The Battle of Iwo Jima, fought from February 19 to March 26, 1945, stands as one of World War II’s most ferocious and pivotal engagements.

This tiny volcanic island, just eight square miles, became a linchpin in the U.S. campaign to defeat Japan. Located 750 miles south of Tokyo, Iwo Jima’s airfields were critical for American bombers targeting the Japanese mainland and for emergency landings. For Japan, it was a last-ditch stronghold to delay the inevitable Allied advance.

U.S. planners anticipated a quick victory, expecting to overwhelm the island’s 21,000 Japanese defenders within days. Instead, they met a relentless foe. Under General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, Japanese forces turned Iwo Jima into a fortress of tunnels and bunkers, dug deep into its sulfurous rock.

Refusing surrender, they fought with grim determination, forcing a five-week slugfest that defied all predictions.

The toll was staggering. Nearly 7,000 American troops, mostly Marines, perished in the onslaught, with over 19,000 wounded. Of the Japanese garrison, almost all 21,000 died—many in the tunnels or by their own hands—leaving more than half their remains unrecovered. The island’s 1,100 civilian residents had been evacuated, save for 103 drafted men, 82 of whom died in the chaos.

The battle’s iconic moment came early, on February 23, when U.S. Marines raised the flag atop Mount Suribachi—an image immortalized by Joe Rosenthal’s photograph. Yet victory came at a steep cost, with the island’s capture exposing the war’s brutal endgame. Iwo Jima’s airfields later aided the air campaign, including the atomic bombings, hastening Japan’s surrender in August 1945.

Eighty years on, Iwo Jima remains a haunting symbol of sacrifice and resilience, its scars revisited in 2025 by Emperor Naruhito, honoring a shared history of loss and lessons for peace.