| Original caption: “An Amtrac stopped by Jap[anese] mortar fire — An Amtrac stopped by Jap[anese] mortar fire burns on the beach on D-day. In the foreground is a howitzer used by Marines who carried out the amphibious operation on the Jap stronghold.” A 75 millimeter (3-inch) Pack Howitzer M1 is in the foreground as LVT-4 Amtracs with supplies are shelled by Japanese mortars. Out of frame, prepared gun pits were ready to receive artillery when Japanese shelling began. By the time of the Iwo Jima invasion, 1 M1 battalion was left in each Artillery Regiment, where the gun was nicknamed ‘Tiny Tim’. It served with the 1st Battalion, 11th Marines on Iwo Jima, where its small size and ample ammunition supplies made it a popular weapon. Photographed by Warrant Officer Obadiah “Obie” E. Newcomb V (June 22, 1909 – February 25, 2004), United States Marine Corps Reserve. On Iwo, Newcomb documented the amphibious landings, ground assaults, and combat of individual Marines and small groups, as well as the treatment of wounded Marines by doctors and corpsmen. Imperial Japanese Army Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (July 7, 1891 – circa March 26, 1945) waited until the 2nd wave was ashore, and then unleashed machine guns, mortars, and artillery on the crowded beaches. Obadiah “Obie” E. Newcomb V, of Yonkers, New York, was 1 of 3 photographers who landed in the 1st wave during the Battle of Tarawa. Working under Staff Sergeant Norman Hatch (March 2, 1921 – April 22, 2017), 5th Marine Division Photo Section, he was the 5th Marine Division Assistant Photography Officer during the Iwo Jima operation. Hatch and Newcomb landed with the 5th Marine Division’s 1st wave on February 19, 1945. He retired from the United States Marine Corps in 1962. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2094.jpg |
| Image Size | 720.69 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2820 x 2249 |
| Photographer | Obadiah “Obie” E. Newcomb V |
| Photographer Title | United States Marine Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | February 19, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | Mount Suribachi |
| State or Province | Iwo Jima |
| Country | Bonins |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | 127-GW-318-110246 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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