Iwo Jima

[bob44]

Lets talk about an invasion of Iwo Jima shortly after the invasion of Saipan. Possibly in July of 1944.
Would this be a feasible plan?
Delaying taking Guam and Tinian?
The Japanese carrier air power is destroyed, but there is still a large Japanese naval fleet available. And many land based aircraft.

 

[davebender]

By 1944 the USA had naval superiority including a huge CV force. We could land troops anywhere adjacent to the ocean.

Whether Iwo Jima should be invaded before securing the Marianas is another matter.

 

[syscom3]

The Mariana's were the absolute priority as per the JCS. The airfields for the B29 was the rationale for that. However, an invasion after the fall of Guam instead of the wasted effort for Peleliu would have had been entirely feasible.

 

[mikewint]

Iwo Jima was strategically important for several reasons: (1) it provided an air base for Japanese fighter planes to intercept long-range B-29 bombers (2) it provided a haven for Japanese naval units in need of support, (3) it was used by the Japanese to stage air attacks on the Mariana Islands from November 1944 through January 1945. With the capture of Iwo Jima these problems would be eliminated and the US would have a staging area for the Operation Downfall - the invasion of the Japanese Home Islands. Lastly the distance of B-29 raids would be cut in half, and a base would be available for P-51 Mustang fighters to escort and protect the bombers.

It is also well to remember that at the time intelligence sources were confident that Iwo Jima would fall in one week. In light of such optimistic intelligence reports, the decision was made to invade the island.

 

[bob44]

Agreed. Best to secure Saipan, Tinian and Guam first.
The argument would be then to bypass the Philippines and Peleliu, and go straight for Iwo Jima and Okinawa?