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One of World War II’s most decisive battles will be commemorated this weekend at Fredericksburg’s National Museum of the Pacific War.
It's the five-week battle that took place on the eight-square-mile Island of Iwo Jima, where nearly 7,000 Americans died. The museum’s Courtney Carr said there was one reason Iwo Jima was so important to take.
“Because of the location. It was 750 miles from Tokyo,” Carr said.
Long range B-29 Bombers could fly from Saipan to Tokyo and back, but they needed protection from American fighters—which didn’t have that kind of range. Since Iwo Jima was hundreds of miles closer to Japan, basing fighters there would give them the ability to protect the B-29s even without having the bombers’ range.
Carr noted the image that most Americans remember from the horrific battle.
“After about four days of intense fighting, marines raised an American flag atop Mount Suribachi, which is the iconic photo that people see and recognize most often,” she said.
The lesser-known fact about that famous photo is that the battle wasn’t yet won when the picture was taken, and three of the six men hoisting the flag would die in the coming days. The Japanese had been told to fight until the last man, as the losing of Iwo Jima would leave Japan quite vulnerable. All but a few hundred of the 20,000 Japanese soldiers stationed there, died there.
This weekend, there in Fredericksburg, three days of activities are planned, including appearances from veterans of the battle and the dedication of a plaque in their honor. On Saturday night there is live music from Austin band Montopolis, which has scored music and assembled visuals specifically for this night. Then on Sunday at the museum, they’re conducting an Iwo Jima battle re-enactment.
“We do have what is called the Pacific combat zone, and it is our living history grounds here at the museum. We do several reenactments throughout the year,” she said. “We have vehicles, we have a flame thrower. We have artillery that fire blanks.”
Also on the grounds of the museum is a garden planted in 1976. It’s a formal garden, a gift of the Japanese people, and it is called The Japanese Garden of Peace.
