Diehl

A Blair County man who lost his life in the Battle of Iwo Jima has been memorialized by the nonprofit Stories Behind the Stars.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Luther Harold Diehl was 22 years old when he was killed in action on March 9, 1945, during a combat mission at Iwo Jima during World War II. Diehl’s remains were repatriated from Iwo Jima to the United States for burial at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., and Diehl posthumously received the Purple Heart.

The Claysburg High School graduate was born May 7, 1922, in Claysburg, the son of Austin Blair and Hattie May Berkhimer Diehl.

He entered the Marine Corps Reserve on Aug. 27, 1942, in Pittsburgh. In October 1943, he was assigned as a machine gunner with Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division. By the landing on Iwo Jima, Diehl was one of the few original members of his platoon who had not been killed or wounded.

The 24th Marine Regiment was activated at Camp Pendleton, Calif., on March 26, 1943. In August 1943, the regiment was attached to the newly created 4th Marine Division.

The division departed Camp Pendleton on Jan. 13, 1944, for combat in the Marshall Islands. The regiment’s baptism by combat occurred in the assault of Namur in the Kwajalein Atoll on Feb. 1, 1944. In April 1944, Diehl participated in maneuvers from Marine Camp Maui, Hawaii. Diehl and his regiment participated in the capture of Saipan, which was officially secured on July 9, 1944. The 4th Marine Division’s casualties totaled 5,981 versus the death or capture of 28,000 Japanese military personnel on the island. This was followed by the capture of Tinian at a cost of 1,906 4th Division casualties. The resulting strategic control of the Marianas Islands isolated the enemy’s bases and brought Japan’s mainland within striking distance of US B-29 bombers.

D-Day at Iwo Jima was Feb. 19, 1945. Allied military planners anticipated an “easy time” conquering the enemy, predicting victory in a three-day battle. The reality was a gruesome slog of 36 days from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945, that historians have described as “throwing human flesh against reinforced concrete.” The island’s determined Japanese defenders had the most ingenious and deadly fortress in military history. Their miles of interlocking subterranean hideouts, concrete bunkhouses and pillboxes proved to be some of the most impenetrable defenses encountered by the Marines.

The 4th division arrived off the island on Feb. 19 and commenced the assault.

In the first two days, the division’s losses already totaled 2,011. By Feb. 26, Diehl’s unit began working its way into the enemy’s main defense line of prepared positions. For the next week, the 4th Division ground forward slowly, suffering bloody losses and engaging in the most savage type of close combat. As of March 3, 1945, it had lost 6,591 troops. On March 6, Diehl’s unit went over to the attack against die-hard Japanese defenders in the Minami pocket. The 4th Division’s combat casualties rose to 8,094.

On March 9, Diehl was killed in action.

On March 11, the 20th day after the landing, the 4th Division reached the ocean and overcame enemy resistance. On the division’s right flank, the Japanese chose to make their last stand to exact as heavy a toll of Marines as they possibly could.

The ultimately victorious 36-day assault resulted in more than 26,000 American casualties, including 6,800 dead. Iwo Jima was the only U.S. Marine battle where American casualties exceeded those of the Japanese. Enemy combat deaths, however, numbered three times as many as American deaths.

Stories Behind the Stars memorials are accessible for free on the internet and via smartphone app at gravesites and cenotaphs. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to honoring all 421,000 fallen Americans from World War II, including 31,000 from Pennsylvania.

To volunteer or to get more information, contact Kathy Harmon at kharmon@storiesbehindthestars.org or visit www.storiesbehindthestars.org.