 Ramba uchiverenga ndima iyi - Yakasvika muUlithi lagoon musi wa 8 February ndokuva chikamu cheTask Group TG 58.1. Mutakuri wendege akaramba ari paUlithi mazuva maviri bedzi, achibva pachitsuwa chacho neTG 58.1 musi wa10 kuti arwise nendege zvitsuwa zveJapan kuti atsigire kumhara paIwo Jima. Task Force 58 yakatanga kuenda kunharaunda yeMariana Islands kunodzidzira pamusoro peTinian isati yaenda kuchamhembe. Pashure pokunge mapoka edenga aita kurovedza musi waFebruary 12, ngarava dzacho dzakazadza mafuta pagungwa musi wa14 uye ipapo dzakananga kunzvimbo yokutanga anenge makiromita 200 kumaodzanyemba kwakadziva kumabvazuva kweTokyo. Musi wa16, TF 58 yakatanga kurwisa kwayo ndege muJapan chaimo. Vanobhururuka nendege veBennington vakatevera vavariro dziri zvose zviri zviviri muTokyo nomuYokosuka, nzvimbo yenzvimbo huru yehondo yeJapan. Apo vamwe vavo vairova Japan, vatyairi veBenningtons Combat Air Patrol CAP vakabetsera kudzivirira TG 58.1 pakurwiswa nendege ndokupfura vapindi vatatu. Rutivi rwakaipa, boka rake rokubhururuka rakarasikirwa nendege imwe mukupfura kwokudzivisa ndege pamusoro peJapan. 