Three regiments of the 77th Infantry Division had landed on Ie Shima, a small island just off the western cape of the Motobu Peninsula. Reconnaissance flights had failed to determine the extent of Japanese troop strength on the island, and the army ran into unexpectedly stiff resistance on a terrain feature they called “Bloody Ridge.” Five days were needed to quell resistance on Ie Shima. The Americans suffered 258 killed and 879 wounded; virtually the entire garrison of 4,700 Japanese troops was wiped out.
