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57-536: The first span was completed in the early 1970s and the second span was constructed in the mid-1990s. In 1998, the bridges were named in honor of Charles Hardaway Marks (1921–2004), a prominent local attorney and politician who was long a state legislator representing the area in the Virginia General Assembly . Marks was a retired US Marine Corps Captain who served in the Pacific theater during World War II ,

114-550: A bombardment would not allow him time to replenish his ships' ammunition before the landings; he thus refused Schmidt's request. Schmidt then asked for nine days of shelling; Blandy again refused and insisted upon a three-day bombardment. This decision was resented among the Marines in the landing force. After the war, Lieutenant General Holland M. "Howlin' Mad" Smith , commander Expeditionary Troops (Task Force 56, which consisted of Schmidt's Fifth Amphibious Corps), bitterly complained that

171-487: A frequent lack of supporting naval gunfire had cost Marine lives throughout the Allied island-hopping campaign. Each heavy warship was assigned an area on Iwo Jima to saturate with shells, ultimately covering the entire island. Each warship fired for approximately six hours before stopping for a certain amount of time. Poor weather on D-3 (three days before the landings) led to uncertain results for that day's bombardment. On D-2,

228-807: A long illness. Marks was a veteran of World War II and had served as a captain in the United States Marine Corps . He was wounded during the Battle of Iwo Jima , for which he received the Purple Heart . He was a longtime member of Merchant's Hope Church in Prince George. In 1998 the Charles Hardaway Marks Bridges spanning the Appomattox River between Hopewell and Chesterfield were named in his honor. This article about

285-467: A member of the Virginia House of Delegates is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Battle of Iwo Jima Main battle phase: 6,821 dead 19,217 wounded 2 captured 2,648 fatigued 137 tanks destroyed 28,698 total Main battle phase: 17,845–18,375 KIA / MIA 216 prisoners Second Sino-Japanese War The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945)

342-485: A two-pronged attack to neutralize this position. 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin Roselle, part of a ground team directing naval gunfire, described the following experience: Within a minute a mortar shell exploded among the group ... his left foot and ankle hung from his leg, held on by a ribbon of flesh ... Within minutes a second round landed near him and fragments tore into his other leg. For nearly an hour he wondered where

399-407: A vast tunnel system, equipped with heavy machine guns and artillery. Takeichi Nishi 's armored tanks were camouflaged and utilized as static artillery positions. Because the tunnel linking Mount Suribachi to the rest of the island was never completed, Kuribayashi organized the southern area of the island in and around the mountain as a semi-independent sector, with his main defensive zone built up in

456-708: The Japanese home islands , the army garrison on Iwo Jima reached a strength of more than 5,000 men. The loss of the Marianas during the summer of 1944 greatly increased the importance of the Volcano Islands for the Japanese, who were concerned that the loss of those islands would further facilitate American air raids against the Home Islands, disrupt war manufacturing, and severely damage civilian morale. The final Japanese plans for

513-829: The Mariana Islands and the Carolines. To counter such an offensive, the IJA and the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) established an inner line of defenses extending generally northward from the Carolines to the Marianas, from there to Japan via the Volcano Islands ,and westward from the Marianas via the Carolines and the Palau Islands to the Philippines . In March 1944, the Japanese 31st Army , commanded by General Hideyoshi Obata ,

570-740: The Virginia Indian Commission . He served as the commission's first chairman. He was honored by the Standing Bear Award presented to him for his work on behalf of the Virginia Indian community. He was the founding chairman of the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program (VASAP) and he received its Distinguished Service Award in 2000. When he retired from the House of Delegates; he was second in seniority and he chaired

627-788: The raising of the U.S. flag at the summit of the 169 m (554 ft) Mount Suribachi by six U.S. Marines became a famous image of the battle and the American war effort in the Pacific. After the American capture of the Marshall Islands and the air attacks against the Japanese fortress island of Truk Atoll in the Carolines in January 1944, Japanese military leaders reevaluated their strategic position. All indications pointed to an American drive toward

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684-691: The Courts of Justice Committee. He was also a member and past chairman of the Corporations, Insurance and Banking Committee and he served on the Privileges and Elections and the Rules Committees. Born in Hopewell, Virginia , Marks graduated from Hopewell High School in 1940 and earned a bachelor's degree from Wake Forest University ; he also attended Duke University and University of Virginia Law School . Marks

