Combat· World War II
Motoyama Airfield No. 2
Airfield Number 2 sat at the heart of Kuribayashi's main cross-island defense line on the central Motoyama plateau.
Taking it required breaking through the strongest belt of mutually supporting bunkers and dug-in positions on the island. A coordinated tank-led assault crossed the divisional boundary to attack along the runways, supported by naval gunfire, artillery, and carrier air. The 3d Marine Division, with the 9th and 21st Marines, drove the main effort, hammering through the twin hills north of the field over three days of unremitting pressure that finally cracked the line. The Marines supplied the assault regiments, armor, and the bulk of the infantry that seized the critical airfield ground.
Podcast episodes on World War II
Record no. 863