- US plane comes low for strafing Japanese defenders on Iwo Jima scatter in all directions
- Marines pinned down during the first day of the assault
- Marines Head toward Shore for Initial Landing on Iwo Jima
- 5th Marine Division 30 caliber machine gunner fires in support of an assault on Japanese positions on February 19 1945
- Iwo Jima Beach wrecked LVT’s along shore
- Marines in large hole some praying
- 5th Marine Division Hero Sgt. John Haddox on Iwo Jima
- Marines take cover on Iwo Jima
- Marines shelter by Amtrac hit by Japanese fire on Iwo Jima
- Iwo Jima medic and wounded Marine
- Iwo Jima Marine lifts KIA from cave entrance
- James Forrestal and Gen. Smith Watch Battle on Iwo Jima
- 37mm gun on Iwo Jima beach and Avenger flying over Mt Suribachi
- Japanese POW – some of the few that survived
- Iwo Jima Marines with their dogs
- 3 Japanese being captured during battle
- Marines aid wounded Japanese soldier on Iwo Jima
- Japanese AA emplacements pre invasion reconn photo of Iwo Jima
- smoke rises from LSM-74 after direct hit off Iwo Jima February 19, 1945
- DUKW carries Marines from LST to shore of Iwo Jima
- Marine sleeping in foxhole on Iwo Jima
- 3rd Division Marine with Japanese prisoner on Iwo Jima
- Infantrymen and Marine clear Japanese cave on Iwo Jima
- USS LSM-145, USS LSM-206 and LSM-126 dash for the beach at Iwo Jima on H-Hour, February 19th. The LSMs were landing the 5th Marine Amphibious Corps.
- Marines fighting Japanese in caves on IWO JIMA
- Marines carry 1st Japanese prisoner taken on Iwo Jima to aid station
- Marines and 6 Japanese Prisoners Landing Craft Iwo Jima
- Amtracks loaded with Marines head to Iwo Jima invasion beach
- 23rd Marine Regiment Approach Motoyama Airfield 1 on Iwo Jima
- US Navy Battleship shells bombards Mt Suribachi Iwo Jima
- Iwo Jima dozers amphibious vehicles beach scene
- 4th Division Marines set up Post Office on Iwo Jima
- Marines look for mines with knives
- Marine of 5th Division helps wounded comrade on Iwo Jima
- Marines fire rocket launcher from M-2-4 truck on Iwo Jima
- Marines open makeshift Post Office on Iwo Jima
- US planes at Motoyama Airfield No. 1 on Iwo Jima 1945
- Marines take shelter behind an overturned Japanese truck as they take part in the final battle for Northern Iwo Jima
- Wreckage of planes at Motoyama Airfield No. 1 on Iwo Jima
- 5th Division Marines under fire on Iwo Jima Red Beach No. 1 February 19, 1945
- Marines using captured Japanese 7.7 mm Type 92 Nambu HMG Iwo Jima 45
- Tank view as Japanese soldier takes cover on Iwo Jima
- Wounded Marine gets transfusion loaded on LST
- Beach parties work to rescue DUKW Ducks from surf on Iwo Jima
- US Navy invasion fleet ships off Iwo Jima 1945
- Marine gives plasma to wounded soldier on Iwo Jima
- Iwo Jima empty artillery and mortar shell casings
- Beached and bombed Japanese Landing Ship
- Marine gives direction to messenger dog Prince on Iwo Jima
- Iwo Jima Marine in foxhole on radio
- First Navy Nurse Ens Jane Kendeigh on Iwo Jima Battlefield
- Landing Craft assault Geruma Shima 1945
- Marine and doberman war dog in foxhole on Iwo Jima
- Marines wounded on Iwo Jima arrive at Marianas Base
- Officers of the 5th Marine Div direct operations from a sandbagged position.
