Letters from Iwo Jima

Letters from Iwo Jima is the 2006 companion film to Flags of Our Fathers. Also directed by Clint Eastwood, this film depicts the battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese.

The following weapons were used in the movie Letters from Iwo Jima:

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

Imperial Japanese Army and Navy Weapons

The following guns were used by the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy:

Type 99 Arisaka Rifle

Most of the Imperial Japanese soldiers in the movie are equipped with the Type 99 Arisaka Rifle.

Arisaka Type 99 battle rifle - 7.7x58mm

Japanese soldiers fire the Type 99 Rifle at a rifle range. The Type 99 can also be seen held by the Japanese soldiers standing in the rear.

Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya) with a Type 99 Rifle at the rifle range. Note the late war style bolt.

A Japanese soldier fires the Type 99 Rifle from a bunker.

The Type 99 Rifle is used by Japanese soldiers during a Banzai charge.

Lieutenant Nishi (Tsuyoshi Ihara) holds a Type 99 Rifle after he is blinded by shrapnel. He uses this rifle to commit suicide off-scene.

Lieutnant Okubo (Eijiro Ozaki) fires a Type 99 Rifle at U.S. Marines.

Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun

The Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun is used by many Japanese soldiers in bunkers and caves.

File:800px-Japanese Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun.jpg

Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun.

Japanese soldiers hidden in a bunker with a Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun fire on the Marines.

Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun in a japanese bunker.

Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun in a japanese bunker.

Type 99 Light Machine Gun

The Type 99 Light Machine Gun is used by many Japanese soldiers in bunkers and caves.

Type 99 Light Machine Gun (7.7x58mm Arisaka)

A Japanese Machine Gun crew with a Type 99 Light Machine Gun await the order to open fire.

Japanese soldiers with a Type 99 Light Machine Gun.

Japanese soldiers fire a Type 99 Light Machine Gun.

Colt M1911

General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) had an original Colt M1911 pistol offered by an American Officer when he was in the United States. By the end of the movie, he killed himself with this weapon. Then, a U.S. Marine found the pistol and took it. On a side note, the 1911 model in this movie had an ivory grip (possibly to differentiate its significance from the other 1911A1's with wooden grips that the Marines used).

Original Colt M1911 (dated 1913) - .45 acp

General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) is presented with an M1911 pistol in a box at a dinner party during his time in the United States.

M1911 pistol in Kuribayashi's hip holster.

Kuribayashi prepares to commit suicide with the M1911.

Kuribayashi's M1911 pistol taken by a Marine lieutenant.

Note that he doesn't even engage the safety or push the hammer to its safe position, which would be a dangerous way to holster a firearm, assuming that the firearm doesn't have a grip safety as the 1911 does.

Nambu Type 14 Pistol

The Nambu Type 14 Pistol is the standard handgun carried by Japanese officers.

Nambu Type 14 Pistol chambered for 8mm Nambu Pistol Ammunition

Lieutnant Okubo (Eijiro Ozaki) fires a Nambu Type 14 Pistol at Shimizu (Ryo Kase) and another Japanese soldier as they attempt to desert and surrender to the U.S. Marines.

Nambu Type A 1902 Modified "Baby Nambu"

The Nambu Type A 1902 Modified Pistol or "Baby Nambu", is used by Captain Tanida (Takumi Bando) to commit suicide.

The Baby Nambu pistol from Letters from Iwo Jima - this was Takumi Bando's gun used on-set (and was carried and fired by him).

Captain Tanida (Takumi Bando) holds the Baby Nambu

Type 94 pistol

Shimizu (Ryo Kase) and other Japanese soldiers are seen using the Type 94 pistol.

File:JapaneseType94.jpg

Japanese Type 94 Pistol

A Japanese soldier fires a Type 94 Pistol when the Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun runs out of ammunition.

Shimizu (Ryo Kase) threatens Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya) when he tries to escape instead of committing suicide.

Shimizu fires a Type 94 Pistol.

Type 97 Hand Grenade

Several Japanese soldiers use the Type 97 Hand Grenade to commit suicide.

Type 97 Hand Grenade

A box of Type 97 Hand Grenades on the floor of a cave.

A Japanese soldier commits suicide with a Type 97 Hand Grenade.

Type 98 Antiaircraft Gun

The Type 98 Antiaircraft Gun is used by a Japanese soldier to defend the island from an Air Raid.

A Japanese soldier opens fire with a Type 98 Antiaircraft Gun.

