Iwo Jima was not strategically vital. The five-mile volcanic island had no population and minimal resources. American planners chose it for one reason: an airfield. Japanese fighters based there harassed B-29 bombers heading to Japan. Once captured, American fighters could use the airfield to escort bombers and protect them with long-range protection. To the Japanese, this same airfield meant Iwo Jima had to be held at all costs. General Tomoyuki Yamashita, the Tiger of Malaya, commanded the Japanese garrison. He had 22,702 troops and ordered defenses of unprecedented sophistication. Caves, bunkers, and underground tunnels honeycombed the island. Artillery pieces, hidden in fortified positions, could not be seen until they fired. This was Japan's strongest defensive position to date.

The Landing and Initial Assault

On February 19, 1945, 70,000 Marines under General Holland Smith waded ashore at Iwo Jima. Preliminary naval bombardment had lasted 72 hours 3,000 tons of high explosive dropped on an island eight square miles in size. The Japanese commander held fire, refusing to reveal positions. The first Marines to land encountered only black sand beaches and dormant volcano. Then Japanese artillery erupted from hidden positions. The beach became a killing ground. The Marines suffered 550 casualties on the first day. The Japanese, far from being decimated, emerged from bunkers and counterattacked. Beach positions turned into a fierce melee. Slowly, agonizingly, Americans pushed inland. Engineers brought up tanks, which became easy targets for Japanese anti-tank guns. The battle bogged down immediately.

The Struggle for Suribachi and Plateau

Mount Suribachi, the volcanic peak dominating the southern island, became the focal point. Japanese defenders had built it into a fortress. Three days of assault preceded its capture. Marines suffered 1,000 casualties seizing the mountain. On February 23, a patrol of 40 Marines reached the summit. Soldiers planted a small American flag. War correspondent Joe Rosenthal photographed five Marines raising a larger flag. The photograph became iconic, won the Pulitzer Prize, and immortalized the battle. Northward across the plateau lay more fortified positions. The fighting became static, grinding attrition. American artillery pounded Japanese positions ceaselessly. Japanese soldiers, forbidden to surrender, fought to the death. One Japanese officer committed suicide rather than face capture.

The Final Weeks

By March 16, organized Japanese resistance ended. American forces had conquered the island. Total casualties exceeded 26,000: 6,821 Americans killed, 19,189 wounded; 21,844 Japanese killed, only 216 captured. The casualty ratio was 3 to 1 American to Japanese deaths. The price was staggering. In 36 days of fighting, Americans paid 1,900 casualties per square mile the heaviest combat losses of the Pacific War. Military historians call Iwo Jima a Pyrrhic victory. Possession of the airfield proved less valuable than anticipated. The war ended four months later, and the strategic benefit never materialized. Yet the battle proved something terrible: invasion of the Japanese home islands would cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Iwo Jima informed American calculations for the atomic bomb. The flag photograph symbolized American triumph, but the body count symbolized the war's true cost.