| Aerial photograph taken prior to the mid-February invasion of the island. Mount Suribachi, at Iwo Jima’s southern end, is in the lower left. Motoyama Airfield Number 1 is in the center; Motoyama Airfield Number 2 is to the northeast of Number 1. Airfield Number 3 was under construction, but is obscured by clouds in this photo. The United States Marines landed at Green 1, Red 3, Yellow 3, and Blue 3 Beaches in the Mount Suribachi sector and the Southern sector of the Japanese defensive lines. The Imperial Japanese Navy Naval Guard Force commanded by Captain Samaji Inouye (???? – March 8, 1945) and the Imperial Japanese Army 309th Independent Infantry Battalion, 2nd Mixed Brigade commanded by Captain Katsutaro Awazu (???? – March 17, 1945) opposed the Blue Beach landings; the 1st Battalion, 145th Infantry Regiment, 109th Infantry Division Major Mitsuaki Hara (September 12, 1909 – ????) defended Motoyama Airfield Number 1; the 312th Independent Infantry Battalion, 2nd Mixed Brigade commanded by Captain Kenjiro Osada (???? – March 17, 1945) defended Mount Suribachi. Only Mitsuaki Hara survived the battle; he was the ranking officer captured on Iwo Jima. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1776.jpg |
| Image Size | 5.77 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 7726 x 6000 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Navy |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | February 1, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | Iwo Jima |
| Country | Bonins |
| Archive | Naval History and Heritage Command |
| Record Number | NH 106377 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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