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Close to the end of the war, Headquarters of the 507th Fighter Group lived in the relative luxury of 4-man squad tents. On their arrival on Ie Shima, they first lived in tiny 2-man pup tents. These tents were so low to the ground that those living in them could not sit up in them. Instead, they had to slide into them. A trench was dug around the pup tent to keep rainwater from coming in where the soldiers slept. The 4-man squad tents were a vast improvement over the pup tents because the soldiers could not only sit upright but also stand erect in these tents. Pictured is Lt. Roy Miller on the left with an unidentified soldier on the right. |
| A view of a "luxurious" 4-man squad tent although perhaps it was luxurious only in comparison to the pup tents in which the soldiers had been living. Another improvement in living conditions occurred after a wrecked plane provided a gas tank which was cleaned and filled with ocean water and the soldiers had a shower of sorts. Prior to this the soldiers had to bath in the salt water of the Pacific with salt-water soap. The small, sharp coral on the beach and in the shallow surf would slice feet so it was necessary to wear shoes while bathing. Luckily, one foresighted soldier brought a showerhead with him to Ie Shima which together with the gas tank made a salt-water shower possible. |  |
| An aerial picture of the bivouac area of the South end of the living area for the 507th Fighting Group showing the tents, roads of crusted rock, and softball field. The soldiers were proud of the softball field that they and their chaplain built. Most chaplains filled their footlockers with religious books but the chaplain for the 507th Fighting Group had filled his footlocker with softball equipment. When questioned, he simply stated that he believed he would reach more soldiers with his softball equipment than others would with books. On Ie Shima, soldiers seeking relief from the boredom of war would seek out the chaplain because he and the "reck" officer worked together to organized what recreation there was. And when the chaplain held worship services, appreciative soldiers attended them. | 
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An aerial shot of Ie Shima before the Americans arrival that shows Japanese airstrips and roads. |
| An aerial shot made just before the end of the war showing the island of Ie Shima after the Americans had been there. In the aerial photo, what appears to be squares were hard stands alongside the airstrips where airplanes were parked. The airstrips were made from crushed white rock resembling shale that was indigenous to the island. These airstrips were regularly bombed by the Japanese and rebuilt by the Americans ... almost daily or more accurately almost nightly. | 
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This marker was placed where Ernie Pyle, a noted war correspondent, died on Ie Shima. Because he lived with the soldiers in the field and reported what he saw first hand, he was well liked by the GIs. After covering and surviving the war in Europe, Pyle continued reporting on the war from the Pacific.
While on Ie Shima, Pyle and the regimental commander were on their way to the front when the road was raked by machine-gun bullets. They dove for cover in a ditch and when the attack seemed to be over, Pyle was the first to raise his head. Tragically, he died instantly from a single sniper bullet in the temple. Word of his death passed from foxhole to foxhole along the road and soldiers cried unashamedly when they heard that he had been killed. He was buried nearby and a wooden marker was erected with the words: AT THIS SPOT THE 77th INFANTRY DIVISION LOST A BUDDY ERNIE PYLE 18 APRIL 1945. This marker was replaced by the soldiers on Ie Shima with a granite monument they bought that bears the same inscription. |
| This view from Ie Shima to Okinawa shows the strait of water between the two islands. The distance between the islands was approximately one to two miles. The Japanese would swim the straight at night from Okinawa to try to steal food from the American mess tent because they were starving. |  |
The side view of a P-47 Fighter-Bomber of the 507th Fighting Group on Ie Shima. The emblem painted on the side of the plane showed a duck heavily loaded with two wing tanks under his wings wearing a leather pilots helmet with red drops of blood dripping off as he desperately runs to take off with his heavy load of gas. The duck was frequently used as a humorous representation for the heavily laden, stubby little P-47 because it carried a heavy load of gas enabling it to make a round trip from Ie Shima to Japan, drop it's bombs, and return.
Beginning on July 1 and ending on August 15, 1945 (the day the war ended), the 507th flew forty-six missions: 1492 sorties, 367 bomber escorts, 178 photo escorts, and 115 dumbo escorts. The group also flew 351 dive bombing sorties, 254 napalm firebomb sorties and 135 fighter sweeps. Pilots averaged 55.8 combat hours and 9 1/2 completed sorties.
| A picture of a Japanese kamikaze plane exploding harmlessly on impact just off Ie Shima. The kamikazi pilots flew planes with no landing gear and no fuel for a return journey. They were literally flying bombs. Across the strait from Ie Shima at Okinawa, more than 1,900 kamikaze attacks took place, damaging 368 ships and sinking 32. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. U.S. losses totaled more than 31,800 wounded and 7,100 killed or missing. Due to kamikaze attacks, 3,593 sailors died and 5,538 were injured aboard ship; 197 died from their wounds. More than 107,000 Japanese and Okinawan military and civilians died. |  |
