1:20:06
If a marine waits long enough
he gets the word.
1:20:09
Our sealed orders came aboard
after five days at sea.
1:20:15
This island is volcanic and sandy.
1:20:18
It's five and a half miles long
and two and a half miles wide.
1:20:23
This mountain here
is a dead volcano. It's called Suribachi.
1:20:28
There's nothing on the island except
three airfields and about 20,000 Japs.
1:20:34
The Army Air Corps B-24s have been
bombing this place for 62 days.
1:20:40
- Maybe it'll be an easy operation then.
- We can't be sure.
1:20:44
Every yard is covered
by some kind of fire.
1:20:48
There are two possible landing beaches,
one on the east side, one on the west.
1:20:54
The rest of the coastline is cliffs.
1:20:57
They'll try and keep us off the beaches.
1:21:00
If they don't, they'll try and catch us
at this first airfield,
1:21:04
between the heights of Suribachi
and these high rocky ridges in the north.
1:21:09
They'll shell us from both sides. Nobody
knows what they've got on this island.
1:21:15
But they've had 40 years to put it there.
1:21:21
Saipan was our last stop.
1:21:24
The men who were going to hit
the beach first transferred to LS Ts.
1:21:28
A few more days at sea
and the time for landing came.