- US Navy Destroyer LCMs and LCIs off shore of Iwo Jima
- 4th Division Marines move up beach on Iwo Jima
- Capt. Carl Squeaky Anderson – Force Beach Master in charge of landing supplies on the beach of Iwo Jima, looks out over the beach as operations for the landing of supplies go ahead at full speed
- Wrecked Japanese aircraft and Marines on Motoyama airfield Iwo Jima
- Iwo Jima LVTs beach defenses Marine
- Iwo Jima Marines advancing
- Wrecked LVT and DUKW and LST on Iwo Jima February 1945
- Marines with M1 Carbines cook
- Marine spotter calls out location of Japanese position on Iwo Jima
- Marines advancing inland from Beach on Iwo Jima
- Marines under heavy fire on beach of Iwo Jima
- 5 LSTs and one LCM beached at the foot of Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, to unload supplies for Marines on February 25. Top to bottom; LST-779, 808, 788, 760, 724 and LSM-264
- Marine Corpsmen treat wounded Beach Iwo Jima 1945
- Rabbi Gittelsohn leads first Jewish service for 5th Marines on Iwo Jima
- Marines carry wounded comrade to Aid Station on Iwo Jima
- Press boat USS LCI(L)-346 headed to invasion of Iwo Jima
- Marines fighting Japanese on Iwo Jima 1945
- Task Force ships and Landing Craft off Iwo Jima Feb 19th
- 4th Division Marines Landing on Iwo Jima beach
- Destroyed Marine Amtracs Iwo Jima
- Iwo Jima Japanese Artillery
- LVT and Jeep stopped at the Iwo Jima beach
- Iwo Jima Destroyed A6m Zero
- Marines Use Japanese Plane For Cover on Iwo Jima
- Marine LVTs heading for shore Iwo Jima
- Marines Charge Under Japanese Fire Iwo Jima Beach
- Drum Bombs Released On Iwo Jima February 1945
- Marines and Sherman Attack Japanese Position on Northern Iwo Jima
- 4th Division Marines Iwo Jima beachhead
- Iwo Jima 1945 Japanese Prisoners of war
- USMC 5th Div. Marines with Captured Japanese Flags on Iwo Jima 1945
- Iwo Jima Japanese Machine Gun Bunker
- Photo of Mount Suribachi and Marine HQ Iwo Jima
- Marine Amphibious LVT Amtracs on Iwo Jima beach 1945
- US Navy Avengers Attack to Support Ground Force on Iwo Jima
- Iwo Jima Japanese Trenches
- Marines Advance across Table Land of Iwo Jima pacific
- 4th Division Marines Pinned Down on Iwo Jima Beachhead
- Dog and soldier Iwo Jima
- Wreckage on Iwo Jima Landing Beach on D Day +2
- 28th Marines use flame throwers on Japanese bunker Iwo Jima 1945
- Aerial View of Southwest Tip of Iwo Jima
- LVTs Heading for Iwo Jima
- 3rd Battalion, 21st Marine uses a flame thrower to burn out a Japanense position on Iwo Jima
- US 4th Division Marines Landing on Iwo Jima
- Marine LVTs heading for shore Iwo Jima 1945
- 7th AF Bombers Blast Japanese Airfield on Iwo Jima 1945
- B-29 Superfortress Flying over Mount Suribachi Iwo Jima
- Marine LVT D35 on Iwo Jima 1945
- Marines Fire Rocket Launcher Trucks On Iwo Jima
- Howitzers in action Iwo Jima
- Japanese Prisoners of war Taken Off Iwo Jima
- Gis Take Shower Bath Iwo Jima March, 1945
- Amphibious Assault Against Iwo Jima 1945
- Easter service on top Mount Suribachi Iwo Jima
- Stevens 620A 12-gauge shotgun armed Marine on Iwo Jima February 1945
- Marine M1919 Light Machine Gun Team Dug in at Base of Surabachi Iwo Jima 1945
Battle of Iwo Jima 19 February – 26 March 1945 (Operation Detachment)
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle in which the US Forces fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Empire. The American invasion had the goal of capturing the entire island, along with its three airfields, to provide a staging area for attacks on the Japanese main islands. This five-week battle comprised some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the War in the Pacific of World War 2.
After the heavy losses incurred in the battle, the strategic value of the island became controversial. It was useless to the US Army as a staging base and useless to the US Navy as a fleet base. However, Navy SEABEES rebuilt the airfields, which were used as emergency landing strips for USAAF B-29s.
The Imperial Japanese Army positions on the island were heavily fortified, with a dense network of bunkers, hidden artillery positions, and 18 km of underground tunnels. The Americans on the ground were supported by extensive naval artillery and complete air supremacy over Iwo Jima from the beginning of the battle by US Navy and Marine Corps aviators.
Iwo Jima was also the only battle by the US Marine Corps in which the American casualties exceeded the Japanese, although Japanese combat deaths numbered three times as many American deaths. Of the 22 000 Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima at the beginning of the battle, only 216 were taken prisoner, some of whom were captured because they had been knocked unconscious or otherwise disabled. The majority of the remainder were killed in action, although it has been estimated that as many as 3000 continued to resist within the various cave systems for many days afterwards, eventually succumbing to their injuries or surrendering weeks later.
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