Iwo Jima Diary, 1945

This diary, translated into English, was created by an unknown Japanese soldier and chronicles his activities during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The entries date from January 1, 1945 – March 25, 1945. The diary describes battle preparations and the invasion from the soldier’s perspective. It also has a hand drawn map of the island. Some entries between February 19 and March 26 were removed for military intelligence reasons. It was obtained by Ben Weber, a member of the 353rd Military Police Escort Guard, who guarded the 232 General Hospital on Iwo Jima. The diary was translated by TKA APO 86 Hq., examined by Lieutenant Goldberg, F. E. No. 13, entered in the Journal of Secrets, and triplicated by the Bureau of Internal Security.