The Japanese soldier fires the Type 98 Antiaircraft Gun.

United States Marine Corps Weapons

The following guns were used by the United States Marine Corps:

M1903 Springfield

Near the end of the movie, when Lieutenant Fujita was going to cut General Kuribayashi's (Ken Watanabe) head (Kuribayashi asked him to), he was suddenly shot. Then, far away, we see a Marine sniper operating a bolt. We cannot see the rifle, but it is pretty sure that it is a M1903A1 Springfield since it was the mainly used bolt action sniper rifle by the Marines (and other US forces) during World War II.

A source from ISS (which supplied the weapons for the film) has confirmed that the rifle was indeed an M1903A1 Springfield fitted with a 7.8x (8x) Unertl scope, and that the Marine sniper using the weapon was one of the film's technical advisors, Master Sergeant Tom Minder.

A pair of M1903A1 Springfield sniper rifles (.30-06) with 7.8x Unertl scopes. The guns pictured here were the actual rifles used in Letters from Iwo Jima (one is primary, the other is a back-up), and the rifle was fired by Master Sergeant Tom Minder, one of the technical advisors, in the film.

A distant shot of the Marine sniper operating a bolt on his Springfield. The rifle was fired by Master Sergeant Tom Minder, one of the technical advisers on the film.

A close-up of the 7.8x scopes on the rifles from the film.

A close-up of the butts of the rifles used in the film.

M1 Garand

Many Marines were equipped with this weapons (some of them were used with M1 bayonets). When Shimizu (Ryo Kase) surrender, a marine, using his M1 Garand rifle, executed him and an another Japanese POW. In the final scene, when Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya) was surrounded by Marines, most of them used M1 Garand rifles.

M1 Garand semiautomatic Rifle with leather M1917 sling - 30.06

A U.S. Marine shoots a Japanese prisoner with an M1 Garand.

The same Marine executes Shimizu (Ryo Kase) with the M1 Garand.

A U.S. Marine fires an M1 Garand from a defensive position.

Several U.S. Marines hold their M1 Garands on Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya).

M1 Carbine

In the last scene, the U.S. Marine lieutenant who took the M1911 pistol of General Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) had a M1 Carbine.

World War II Era M1 Carbine, with Dark Walnut Stock, 'L' peep sight and no bayonet lug - correct for most of WWII, shown with khaki sling and oiler and a period Magazine pouch for buttstock

A U.S. Marine Lieutenant with an M1 Carbine.

Several U.S. Marines fire the M1 Carbine during a Japanese Banzai Charge.

M1A1 Thompson

A U.S. Marine can be seen firing the M1A1 Thompson at fleeing Japanese soldiers.

M1A1 Thompson

A U.S. Marine fires an M1A1 Thompson at Japanese soldiers.

The same U.S. Marine reloads his M1A1 Thompson.

Browning Automatic Rifle M1918A2

A Browning Automatic Rifle M1918A2 is seen carried by a Marine when Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya) was surrounded by them.

Browning Automatic Rifle M1918A2 - .30-06.

Browning M1919A4

During the night assault led by the Navy Lieutenant Ito, U.S. Marines use Browning M1919A4 machine guns to counter the Japanese charge. A U.S. Marine also fires an M1919A4 at fleeing Japanese soldiers later on in the film.

Browning M1919 .30-06 on M2 tripod

U.S. Marines fires the Browning M1919A4 during the Night Assault.

A U.S. Marine Machine Gun Team fires a Browning M1919A4 at fleeing Japanese soldiers.

The U.S. Marine reloads the Browning M1919A4.

M2 Flamethrower

Sam (Lucas Elliott) had a M2 Flamethrower until he was captured. During the landing, two Japanese soldiers have been burnt by a M2 Flamethrower.

M2 Flamethrower

A U.S. Marine burns out a Japanese Heavy Machine Gun with an M2 Flamethrower.

Sam (Lucas Elliott) with an M2 Flamethrower before being wounded and captured by Baron Nishi (Tsuyoshi Ihara).

Mk 2 Hand Grenade

Several U.S. Marines use the Mk 2 Hand Grenade to clear out Japanese positions.

Mk 2 Hand Grenade

A U.S. Marine is shot with a Type 94 Pistol whilst trying to clear out a Japanese bunker. You can see the Mk 2 Hand Grenade in the air to his right.

A U.S. Marine drops an Mk 2 Hand Grenade into a cave.

See Also

• Flags of our Fathers