by Desiree Plunk

737meyero — 2015-02-19 17:33:04 UTC

The Battle of Iwo Jima

889plunkd — 2015-02-19 17:34:48 UTC

This battle took place between Japan and the United States, on a Volcanic island 660 miles south of Tokyo, on February 19th, 1945.

889plunkd — 2015-02-19 17:48:50 UTC

737meyero — 2015-02-19 17:50:40 UTC

737meyero — 2015-02-19 17:52:21 UTC

The flag-raising atop Mt. Suribachi took place on February 23, 1945; five days after the battle began. They put the pole up to represent bravery and heroism and to respect those who had passed and to never give up.

737meyero — 2015-02-19 18:00:28 UTC

Three Interesting Facts:

889plunkd — 2015-02-19 18:00:57 UTC

1) Twenty seven medals of honor were given for the battle of Iwo Jima; more than any other war.

2) Approximately 70,000 U.S. Marines and 18,000 Japanese soldiers took part in the battle.

3) Iwo Jima was one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history.

Statistics

889plunkd — 2015-02-19 18:15:45 UTC

Nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines were killed. Another 20,000 were wounded. Marines captured 216 Japanese soldiers; the rest were killed in action.

The island was declared secured on March 16, 1945

889plunkd — 2015-02-19 18:21:30 UTC

After the war, Iwo Jima served as an emergency landing site for more than 2,200 B-29 bombers, saving the lives of 24,000 U.S. airmen.

Significance

737meyero — 2015-02-23 16:39:28 UTC

Under American control, the airfields could be used as emergency landing bases for damaged airplanes in the bombing raids. They could also be used for American fighter planes to escort the bombers, as they needed smaller runways for take-off.