Iwo Jima, a small island a few hundred miles from the Japanese homeland, was secured by U.S. Marines in a bitter, 36-day battle in February-March 1945, during the final months of World War II. The battle for Iwo Jima, against stubborn Japanese resistance, was one of the bloodiest of the war. The seizure of Iwo Jima was prominent in American plans as a staging area for the potential invasion of Japan’s home islands, while its airfields would serve as emergency landing strips for damaged American heavy bombers returning from raids against Japanese cities. Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz said that at Iwo Jima, “…uncommon valor was a common virtue.”
Battle of Iwo Jima
Many vestiges of World War II in the Pacific linger, denying the ravages of time.
The battleship USS Missouri, where the war ended nearly 70 years ago, remains as a floating monument and museum at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Read more