741-493: The Home Islands, allowing Japanese air defenses to prepare for the arrival of American bombers. After the U.S. seized bases in the Marshall Islands in the battles of Kwajalein and Eniwetok in February 1944, Japanese reinforcements were sent to Iwo Jima: 500 men from the naval base at Yokosuka and 500 from Chichi Jima reached Iwo Jima during March and April 1944. At the same time, with reinforcements arriving from Chichi Jima and

798-453: The Japanese home islands . Drawing inspiration from Japanese defensive tactics used in the Battle of Peleliu , Kuribayashi designed a defensive strategy that broke with traditional Japanese military doctrine. Rather than establishing his defenses on the beach to contest the landings directly, he instead opted for defenses in depth . Kuribayashi's troops constructed a complex system of mutually-supporting fortifications, often linked together by

855-487: The Japanese infantrymen, considering them a futile waste of resources. The fighting near the beachhead remained intense, and the American advance was stalled by numerous defensive positions augmented by artillery. Marines were frequently ambushed by Japanese troops who sprang out of previously-unseen tunnels. At night, the Japanese left their defenses in small groups to attack American foxholes under cover of darkness, and U.S. Navy ships began firing star shells to illuminate

912-428: The Japanese, with a ratio of three American casualties for every two Japanese. Of the 21,000 Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima at the beginning of the battle, only 216 were taken prisoner, some of whom were captured only because they had been knocked unconscious or otherwise disabled. Most of the remainder were killed in action, but it has been estimated that as many as 3,000 continued to resist within various cave systems on

969-406: The beach for just over an hour, throughout which they maintained cohesive fire discipline, the Japanese opened fire. Shortly after 10:00 machine guns, mortars, and heavy artillery began to rain down on the crowded beach. At first it came as a ragged rattle of machine-gun bullets, growing gradually lower and fiercer until at last all the pent-up fury of a hundred hurricanes seemed to be breaking upon

1026-445: The beach were heavy, with historian Derrick Wright noting "in virtually every shell hole there lay at least one dead Marine." By 11:30, some Marines had managed to reach the southern tip of Airfield No. 1, the seizure of which had been one of the original American objectives for the first day. The Marines endured a fanatical charge by the over 100 Japanese troops, but were able to keep their toehold on Airfield No. 1 as night fell. In

1083-474: The black ash, made no progress up the slopes dominating the beach; their Marine passengers had to dismount and slog forward on foot. Men of Naval Construction Battalions 31 and 133, braving enemy fire, were eventually able to bulldoze roads off of the beach. This allowed the Marines to finally make some progress inland and get off the beach, which had become overcrowded with both men and materiel as follow-on waves of landing craft continued to unload. Casualties on

1140-455: The clock during the first two days of the battle. These six men sent and received over 800 messages, all without error. Connor later stated, "Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima." Unfortunately for the landing force, the planners at Pearl Harbor severely misjudged the situation that would face Schmidt's Marines. The beaches had been described as "excellent," and

1197-414: The command ship USS Eldorado , Smith saw the lengthy casualty reports and was briefed on the slow progress of the ground forces. To the war correspondents covering the operation, Smith remarked: "I don't know who he is, but the Japanese general running this show is one smart bastard." In the days after the landings, the Marines expected the usual Japanese banzai charge during the night. This had been

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1254-404: The construction of foxholes to protect the Marines from hostile fire. However, the ash did help to absorb some of the fragments from Japanese artillery. Marines were trained to move rapidly forward; here they could only plod. The weight and amount of equipment was a terrific hindrance and various items were rapidly discarded. First to go was the gas mask ... The Japanese crews manning

1311-598: The decision was made to invade Iwo Jima, and the operation was codenamed Operation Detachment. In June 1944, Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi was assigned to command the defense of Iwo Jima. Kuribayashi knew that if the Americans decided to land on Iwo Jima, his garrison could not win the battle, but he hoped to inflict massive casualties on the American forces so that the United States, and its Australian and British allies, might reconsider carrying out an invasion of

