| Original caption: “Rounded up in the bitter fighting off Iwo Jima, the first Jap[anese] prisoners of that operation are taken aboard a Coast Guard-manned invasion transport. few Jap[anese] on Iwo Jima were captured as the sons of Nippon fought with fanatical fury to hold the volcanic island fortress against the tremendous striking power of the American forces.” 6 Japanese Prisoners of War arrive on USS Bayfield (APA-33) then part of Task Group 53.2 (Transport Group Baker) from the beach and 1 wounded prisoner came from USS Indianapolis (CA-35) at 1150 Hours. The Prisoner of Wars have been given clean clothes and were fed spaghetti; they crouched on the floor of the mess deck to eat. The report stated “The prisoner eyed the spaghetti skeptically. Perhaps he would prefer rice. However, he lost no time in cleaning the platter.” The 1st Prisoner of War to be taken on Iwo Jima arrived at USS Bayfield, the designated receiving ship, at 2300 Hours on February 19. The 2nd Prisoner of War, a wounded Japanese soldier, arrived on February 20 at 1100 Hours. Bayfield departed for Guam on March 1, 1945. The Prisoners of War were transferred to the stockade there. Evidence of the Japanese determination to resist to the end is found in the number of prisoners of war captured as of D+19 (March 10), Total Prisoners of War taken by the V Amphibious Corps (VAC) was 111. Of this figure only 67 were Japanese, the other 44 were Korean labor troops. Just what percentage of the Japanese defense force had become casualties by this time was not known, but as of March 26 only 216 Prisoners of War had been taken. In April and May, however, aggressive patrol and ambush activity by the United States Army 147th Infantry Regiment netted 867 prisoners and killed 1,602 Japanese. Photo by Robert C. Campbell (February 13, 1923 – October 17, 2011). During World War II he served in the Coast Guard aboard the USS Bayfield and later the LST 784 as an Electronics Technician’s Mate Petty Officer 1st Class. He participated in the D-Day invasions of Normandy and Southern France, continuing on to the Pacific Theater during the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He also served in the Navy during the Korean conflict. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1777.jpg |
| Image Size | 1.60 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 4303 x 3464 |
| Photographer | Robert Campbell |
| Photographer Title | United States Coast Guard |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | February 23, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | Iwo Jima |
| Country | Bonins |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | 26-G-4128 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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