Iwo

by Richard Wheeler

The story of one of the bloodiest battles in history, resulting in the raising of the American flag on Mt. Suribachi, is documented with a personal touch; the author himself was a member of that company. It is a searing and unique account of that battle, told from the perspective of both the gallant U.S. Marines who invaded the island and the brave Japanese soldiers who defended it.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Military Fiction, Historical, War

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Richard "Dick" Wheeler was an accomplished military historian and served with the United States Marine Corp (Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division) during World War II. Wheeler participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima and was wounded there. He wrote seventeen military history books and served as a consultant on numerous movie and television productions. He passed away on October 21, 2008 at the age of 86.

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Through February and March of 1945 the United States Marines punctuated their status as some of the best soldiers in the United States military on a tiny island North of the Marianas known as Iwo Jima. Richard Wheeler's book tells of the bloodiest battle in the Pacific during World War 2 and how the Fourth, and Fifth Division of the Fifth Amphibious Corps paid dearly for the volcanic island. February 19th the Marines landed thinking that the weeks of bombarding by the Navy and Air Force had weakened the island defenses. Never were they as wrong.
In just over two hundred pages Wheeler describes the wrath of General Kuribayashi and his 20,000 defenders, of which the majority would die in combat are forever be buried underground. The vast array of construction and preparation by the general and the number of troops demonstrated that the island, which was the first piece of true Japanese soil, was of extreme importance. If only the Marines had known how symbolic Iwo was to the Japanese they may have by-passed the island that would be called "Gettysburg of the Pacific". The only problem with that philosophy is that the island was important to the B-29's bombing the main island of Japan. Located about half way from the Marianas and already having two airfields Iwo became as important to the United States as it did to the Japanese.
Richard Wheeler's integrates big picture strategy with personal heroics and battles. In fact three quarters through you find out that the author personally experienced the hell as one of the Marines expected to take the island. To understand the true scope of the battle of Iwo Jima, and why this book holds such importance one only needs to look at these stats.

There were 27 Congressional Medal of Honors awarded to the men who participated in the invasion of Iwo Jima. (By comparison 248 Medal of Honors were received in the entire 10 year war in Vietnam)

From 2003 to 2010 in Iraq Freedom 3,490 KIA and 31,942 WIA have been attributed in those 7 year.
In approximately 5 weeks of battle on Iwo Jima 6,821 men were KIA and 28,686 WIA.

Let no one ever forget the sacrifice.

[Glen Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As part of my ongoing research on a historical novel I want to write set in the 1930s and 40s, I bought this book on the Battle of Iwo Jima. My father was there as a radioman and gunner on a landing craft, and I had known some basic information about the battle, but this book did a good job of filling in the gaps. Further, Wheeler does a thorough job of including the visceral details that add both incredible realism and admiration for those who experienced this battle.

A wounded veteran of Iwo Jima himself, Wheeler did comprehensive interviewing as part of the background research for this book. He also interviewed Japanese survivors and got access to letters written by notable Japanese soldiers such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the architect of the defenses on Iwo and commander of forces there. Having the Japanese perspective added greatly to the telling of the story.

This is not fiction; this was a nonfiction retelling of the story. There was substantial detail in the recounting of many individual incidents. The only downside of the story was that it was encyclopedic in approach. Whether it was the chosen approach of the author or his writing style, the story never got personal. Perhaps if it had gotten too personal, the numerous anecdotes would have suffered somehow. Unfortunately, I found the writing stiff and formal, more like a textbook than narrative.

The information and individual incidents were extensive, visceral and incredible. Wheeler writes in one place of a Marine who suffered injuries from five artillery shells, one after the other, but remarkable survived them, albeit with major injuries. He also goes into detail as to which units were involved in which assaults and who took the most damage, include Easy Company’s assault on Mount Surabachi and the famous hoisting of American colors on that mountain.