1368-871: The defenders, while hampering the attackers' advance. Despite this, many bunkers and caves were destroyed during the bombardment, giving it some limited success. The Japanese had been preparing for this battle since March 1944, which gave them a significant advantage. By the time of the landing, about 450 American ships were located off Iwo Jima, and the battle ultimately involved about 60,000 U.S. Marines and several thousand U.S. Navy Seabees . United States Fifth Fleet Admiral Raymond A. Spruance in heavy cruiser Indianapolis V Amphibious Corps Major General Harry Schmidt , USMC Southern sector (Green and Red beaches): Northern sector (Yellow and Blue beaches): Floating reserve: 21,060 total men under arms Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi , commanding Colonel Tadashi Takaishi, chief of staff During

1425-403: The defense of the Volcano Islands were hamstrung by several factors: In a postwar study, Japanese staff officers described the strategy used in the defense of Iwo Jima in the following terms: In the light of the above situation, seeing that it was impossible to conduct our air, sea, and ground operations on Iwo Island [Jima] toward ultimate victory, it was decided that to gain time necessary for

1482-515: The defenses of Iwo Jima. Mitscher's fliers did, however, assist the additional surface vessel bombardment that accompanied the launch of the amphibious landing craft toward the island. Unlike many days during the three-day preliminary bombardment, D-Day dawned clear and bright. At 08:59, one minute ahead of schedule, the first wave of Marines landed on the beaches of the southeastern coast of Iwo Jima. Under Major Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division signal officer, six Navajo code talkers worked around

1539-487: The defenses so that every part of Iwo Jima was subject to Japanese defensive fire. He also received a handful of kamikaze pilots to use against the enemy fleet; their attacks during the battle killed 318 American sailors. However, against his wishes, Kuribayashi's superiors on Honshu ordered him to erect some beach defenses. Starting on 15 June 1944, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army Air Forces began shore bombardment and air raids against Iwo Jima, which would become

1596-445: The end of the Pacific war, landing on Okinawa in the spring of 1945.) The commander of the Japanese garrison on Chichi Jima was placed nominally in command of IJA and IJN units in the Volcano Islands. After the American conquest of the Marianas, daily bomber raids from the Marianas began to hit mainland Japan as part of Operation Scavenger . Iwo Jima served as an early warning station that radioed reports of incoming bombers back to

1653-598: The evening of 18 February, Blessman was hit with a bomb by Japanese aircraft, killing 40 sailors, including 15 members of the UDT. Major General Harry Schmidt , commander of the Marine landing force, requested a 10-day heavy bombardment of the island immediately preceding his planned amphibious assault . However, Rear Admiral William H. P. Blandy , commander of the Amphibious Support Force (Task Force 52), believed that such

1710-486: The heads of the Americans. Shells screeched and crashed, every hummock spat automatic fire and the very soft soil underfoot erupted underfoot with hundreds of exploding land mines ... Marines walking erect crumpled and fell. Concussion lifted them and slammed them down, or tore them apart ... Furthermore, after crossing the beach, the Marines were faced with 15 ft-high (4.6 m) slopes of soft black volcanic ash. This ash allowed for neither secure footing nor

1767-495: The heavy artillery in Mount Suribachi opened reinforced steel doors shielding their positions in order to fire, and then closed them immediately afterward to prevent counterfire from the Marines and U.S. Navy gunners. This made it exceedingly difficult for American units to destroy a Japanese artillery piece. To make matters worse for the Americans, most bunkers were connected to the elaborate tunnel system that ran through most of

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1824-521: The island after most major fighting ended, until they eventually succumbed to their injuries or surrendered weeks later. The invasion of Iwo Jima was controversial, with retired Chief of Naval Operations William V. Pratt stating that the island was useless to the Army as a staging base and useless to the Navy as a fleet base. The Japanese continued to maintain early-warning radar capabilities on Rota island, which

1881-551: The island were heavily fortified , with a dense network of bunkers , hidden artillery positions, and 18 km (11 mi) of tunnels. The American ground forces were supported by extensive naval artillery and had complete air supremacy provided by U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators throughout the battle. The five-week battle saw some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the Pacific War . Unique among Pacific War Marine battles, total American casualties exceeded those of

1938-464: The island, and many areas were extensively mined . Among the Japanese weapons were 320 mm spigot mortars and a variety of explosive rockets. Nonetheless, the Japanese supply situation was inadequate. Troops were supplied 60% of the ammunition normally considered sufficient for single engagement by one division, and food for no more than four months. Numerous Japanese sniper nests and camouflaged machine gun positions were set up. Kuribayashi engineered

