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Oct 22, 2024 · Battle of Iwo Jima, (February 19–March 16, 1945), World War II conflict between the United States and the Empire of Japan. The United States mounted an amphibious invasion of the island of Iwo Jima as part of its Pacific campaign against Japan.
The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II.
- 19 February-26 March 1945(5 weeks)
- American victory
Oct 29, 2009 · Located 750 miles off the coast of Japan, the island of Iwo Jima had three airfields that could serve as a staging facility for a potential invasion of mainland Japan.
- Joshua Mapes
Jan 16, 2024 · At 9:00 AM on February 19, 1945, some 30,000 US Marines landed on the shore of Iwo Jima, launching the battle, officially codenamed Operation Detachment. Almost immediately, struggles arose, with the troops faced with a hellish landscape of fire and ash, meaning every inch of the ground had to be taken at a tremendous cost.
Iwo Jima is an island in Japan's Volcano Islands, 750 miles (1,207 kilometers) south of Tokyo. During World War II (1939–45), its location was of strategic importance, and it became the site of a bitter battle between American and Japanese forces in February 1945.
The 1945 battle for Iwo Jima was bitter and brutal: few of the 20,000 Japanese defenders survived it, while the attacking American marines suffered 25,000 casualties. Why was the US so committed to wresting this tiny island from Japanese control?
After the battle, Iwo Jima served as an emergency landing site for more than 2,200 B-29 bombers, saving the lives of 24,000 U.S. airmen. Securing Iwo Jima prepared the way for the last and largest battle in the Pacific: the invasion of Okinawa.
