Editing Battle of Iwo Jima (section)

==Subsequent combat==
[[File:147th-inf-regt-in-combat-iwo-jima-bazooka-and-bar-team-040845-1-of-1.jpg|thumb|U.S. Army Soldiers engaging heavily fortified Japanese positions]]
In the days after the landings, the Marines expected the usual Japanese [[Banzai charge|''banzai'' charge]] during the night. This had been 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 the Japanese infantrymen, considering them a futile waste of resources.<ref name= Allen/>

[[File:Captured Japanese flag on Iwo Jima.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. Marines pose with a captured Japanese flag on top of enemy pillbox.]]
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 the battlefield. Similar to previous battles on Japanese-held islands, on Iwo Jima Japanese soldiers who knew English were used to harass and deceive Marine units; English-speaking IJA troops often yelled "corpsman", pretending to be a wounded Marine, in order to lure and kill the U.S. Navy medical personnel attached to Marine infantry companies.<ref name=Allen/>

[[File:Marine Corps photo 15-20.jpg|thumb|upright|Culvert serves as command post for 23rd Marine Regiment on Iwo Jima]]
The Marines learned that firearms were relatively ineffective against the Japanese defenders, and turned to flamethrowers and grenades to flush the Japanese troops out of their tunnels. One of the technological innovations of the battle, the eight [[M4 Sherman|Sherman M4A3R3]] medium tanks [[Flame tank|equipped with a flamethrower]] ("Ronson" or "Zippo" tanks), proved highly effective at clearing hardened Japanese positions. The Shermans were difficult to disable, often requiring Japanese defenders to assault them in the open, where they were vulnerable to the superior numbers and firepower of the Marines.<ref name=Allen/>

[[Close air support]] was initially provided by fighters from [[escort carrier]]s off the coast. This shifted over to the [[15th Fighter Group]], flying P-51 Mustangs, after they arrived on the island on 6 March. Similarly, illumination rounds (flares), used to light up the battlefield at night, were initially provided by ships but were later provided by land-based artillery. Navajo code talkers were part of the American ground communications system, along with [[walkie-talkie]]s and SCR-610 backpack radio sets.<ref name=Allen/>

After running out of water, food and most other supplies, Japanese troops became desperate toward the end of the battle. Kuribayashi, who had argued against banzai attacks for most of the fighting, realized that defeat was imminent.

Marines began to face increasing numbers of nighttime attacks; these were only repelled by a combination of machine-gun fire and artillery support. At times, the Marines engaged in hand-to-hand fighting to repel the Japanese attacks.<ref name=Allen/> Once the landing area was secured, more troops and heavy equipment came ashore, and the Americans proceeded north to capture the airfields and the remainder of the island. Most Japanese soldiers fought to the death.<ref name=Allen/>