1995-453: The island, such that bunkers that were cleared with flamethrowers and grenades were often reoccupied shortly afterwards by Japanese troops moving underground. This tactic caused many casualties among the Marines, as they walked past reoccupied bunkers without expecting to suddenly take fresh fire from them. Time-Life correspondent Robert Sherrod described the landing simply as "a nightmare in hell." Amtracs , unable to gain traction in

2052-561: The left-most sector of the landings, the Americans did manage to achieve one of their objectives for the battle that day. Led by Colonel Harry B. "Harry the Horse" Liversedge , the 28th Marines drove across the island at its narrowest width, around 800 m (870 yd), thereby isolating the Japanese dug in on Mount Suribachi. The rightmost landing area was dominated by Japanese fortifications located at "the Quarry". The 25th Marine Regiment conducted

2109-665: The longest and most intense preliminary bombardments in the Pacific Theater. They consisted of a combination of naval artillery attacks and aerial bombings , which would last for nine months. Unaware of Kuribayashi's tunnel defense system, some American planners assumed that most of the Japanese garrison had been killed by the constant bombing raids. On 17 February 1945 the destroyer escort USS  Blessman deployed Underwater Demolition Team 15 (UDT-15) onto Iwo Jima's Blue Beach for reconnaissance. They were spotted by Japanese infantry and fired upon, killing one American diver. On

2166-423: The next shell would land. He was soon to find out as a shell burst almost on top of him, wounding him for the third time in the shoulder. Almost at once another explosion bounced him several feet into the air and hot shards ripped into both thighs ... as he lifted his arm to look at his watch a mortar shell exploded only feet away and blasted the watch from his wrist and tore a large jagged hole in his forearm: "I

2223-403: The night of 18 February 1945, Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher 's large carrier force, Task Force 58 , arrived off Iwo Jima. Also in this flotilla was Admiral Raymond A. Spruance , the overall commander for the invasion, in his flagship USS  Indianapolis . Smith was once again deeply frustrated that Mitscher's powerful carrier group had been bombing the Japanese home islands instead of softening

2280-481: The north. The expected American naval and air bombardment prompted the creation of an extensive network of tunnels connecting otherwise disparate fighting positions, so that a pillbox that had been cleared could be reoccupied later. This network of bunkers and pillboxes strongly favored the defense, and was designed for protracted resistance. For instance, the Nanpo Bunker (Southern Area Islands Naval Air HQ), which

2337-451: The preparation of the Homeland defense, our forces should rely solely upon the established defensive equipment in that area, checking the enemy by delaying tactics. Even the suicidal attacks by small groups of our Army and Navy airplanes, the surprise attacks by our submarines , and the actions of parachute units, although effective, could be regarded only as a strategical ruse on our part. It

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2394-493: The standard Japanese defense strategy in previous island battles against enemy ground forces in the Pacific, such as during the Battle of Saipan in June 1944. In those attacks, for which the Marines had usually been at least somewhat prepared, the majority of Japanese attackers had been killed and the overall Japanese fighting strength significantly degraded. However, General Kuribayashi had strictly forbidden these "human wave" attacks by

2451-435: The thrust inland was expected to be "easy." The apparent lack of a vigorous Japanese response to the landings led the Navy to conclude that its bombardment had effectively suppressed the Japanese defenses. The Marines initially began deployment on the beach in good order, but the landings swiftly became congested due to the loose volcanic ash that covered the island. After allowing the Americans to concentrate men and materiel on

2508-406: The time and care that the Japanese had taken in preparing their artillery positions became clear. When heavy cruiser USS  Pensacola got within range of Japanese shore batteries, the ship was quickly hit 6 times and suffered 17 dead. Later, 12 small craft attempting to land a UDT were all struck by Japanese fire and quickly retired. While aiding these vessels, the destroyer USS  Leutze

2565-405: The time the Americans invaded on 19 February 1945, 18 km (11 mi) of a planned 27 km (17 mi) of tunnels had been dug. Besides the Nanpo Bunker, there were numerous other command centers and barracks that were 75 feet below ground. Tunnels allowed for troops to move undetected between various defensive positions. Hundreds of hidden artillery and mortar positions were placed all over

