Battle of Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, Japan
What happened
U.S. Marines under General Holland Smith and General Harry Schmidt fought the Japanese garrison of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi. The United States wanted Iwo Jima's two airfields, which could support long-range bomber missions to Japan and serve as emergency landing sites. When the Marines landed in February 1945, they struggled up beaches of soft volcanic ash while Japanese soldiers fired from hidden bunkers and a network of tunnels. After five weeks of fighting, the Americans captured the island.
Why it matters
Result: American victory. Leaders: Raymond A. Spruance / Marc Mitscher against Tadamichi Kuribayashi / Takeichi Nishi. Why it matters: It was one of the few Pacific battles where American casualties were greater than Japanese casualties, though very few Japanese soldiers survived. The flag raising on Mount Suribachi became one of the most famous images of the war.
What came next
Joe Rosenthal's photograph of the flag raising won the 1945 Pulitzer Prize. It became the model for the Marine Corps War Memorial near Washington, D.C., dedicated in 1954.
Did you know?
Rosenthal's famous photo actually shows the second flag raised on Mount Suribachi that day, not the first.
Timeline
- 19 February 1945U.S. Marines land on Iwo Jima.
- 23 February 1945Marines raise the flag on Mount Suribachi.
- 26 March 1945The battle ends.
- 1945Rosenthal's photograph wins the Pulitzer Prize.
- 1954The Marine Corps War Memorial is dedicated.