Operation Detachment
The troops knew nothing of Operation Detachment, which had been issued just a few weeks prior. The operation was dangerous. It called for a direct frontal assault on the black, sandy beaches below Iwo Jima’s Suribachi, as well as for the seizure of three airfields.
5th Division Marines crawl up a slope on Red Beach No. 1 toward Mt. Suribachi on Feb. 1945. Photo by Everett Collection/Shutterstock
The 5th division was assigned to the left of the beaches, while the 4th was assigned to the right. About one week after leaving Hawaii, Rebstock and the rest of his company were told of the operation. Everyone looked at each other puzzled. The captain pulled out a map, which revealed a diagram of the island and began to explain what the operation entailed.