The book is fascinating in information, but I thought bland in the telling. I give it 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

[John Meitner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly would not have wanted to be there, and willing to readily admit that each and every one of them was a hero, but the book didn't live up to my expectations, (however I'm not sure I can actually describe what I expected).
Mr. Wheeler describes hundreds, perhaps a thousand various incidents that occurred, and probably that's about all a guy can do to try to relate what he saw, and or learned of, (first hand from the actual participants), but after awhile there was so much similarity........
Again, I'm not sure what else could have been written. I was again disgusted to learn of some cannibalism on the part of the Japanese, but he also describes some activities of our men that were terrible!

[Mark Mortensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author mentioned very interesting untold stories, some very griping and personal that will remain with the reader for a long time. However the 235 page book did not delve into the broad spectrum of the battle of Iwo Jima. There was no safe haven on any portion of the tiny island described by one aviator as “a fat pork chop, sizzling in the skillet”. The easy to identify simple map titled “Progress of the Attack to the North” gave further reason for me to retain the book. I see this book featured as a great addition to complement some of the other numerous Iwo Jima books.

[João · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, almost day-by-day account of the Battle for Iwo Jima. Focuses a fair amount on the author's own company, but the other regiments and battalions are still accounted for. It also contains some small amount of information about the happenings on the Japanese side.

A good read. The casualty statistics provided throughout the book are heart-wrenching, as are the personal stories of bravery, pain, death and heroism.

Cheesy as it is, it Admiral Nimitz's quote deserves to be here: "Among the Americans serving on Iwo island, uncommon valor was a common virtue."

[Voyt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taste of the bloody battle...
POSTED AT AMAZON 2007
..written so excellent, one will hardly ever forget. Dramatic, shocking and sad book about proud not afraid to die but nevertheless doomed Japanese soldiers and desperate, brave, pushed to the limits the Marines, all dying for..(?!). Books about Stalingrad and Monte Casino come to my mind and "Iwo" should be on your shelf together with them. Maybe your children will read it some day and try to ponder nature of wars decided by individuals (rulers/politicians) and resulting in tragedy for many; as
Bertrand Russell noted: "war does not determine who is right, only who is left".

[Brett Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding what I like - stories written by actual combatants of the battle. Mr. Wheeler’s prose is fantastic and this book is easy to read. He describes in great detail what the Marines faced on Iwo and how Kuribayashi set up his defenses to inflict maximum carnage, knowing the American public wouldn’t want to stomach the casualties.

He was a member of Co E., 2nd Battalion, 28th Regiment, 5th Marine Division which famously raised the flag atop Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945. He would have known these me and their stories and this book is a link to the past that I absolutely loved.

Thank you for your service, Mr. Wheeler 🇺🇸

[Austin Gisriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Wheeler, who was a Marine on Iwo Jima, has written an excellent account that combines the arc of the battle from the planning stage through the island's service as an emergency landing area. The general history moves along on a tide of personal stories and anecdotes. Wheeler includes some gruesome stories, always told in a matter-of-fact tone. The fact that someone could relate such stories in a matter-of-fact way reveals the hell that the combatants suffered--that such terrors became, simply, just a matter of fact. Highly recommended.

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough overview of the fighting on Iwo Jima. Richard Wheeler does not mince words as he describes the terrible injuries and deaths suffered by our Marines, and the awful conditions they endured in the battle for this small yet significant island that cost the lives of more than 6,800 Americans. I can't imagine what the survivors must have felt like when, in 1968, it was gifted back to Japan.

[Nate Hendrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was mentioned in another book. The author actually served and was wounded on Iwo Jima. This book is more than his story this is a detailed account of the men who fought and died, both American and Japanese. Many of the fact I already knew, but this book is filled with personal stories that I had never heard before.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very informative book on the WWII battle faught on the island of Iwo Jima. There were also human interest stories in between all the jargon of war strategy. A few stories coincided with the raising of the American flag told (and seen) in Flags of Our Fathers. The author also put in a few stories from the Japanese perspective of the battle.

Don't see this very often, but a small typo I came across in my copy of the book was two pages were switched around. But I was able to figure it out :)

D Day for the battle of Iwo Jima is Feb 19. About when I read this book.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A day by day tale of the battle for Iwo Jima told from the viewpoints of the men who were ther from both sides.