Iwo Jima, Okinawa & Gaza - The Similarities Are Eerie
Back To The Future Past - An Examination of World War II History in Light of Gaza
There is nothing new beneath the sun.
That verse from Ecclesiastes 1:9 has been going through my head for months. So, as usual, please follow “the method to my madness,” and I will explain.
Today, we will deeply dive into the battle for Iwo Jima during World War II, which changed a great deal of American thinking and certainly affected how the war would end.
As usual, you must put up with “the method to my madness.”
This week, in 1945, America was fighting with the Japanese in Iwo Jima.
The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II. The American invasion, designated Operation Detachment, aimed to capture the island with its two airfields: South Field and Central Field.
The Japanese Army positions on the island were heavily fortified, with a dense network of bunkers, hidden artillery positions, and 18 km (11 mi) of tunnels. The American ground forces were supported by extensive naval artillery and had complete air supremacy provided by U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators throughout the battle. The five-week battle saw some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the Pacific War.1
Just from that statement, by changing a few county names to Israel and Hamas Terrorists, you could get the chills. But let us move on.
For those of you ingrained with history and those who are not, one of the most famous photographs of World War II emerged from Iwo Jima. Unfortunately, the photograph that hit the papers was actually a staged photo and took place after the first raising of the flag. It makes no difference, though. The photograph is iconic in its power.
But how and why did America get there? That is the complicated story.
It was February of 1945. Everyone on the planet knew Germany was doomed. Everyone except, of course, the most devoted Nazis. They thought they could still get out of this somehow. The Americans and Allies were giddy with a victory following the victory. Stalin was on his way to Berlin, and nothing would stand in his way. Churchill finally saw the “end of the end” in sight. And FDR was planning on ensuring victory this time would not lead to a “next time.”
There was also something important that had been decided behind the scenes. This took place at the Casablanca Conference in January 1943, and no one would ever back off from the conclusions.
The Casablanca Conference was a meeting between U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the city of Casablanca, Morocco that took place from January 14–24, 1943. While Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin received an invitation, he was unable to attend because the Red Army was engaged in a major offensive against the German Army at the time. The most notable developments at the Conference were the finalization of Allied strategic plans against the Axis powers in 1943, and the promulgation of the policy of “unconditional surrender.”2
But as it turns out, “unconditional surrender” has a price.
According to the Navy Department Library, "the 36-day assault resulted in more than 26,000 American casualties, including 6,800 dead." By comparison, the much larger scale 82-day Battle of Okinawa lasting from early April until mid-June 1945 (involving five U.S. Army and two Marine Corps divisions) resulted in over 62,000 U.S. casualties, of whom over 12,000 were killed or missing. Iwo Jima was also the only U.S. Marine battle where the American casualties exceeded the Japanese, although Japanese combat deaths numbered three times as many as American deaths. Two U.S. Marines were captured during the battle, neither of whom survived their captivity.
You see, the Allies never doubted that they would crush Germany once D-Day was launched and they could push inland. It was a matter of time. The Japanese were a different story. Their entire culture, educational system, and honor rested on the premise that “surrender is worse than death.” They held hostages. They were as cruel as the Nazis were. And they would not give an inch.
Do you know what else the Japanese were incredibly good at? Building tunnels and fortifying them. They knew they would not get off Iwo Jima alive. They also would make sure the Americans would pay in dear blood for every inch of land they took.
Iwo Jima & Okinawa. They are two names that live in the infamy of battles the United States had to fight in World War Two.
These two battles and their tunnels, the ferocity of the Japanese, and their unwillingness to surrender even when they knew they would die convinced many American generals that the taking of Japan would cost, at the very least, one million lives. And the population of the United States and the allies (except for Stalin) would put up with such losses. It was an untenable proposition. Japan had to surrender unconditionally. They would not; the Emperor of Japan refused to admit defeat until the very last moment.
We all know what happened then. We all know it because it is one of human history's most conflicted and referred-to moments. The Allies had to end the war, and no one would even consider going through Iwo Jima and Okinawa X 10000 again.
And just like that, it was finally over after two of those, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Don’t Even Think It
I am not so insane, nor would I ever propose dropping a bomb of that magnitude on Gaza. Let us be clear here. I am just giving you the elementary basics of what happened in World War II.
But remember, the Americans and the Allies had another option. Enter Japan proper with their forces and slowly conquer it.
Still, let us look at the similarities. These are established facts by now; no sane person on the left or right would argue with the below.
Hamas inculcates their children and educational institutions with a rabid hate of Jews and Israel.
Hamas would never surrender. Their culture does not allow it.
Hamas loves taking hostages. Not POWs but HOSTAGES.
Hamas will never agree to surrender its hold on Gaza unless they are all gone.
Do you know what else Hamas is great at?
You got it! Creating massive tunnels under the city.
They hide in these tunnels. They keep Israel's hostages in these tunnels. They torture people in these tunnels. They emerge from these tunnels to kill Israeli soldiers. They use them to get close to or underneath the border with Israel so they can kill, torture, maim, rape, mutilate and destroy.
And guess what? They, too, just like the Japanese, believe it is an honor to do these things, and the worst possible thing that can happen to them is to be captured or surrender.
Eerie how there is nothing new under the sun.
So what does Israel do?
The world no longer likes the term “unconditional surrender.” It has become an anathema to civilized society.
Israel is demanding “unconditional surrender.” It has had enough.
There is only one way to reach that goal. Israel absolutely must take the road of conquering and hunting down every single terrorist. Leaving some infrastructure in Gaza for them to rule and operate guarantees within the next few years, we will be living through this all over again.
Kind of conundrum, don’t you think?
Like King Solomon wrote:
There is nothing new beneath the sun.
By the way, if you are interested in the history of Iwo Jima, here is a fact sheet.
And if you want a beyond excellent YouTube channel on World War II and watch the 30-minute video of what happened this week in 1945, see this.
Battle of Iwo Jima. (2024, February 23). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iwo_Jima
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/casablanca
Excellent article. I've studied the end of WW II a lot, and the one thing no one realizes is: the last straw for the Japanese was NOT the A-bomb. Nagasaki was Aug. 9. They didn't surrender until Aug.15.
The last straw was the USSR invading Manchuria. Up until then, they still thought Stalin might broker an "acceptable" peace treaty. After that, they realized he might start invading the home islands, and surrendering to the US was preferable.
double-checking with doppelganger...
nope, i didn't...