Just as firing began at 14:45, three Japanese fighters took off from Iwo Jima and closed the American Kingfisher spotter aircraft. Although "Biloxi"s Kingfisher safely retreated under the protection of friendly anti-aircraft fire, "Santa Fe's" spotter aircraft was heavily damaged by enemy fire and forced to make an emergency landing. The crew was later rescued by . After the warships drove off the attacking Japanese fighters, the bombardment resumed and the observation aircraft reported target areas well covered, with many fires burning when the bombardment group retired.