Robert Sherrod

Japan would count more than 20,000 dead.

The battle was so grisly that Time and Life reporter Robert Sherrod stumbled across a string of intestines 15 feet long.

More importantly, though, one can expand this kind of framing that focuses on the truly brutal nature of the Pacific theater to the air war.

While the Japanese, especially in the last year of the war, increasingly turned to suicide attacks, that is kamikaze strikes, bonsai charges, and placing themselves under tanks strapped with landmines, the Americans increasingly turned to blanketing the Japanese home islands with fire as soon as they got the opportunity in late 1944.

This wasn't going to be a fight.

Time correspondent Robert Sherrod thought, surely no mortal men could live through such destroying power.

Any Japs on the island would all be dead by now.

Sherrod's thoughts were rudely interrupted by a geyser of water 50 yards astern of the ship.

The gunners coolly loaded, aimed, and fired, knocking out one tank at close range, chasing off the other.

There were horse cheers.

Time correspondent Robert Sherrod was no stranger to combat, but the landing on D-Day at Bay Show was one of the most unnerving experiences in his life.

Sherrod accompanied Marines from the fourth wave of LT-22 attempting to wade ashore on Red Beach II.