SECRET 24 FEB 45 FROM: 5TH MAR DIV 3D MAR DIV TO : VAC INFO: 4TH MAR DIV X HQ EXPED TRS DURING THE NIGHT THE NORTHERN FRONT WAS QUIET X ON THE SOUTHERN FRONT THE ENEMY CONSISTENTLY ATTEMPTED TO PENETRATE OUR LINES X FURTHER DETAILS ARE GIVEN UNDER ENEMY ACTIVITIES BELOW X THE DIVISION CP AND BEACH AREA RECEIVED MODERATE SHELL FIRE FOR A SHORT PERIOD AROUND 2000 AND 2400 X AFTER A VERY HEAVY PREPARATION OF AIR NAVAL GUNFIRE AND ARTILLERY ON THE POSITIONS TO THE NORTH OF AIRFIELD NUMBER TWO RCT 21 JUMPED OF IN AN ATTACK SUPPORTED BY THE TANKS OF 3RD MAR DIV AND 4TH MAR DIV AND 5TH MAR DIV X THE PROGRESS WAS VERY SLOW WITH MANY TANKS BEING PUT OUT OF OPERATION BY ANTI-TANK MINES AND ANTI-TANK GUNS X ABUT NOON RCT 21 CAME UP GENERALLY ABREAST OF US AND A COORDINATED ATTACK WAS LAUNCHED ABOUT 1330 AFTER ANOTHER PREPARATION O NAVAL GUNFIRE AIR ARTILLERY AND ROCKETS X BLT 3/26 ON 5TH MAR DIV'S RIGHT ADVANCED AT 1350 WITHOUT MUCH SMALL ARMS OPPOSITION BUT RECEIVED CASUALTIES FROM MORTAR FIRE AND THE ENEMY THROWING HAND GRENADES DOWN ON THEM FROM THE CLIFFS ON THE RIGHT FLANK X ON THE SOUTH RCT 28 CONTINUED MOPPING UP THE SURIBACHI AREA BLOWING UP PILLBOXES BLOCKHOUSES AND SEALING OFF CAVES X THERE IS NO WAY OF DETERMINING HOW MANY JAPS WERE TRAPPED IN THESE CAVES BUT IN ONE BLOCKHOUSE FORTY BODIES WERE COUNTED AFTER DES- TRUCTION X FRONT LINES ON THE NORTH AT 1630 WERE 180E TO 198UQN SOUTH TO 198O SOUTH TO 199P NORTHEAST TO 199Q SOUTHWEST X THESE LINES ARE NOT STABILIZED A LATER REPORT WILL BE GIVEN OF THE POSITION OCCUPIED FOR THE NIGHT X ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES ARE STILL A GREAT OBSTACLE IN THE AREAS 147CDI AND 163X X THE ENGINEERS ARE ELIMINATING THE MINES AT THE PRESENT TIME X THE RECONNAISSANCE COMPANY DURING ANTI-SNIPER PATROLS IN THIS AREA HAVE HAD ONE MAN KILLED AND FOUR WOUNDED BY LAND MINES X THE MINES WERE LOCATED IN FOX HOLES TRENCHES AND IN AND AROUND PILLBOXES X MASSING OF ARTILLERY FIRE HAS BEEN FEATURED THROUGHOUT THE DAY A HEAVY PREPARATION OF ARTILLERY FIRE WAS DELIVERED IN THE EARLY MORNING PRIOR TO THE INITIAL ATTACK THROUGHOUT THE DAY TWO ADDITIONAL ARTILLERY PREPARATIONS WERE FIRED AS OUR FRONT LINE TROOPS WERE TEMPORARILY STOPPED IN THEIR ADVANCE X ONE EXAMPLE OF THIS MASSED ARTILLERY FIRE WAS EVIDENCED BY THE CLOSE COORDINATION OF ALL ARTILLERY DURING THE ATTACK AT 1330 AT THIS TIME WITH TANKS AND INFANTRY ATTACKING IT WAS POSSIBLE TO BRING ALL ARTILLERY ON IWO JIMA ON ANY ONE TARGET DESIRED AND THIS WAS DONE X COMMUNICATIONS WERE "CROSS-JACKED" BETWEEN THE 13TH MARINES 14TH MARINES V CORPS ARTILLERY AND THE 5TH TANK BATTALION X AS THE TANKS AND INFANTRY ADVANCED THE TANKS WOULD CALL FOR FIRE AND ALL ARTILLERY WOULD BE SHIFTED TO THE TARGET SO DESIRED X THE ARTILLERY FIRE DIRECTION CENTER OF THE 13TH MARINES ACTED AS THE CONTROL UNIT FOR THIS CO- ORDINATION X THIS INVOLVED A HEAVY TAX