USS Boston CA-69 in WWII

As we remember the massive sacrifices made by American amphibious forces on the tiny island of Iwo Jima from February 19 through March 26, 1945, it is important to reflect on the strategic importance of  that volcanic outcropping to both Japan’s defense of her homeland and to America’s strategy to end the war – massive amphibious attacks on the Home Islands of Japan.

The Bonin and Volcano Islands lie halfway between Honshu (Tokyo) and the Marianas. The three most important islands of those two neighboring groups were HaHa Jima, Chichi Jima and Iwo Jima – home to two enemy airfields.  The Japanese defensive plans (as Americans encroached their defenses by victories in the Marshalls and Marianas) always included shuttling fighter planes from Honshu to Okinawa and Iwo Jima airstips.

Taking Iwo Jima would give America a vital airfield about 700 miles from Tokyo, and strip her of vital air-defense “reach”.  After B-24 bases were established at Tinian and Saipan in the Marianas, Iwo as an American airbase would prove invaluable to the strategic Air campaign that ran concurrent with the Navy’s campaign against Tokyo.

Navy planners and commanders took Iwo Jima VERY seriously.  Before it could ever be invaded, it had to be neutralized several times in the year or so prior to the February 1945 Marine invasion.  No one task group nor one group commander is more synonymous with Iwo Jima than is TG58.1 and “Jocko” Clark.  Under his command, the Boston participated in three major assaults against Iwo Jima – twice spearheading the close-up bombardments (as flagship of Cruiser Division10) of airstrips and facilities on Iwo and the Volcano Islands.

Jocko Clark had such a personal interest in attacking Iwo, that one of his raids (at his initiation and suggestion) came to be known as “Operation Jocko”.

I will detail the raids against IWO JIMA in my next blog.

1944: The Boston’s Task Group (58.4) spends the middle of February involved in Operation Catchpole – the capture of Eniwetok in the Western Marshall Islands.  The ships supported carrier-plane strikes against Engebi and other enemy positions in the Atoll. From Feb. 17 through Feb. 21, the ships offered air support for the Marine invasion of Engebi. The Task Group left the area on the 21 and sailed east to Majuro Atoll; dropping anchor in the lagoon until March 1.

1945: The Boston is steaming north on Feb 15, part of the massive armada of ships of Operation Detachment; the infamous amphibious assault on Iwo Jima. On Feb 16, the Task Groups’ carriers unleash deckloads of planes from their position less than 100 miles from Tokyo. Their two-day mission: bomb strategic targets in and around Tokyo.  On Feb. 18^th, the ships refueled, and on the morning of Feb. 19, the ships began the bombardment of Iwo Jima in support of the Marine invasion.  The Boston spent the next 10 days ranging between the Bonins and Japan, riding out a typhoon and supporting carrier launches as weather permitted. On Feb 28, the Boston was heading toward Okinawa.

1946:  The Boston completes her Occupation Duties on Feb 28, and heads back to the States to unload her crew prior to her retirement in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (3/12/46.)