About this piece
- Title: THE WAR WITH JAPAN | THE BATTLE FOR IWO JIMA | Landings 19 February 1945 and Operations to 11 March
- Author: United States Military Academy
- Date/Location: 1956, West Point, New York
- Condition: See description
- Inches: 10 x 13 [Image]
- Centimeters: 25.4 x 33.02 [Image]
- Product ID: 308358
The Battle for Iwo Jima
Map of Iwo Jima and surrounding islands showing the epic struggle in phase lines from D-Day to the battles conclusion on March 11. Landing beaches are shown on the southwest coastline. Depicts both airfields, primary targets for the Marine Corps invaders. Mount Suribachi, shown at the southernmost end of the island was taken by U.S. Marines on February 23, 1945. On that day, Marines climbed and secured the summit, raising an American flag to signal its capture. The famous flag-raising photographs, including Joe Rosenthal’s iconic image, were taken that same day. Both completed airfields and a third under construction are shown on the map.
The Battle of Iwo Jima, fought from February 19 to March 26, 1945, stands as one of the bloodiest and most iconic confrontations of the Pacific War. U.S. Marines launched the invasion, codenamed Operation Detachment, to capture the strategically vital island, which lay between the Mariana Islands and Japan and housed critical Japanese airfields. Despite months of preparatory naval and air bombardment, the American assault met fierce resistance from Japanese forces, who had transformed the volcanic island into a labyrinth of underground tunnels, bunkers, and fortified positions under the command of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi.
The Japanese defenders, determined to inflict maximum casualties, fought tenaciously from their concealed strongholds, forcing the Marines to root them out in brutal close-quarters combat. Over five weeks of relentless fighting, nearly 7,000 Americans were killed and more than 20,000 wounded, while almost the entire Japanese garrison of about 21,000 soldiers was wiped out, with only a few hundred taken prisoner. The battle’s intensity and the Marines’ extraordinary valor are commemorated by the famous flag-raising on Mount Suribachi, symbolizing both the high cost of victory and the strategic importance of Iwo Jima as an American air base for operations against Japan.
Reference
United States Department of Defense website, accessed 22 May 2025; https://www.defense.gov
Condition
Mild age toning, else fine.
