Landings.

This is coolbert:

I have asked the editor of the military web site G2mil for his comments on my previous blog entry about Iwo Jima.

G2mil is an excellent web site by a retired U.S. Marine officer. Is iconoclastic. DO NOT expect to always agree with what you read. But is a good site. I recommend it highly.

This retired Marine officer [the editor] says:

"By war's end, a total of 2,251 B-29s made forced landings on the island. This figure represented 24,761 flight crewmen, many of whom would have perished at sea without the availability of Iwo Jima as a safe haven."

[The above is from my blog entry. I was quoting from the Iwo Jima wiki in that instance!!]

The editor comments:

"That sounds like an very inflated number, perhaps the Generals covering up. I suspect most all these B-29s could have made it back to Saipan, but landed at Iwo because they were concerned about minor damage or crew injury. And most [of] those landed at sea were saved anyway. The B-29s flew too high for Jap AAA and even fighters, so they were mostly untouchable. The exception was the Tokyo firebomb raid where they were ordered to swoop down to 5000 feet because LeMay wanted be certain he burned the city properly. Rent the great recent movie "Fog Of War" at you video store for more insight."

"I recall one estimate that the Iwo field saved perhaps 300 aircrew lives."

[300 aircrewmen lives saved as compared to over 24,000!!! Who is right here??!!]

From that Iwo Jima wiki site:

"the original decision to invade, however, which was almost entirely based on the Army Air Force's belief that the island would be a useful base for long-range fighter escorts."

"USMC Captain Robert Burrell of the US Naval Academy has suggested that only a small proportion of the 2,251 landings were for genuine emergencies, the great majority being for minor technical checkups, training, or refueling. According to Burrell, 'this justification became prominent only after the Marines seized the island and incurred high casualties. The tragic cost of Operation Detachment pressured veterans, journalists, and commanders to fixate on the most visible rationalization for the battle. The sight of the enormous, costly, and technologically sophisticated B-29 landing on the island's small airfield most clearly linked Iwo Jima to the strategic bombing campaign.'"

What is one to make of all this??

Also from the editor:

I found this link of interest.

http://www.donaldsensing.com/2005/03/iwo-jima-and-iraq-how-similar_01.html

Comparisons between Iwo Jima and the current war in Iraq?? Sounds interesting.

Let me look into that!

coolbert.