2622-779: Was a founding partner of the Marks & Harrison law firm and was a member of the Virginia State Bar for 50 years. In 1987, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. He was also involved in commercial, retail, and residential real estate development; the creation of several finance companies and two local banks which eventually became part of Wachovia ; and farming. Marks died in Prince George, Virginia after

2679-471: Was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II . The American invasion, designated Operation Detachment , had the goal of capturing the island with its two airfields: South Field and Central Field . The Japanese Army positions on

2736-669: Was a most depressing thought that we had no available means left for the exploitation of the strategical opportunities which might from time to time occur in the course of these operations. After the Battle of Leyte in the Philippines , the Allies were left with a two-month lull in their offensive operations before the planned invasion of Okinawa . Iwo Jima was considered strategically important since it provided an air base for Japanese fighter planes to intercept long-range B-29 Superfortress bombers flying to strike targets in Japan. In addition, it

2793-522: Was activated to garrison this inner line. (Note that an army-sized unit in Imperial Japanese military doctrine was about the size of an American, British Army , or Canadian Army corps . The Japanese Army had many armies , but the U.S. Army had only ten at its peak, with the 4th Army, the 6th Army, the 8th Army, and the 10th Army being in the Pacific Theater . The 10th Army only saw action at

2850-439: Was also hit and suffered 7 dead. On D-1, Blandy's gunners were once again hampered by rain and clouds. Schmidt summed up his feelings by stating, "We only got about 13 hours worth of fire support during the 34 hours of available daylight." The limited bombardment had a questionable impact on the enemy since the Japanese were heavily dug-in and well fortified. The craters left behind by the barrage also provided additional cover for

2907-585: Was an American attorney and politician. Marks, a Democrat served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1962 to 1991 where he represented the people of the City of Hopewell, and the counties of Prince George , Charles City , and at times, Surry . As a member of the General Assembly, Mr. Marks initiated the legislation which provided state recognition for eight Virginia Indian tribes and created

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2964-584: Was an earlier drawbridge which was the site of a fatal bus accident on December 22, 1935, which killed 13 people who drowned when the bus failed to stop and plunged into the river while the drawbridge was open. 37°18′44″N 77°17′50″W  /  37.31222°N 77.29722°W  / 37.31222; -77.29722 This article about a bridge in Virginia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Charles Hardaway Marks Charles Hardaway Marks (January 31, 1921 – November 13, 2004)

3021-418: Was beginning to know what it must be like to be crucified," he was later to say. The 25th Marines' 3rd Battalion had landed approximately 900 men on the island that morning. Japanese resistance at the Quarry was so fierce that by nightfall, only 150 Marines were left in fighting condition, an 83.3% casualty rate. By the evening of 19 February, 30,000 Marines had landed. About 40,000 more would follow. Aboard

3078-425: Was east of Airfield Number 2, had enough food, water, and ammunition for the Japanese to hold out for three months. The bunker was 90 feet underground, and had tunnels running in various directions. Approximately five hundred 55-gallon drums filled with water, kerosene, and fuel oil for generators were stored inside the complex. Gasoline-powered generators allowed for radios and lighting to be operated underground. By

3135-409: Was never invaded by American forces. Experiences with previous Pacific island battles suggested that the island would be well-defended and result in significant casualties. The lessons learned on Iwo Jima served as guidelines for American forces in the Battle of Okinawa two months later, as well as for the planned invasion of the Japanese homeland. Joe Rosenthal 's Associated Press photograph of

3192-488: Was used by the Japanese to stage intermittent air attacks on the Mariana Islands from November 1944 to January 1945. The capture of Iwo Jima would eliminate those problems. The island's airfield would also support P-51 Mustang fighters, which could escort and protect bombers en route to Japan. American intelligence sources were confident that Iwo Jima would fall in one week. In light of optimistic intelligence reports,

3249-520: Was wounded at the Battle of Iwo Jima and awarded a Purple Heart . He served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1962 through 1991. Due to the wording of the Hopewell city charter, the portion of the Appomattox River adjacent to the shoreline of that city is in Chesterfield County. Thus, a portion of the twin bridges pass through the county as they cross the river. Nearby the current bridges

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