancing right into the face of withering fire.
The pill boxes and gun emplacements are so well camouflage they cannot be seen until they are right on top of them. When a pill box is blown up it is usually by one of the battle wagons. We cannot see them until they are exposed by a direct hit from the cruisers or wagons off shore.
February 21. We are clearing the beach now of wreckage and disabled ships so the other LSTs, LSMs and LCTs can make it in. There never seems to be enough room on the beach for the others. Men and supplies keep stacking up but it seems that there is not enough of everything.
I understand that the USS ZUNI ATF 95 broached on the other end of the beach. Got their cable wound around their screw in trying to rescue an LST. Not clear what happened but they are out of action.
Think I just saw a Jap spotter up in the rocks on Suribachi. Wow, direct hit. Now there is no more pile of rocks.
We have just run aground, all engines stopped. Tide is out. We draw 14 feet about the same as the LSTs when loaded. They need to get off the beach and out of the way. Skipper sent the motor launch out with our anchor and then we got a line into the LST and winched her off the beach. Great maneuver and it seems to have worked.
Engineering officer reported we got the silt into our circulatory system and it would have to be taken apart and purged otherwise the sand would ruin our engines. They did it in very short order but they said there was a great deal of damage done to the circulatory system. All we can do is carrying on the best we can.
We are again underway helping as much as we can. Seems every time we get a job, two or three are waiting. There does not seem to be much wrong with our hull according to the engineers. This may take us out of action soon. (I think we all had mixed emotions about that)
February 23. Rainey and overcast but about four o’clock, there was a cheer on the ships and on the beach. People were pointing up to the top of the mountain, there was our flag flying! It was so clear it seemed we could count every star and every stripe. Everybody was so happy. It was a great boost to morale on the entire force. The marines had made it to the top against overwhelming odds.
We could see the sea bee bulldozers working around the mountain preceded by flame throwers and marines. Every once in a while it would appear that a dozer operator would fall off one of the dozers and another operator would climb up on the dozer and continue the road.
Valor you have never seen the like or dreamed it could happen. (There were 22 Congressional Medal of Honor granted in this campaign, the most ever of any battle)
Those LCTs, equipped with rockets really lay down a withering fire. When they let go a salvo, it seems to level an area of about five acres. They bring them right up to the beach and launch the rockets in one huge salvo. First time we have seen those ships.
Kamikaze raid is coming in and we received an order from the command ship to make smoke and boy did we make smoke. It wrapped around the ships and the beach. We saw no kamikaze but other ships were hit off the beach and around but we could not see them. We heard the reports over the TBS radio and from Command talking.
Just saw a heavy shell land in about 20 marines up on the hill. God, what a mess. Casualties are very heavy and the marines seem to be at a standstill. The Island is honeycombed with caves and pill boxes. Suribachi has many caves and their artillery is run out of the caves fired and then pulled back. It is very deadly for our people.
Marines are burning them out with fire breathing tanks and man carrying flame throwers inching up the mountain. As they can, they are sealing up the caves with explosive charges and direct hits from the Battlewagons and Cruisers’ big guns. Either way, they are burning and blowing them out, one by one.

Rain and wind getting up, sea is getting rough. It is really tough on the supplying of the beach and the small boats. When it got dark, many of these amphibian tanks (Alligators) instead of heading into the very dangerous beach, they headed out to sea. Now the wind is swamping them.
Next morning there was a heavy fog such that you could not see the beach. The marines that were still afloat would probably be lost at sea without any compass or other guidance system.
We were ordered to patrol the sea off the beach and see if we can pick up some of the marines in alligators that are lost. We picked up a large number of them. I do not remember the count. Many were just swimming around. Most of theAligators had already sunk. They were really glad to see us! The Alligators that were found afloat, we picked up the marines and left the Alligators to sink. We patrolled all day. Those marines were happy to enjoy our chow and get dry and warm. That also was one more day they would not be on that damned island! Only the lord knows how many we did not pick up and were lost at sea.
I have never seen or even believed that there could be such heroism. Every one of them should have gotten important medals. In the words of Admiral Nimitz,”Uncommon valor was a common virtue”.



EPILOGUE
The US Marine Corp lost 4554 men killed in action and 17,272 wounded in actions. Large numbers of spinal injuries which would be permanent injuries.
Navy lost 413 killed and 1917 wounded in action. I do not know how many ships were lost or damaged, but there were many sunk or put out of action with severe damage.
Battle casualties amounted to 30 percent of the entire landing force and 75% of the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions. Another Marine division was in reserve, but much to the chagrin of the commanding General and the men ashore were not allowed to be used by the Admiral in charge. They were the reserves which hit the beach first on Okinawa a month later. Probably none of the men ashore knew of that operation coming up. We did not.
The Marines were pulled off and the Army troops were sent in for the clean up. The battle lasted for 46 days. The Army took 867 more prisoners in April and May during which time 1602 Japanese were killed. Isolated pockets held out even longer.
A great deal was learned in routing out of Japanese from the caves on Iwo which was used in Okinawa that had a similar cave complex.
Sea Bees landed 7600 men on D day and they had an airstrip ready for a damaged B-29 landing five days later while the battle was still raging on the Island. They built a road up Mt Suribachi during the heat of the battle.
By the end of the war over 2400 emergency landings were made on the island by B-29s saving the crews of many thousands of men.
The P51 Mustang, our long range fighters now based on Iwo Jima could protect the B-29s operating in Japan saving many more from being shot down. It is unknown how many more men were saved by the Mustang fighters. There is no doubt that the capture of Iwo Jima became a major contribution to victory over Japan.
The Marines and Army killed or sealed into caves 20,703 Japanese and only 216 were taken prisoner. It was one of the bloodiest battles the Marines Corps History. They were all heroes in my eyes.