ABSTRACT
The Joint Chiefs of Staff originally specified January 20, 194s, for the seizure of an island airfield in the Volcano Islands, with an assault against the Ryukyu Archipelago to follow on March 1. Japanese tenacity in defending Leyte and Luzon forced postponement of the Volcano Island assault to February 19. The month-long delay provided more time for the Japanese to attempt to convert Iwo Jima into an impregnable fortress.
