Iwo Jima at 80: The Battle That Changed the Pacific War

Its significance, the men who fought, and the books that capture their legacy.

Feb 18, 2025

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Tomorrow at 0859 a.m. marks 80 years since the first wave of Marines landed on the black sands of Iwo Jima, launching five weeks of relentless combat. The battle’s ferocity resulted in the highest number of casualties the Marine Corps has ever suffered. By its end, the Fifth Amphibious Corps—comprised of three divisions and nearly 75,000 troops—had sustained 25,851 casualties, one-third of the assault force, the equivalent of an entire Marine division killed or wounded. Deemed a strategic necessity, the assault was a pivotal moment in the island-hopping campaign to defeat the Imperial Japanese Empire. The island was declared secure 36 days later, on March 26, marking the end of one of the bloodiest chapters of World War II. The battle was defined by brutal, close-quarters combat against a determined enemy entrenched within a fortified labyrinth of tunnels and bunkers carved deep into volcanic rock.

This is a historic black-and-white aerial photograph of the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. The image captures the moment U.S. Marines and landing craft approach the island's shoreline under heavy fire. Mount Suribachi, the island’s dominant volcanic peak, rises in the background, partially shrouded in smoke from ongoing bombardments. The dark sands of the beach contrast sharply with the white surf and the wakes left by the landing craft. Plumes of smoke rise from various points on the island, indicative of the intense combat and bombardment preceding the invasion. The photograph vividly conveys the scale and ferocity of the battle, one of the most significant and costly engagements in the Pacific theater. — Waves of assault craft approach the landing beaches along the southeastern shore of Iwo Jima, much of which is shrouded in smoke (Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-415308)

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