UPON THE VARIOUS COMMUNICATION FACILITIES AVAILABLE BUT N SPITE OF COMMUNICATION LINES BEING BROKEN THIS COMPLETE MASSING OF FIRES WAS ACCOMPLISHED X VALUABLE OBSERVATION WAS OBTAINED BY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ARTILLERY OP'S ON SURIBACHI MOUNTAIN X FLASH RANGING STATIONS WERE ALSO ESTABLISHED ON THIS MOUNTAIN X THESE TWO SOURCES OBSERVED JAP GUNS MORTARS AND ROCKETS FIRING AT OUR TROOPS MANY OF WHICH WERE FIRING FROM CAVES X SOME OF THE TARGETS OBSERVED BY THE 13TH MARINES WERE X FIRING FORM CAVES IN TA 201HIJ WHICH WAS FIRING AT OUR TANKS X FIRING FROM JAP GUNS IN TA 216X X ENEMY ARTILLERY FROM TA 201R X ARTILLERY FIRE WAS BROUGHT DOWN UPON THESE TARGETS AND OUR ATTACK CONTINUED X C AND D COMPANIES OF THE 2D ARMORED AMPHIBIAN BATTALION HAVE TWENTY-SEVEN SERVICEABLE LVTA'S X ONE REPAIRABLE X ONE OUT OF ACTION X AND SIX SUNK X THE 3D AND 11TH AMPHIBIAN TRACTOR BATTALIONS HAVE 118 SERVICEABLE TRACTORS X THIRTY REPAIRABLE X AND FIFTY-TWO OUT OF ACTION AND SUNK X IN THE ARMY AND MARINE DUKW COMPANIES EACH HAVE TWENTY DUKW'S IN OPERATION OF THOSE NOT IN OPERATION THE GREAT MAJORITY WERE SUNK IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE LANDING X THE CAUSE OF THE SINKING WAS THAT THEY HAD RECEIVED HOLES FROM BULLETS AND SHELL FRAGMENTS AND DUE TO THE DIFFICULTY IN FINDING A HAVEN EITHER ABOARD SHIP OR ASHORE BEFORE THEY FILLED AND SANK X OUR CASUALTIES TO DATE AS OF 1200 ARE X KIA 27 OFFICERS 415 ENLISTED X WIA 114 OFFICERS 2056 ENLISTED X MIA 2 OFFICERS 171 ENLISTED X TOTAL 143 OFFICERS 2642 ENLISTED X ENEMY DEAD TO DATE 2014 X POW 5 X DURING THE NIGHT ENEMY UNITS CAME OUT OF SURIBACHI YAMA MANY WITHOUT SHOES LADEN WITH GRENADES AND DEMOLITIONS BELIEVED INTENT ON DESTROYING OUR ARTILLERY PIECES X SOME EXPLODED WHEN SHOT X 122 ENEMY WERE DESTROYED IN ATTEMPTING TO PASS THROUGH OUR LINES IN CT 28'S MORNING MOP-UP AT THE BASE OF SURIBACHI AND ALONG BEACHES SOME ENEMY WERE KILLED WHO HAD CAMOUFLAGED THEMSELVES BY BURYING ALL BUT THEIR HEADS IN THE SAND X THE SULPHUR BLOW HOLE WEST OF AIRFIELD NUMBER ONE HAS BEEN FOUND HONEY-COMBED WITH CAVES AND PASSAGEWAYS ARE BELIEVED TO EXIST UNDERGROUND WHICH PERMIT CONSIDERABLE FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT TO THE ENEMY X THIS 150 FOOT DEEP BLOW HOLE HAS BEEN THE SCENE OF HARI KARI BY VARIOUS SONS OF NIPPON X PYROTECHNICS SHOT UP FROM SURIBACHI AT NIGHT STILL CALL ARTILLERY FIRE DOWN ON OUR TROOPS AT THE BASE OF THE VOLCANO X SUPPLIES LANDED DURING THE LAST TWENTY- FOUR HOURS ARE X ONE UNIT OF FIRE FOR 75MM GUNS SMALL ARMS NEGLIGIBLE X ONE-TENTH UNIT OF FIRE 105MM X TWENTY-NINE THOUSAND GALLONS OF WATER X THIRTY-SEVEN THOUSAND GALLONS OF FUEL X TEN THOUSAND RATIONS X LOCATION OF CP'S ARE X 5TH MARINE DIVISION 148G X 26TH MARINES 148F X X 13TH MARINES 147J X 27TH MARINES 181W X 28TH MARINES 147R X RAY A. ROBINSON COLONEL, USMC CHIEF OF STAFF