ice cream for all hands for returning a sailor fallen overboard from . She arrived in Lingayen Gulf 6 January for fire support. While supporting this operation, Leutze 7 January sank a Japanese patrol vessel and 9 January a small suicide boat loaded with explosives. Careful preparations were made for the next assault. Iwo Jima, desired as an airfield site, was selected as the target. Practicing with underwater demolition teams at Ulithi and conducting exercises until beyond Saipan, Leutze arrived Iwo Jima 16 February. Despite intensive previous bombing and shelling, enemy fire was heavy. While protecting Navy frogmen on 17 February, she took, a shell on the after part of the forward stack. Remaining until the completion of her mission, she then transferred her seriously wounded commanding officer and three other injured and resumed station. In accordance with the Commanding Officer's recommendation, Lt. Leon Grabowsky was elevated to Commanding Officer of Leutze. Upon assuming command on 17 January 1945, Grabowsky became the youngest modern destroyer commander ever in the US Navy at age 27 years, 4 months. Ordered back to Ulithi the next day for repairs, Leutze returned to Iwo Jima early in March but only for four days, as much of this fleet was now needed for Operation Iceberg, the conquest of Okinawa. This last big amphibious operation of the war, unlike Iwo Jima, took place within range of Japanese land-based planes. While escorting battleship for the preinvasion shelling of 27 March, Leutze made two depth charge runs which apparently sank a midget submarine. On a second voyage with and , she arrived Okinawa 3 April. This was 2 days after D-Day but in time for the first of the Japanese operations “Ten Go”, the massed kamikaze attacks. Fate Of the first wave of attacking aircraft to filter through the outer screen on 6 April, she splashed two and later knocked down a third. Disregarding the danger, she proceeded alongside to assist the thrice-hit and burning . The fourth plane to hit this ship skidded across the deck and exploded its bomb against Leutze’s port quarter. The kamikaze almost severed her fantail and left seven crew members missing, one dead, and 30 wounded. Lt. Leon Grabowsky, Leutze’s acting commanding officer, received the Navy Cross for his part in aiding Newcomb, and in the fighting of his own ship. Recalling her firefighting parties from Newcomb, she maneuvered clear, brought her