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.
By early 1945, the American campaign in the Pacific had pushed the
Japanese back from their aggressive takeover of many islands. The
Americans were close enough to begin attacking Japan itself, but the Japanese base on Iwo Jima was able to detect the
American bombers on their way to Japan, providing warning of approaching raids. The base
on Iwo Jima was also able to launch planes that
harassed the American bombers.
The capture of Iwo Jima became more important to the Americans. Under Lieutenant
General Holland M. “Howlin’ Mad” Smith
(1882–1967), American marines mounted an
attack to seize the island. The Japanese, however,
were very well protected. Miles of tunnels, rocky
volcanic terrain, and twenty thousand soldiers
made the Japanese position difficult to overcome.
On February 16, 1945, American forces assaulted the island defenses from the air and the
sea. Three days later, marines landed on the
beaches. After four days, the American marines
held the most terrain, but the Japanese were well
entrenched and fought strongly. American
forces secured the island on March 17, but resistance did not end for another nine days.
The battle left nearly five thousand
Americans and twenty thousand Japanese dead.
Many more were wounded. American control of
Iwo Jima proved to be immensely important in
the American push to end the war with Japan.
Controlling a safe place for airplanes and troops
so close to Japan allowed the Americans to be
more aggressive and helped to force a Japanese
surrender by August.