After initial successes in the first six months of World War 2, Japanese fortunes turned as the Americans destroyed large portions of the Japanese fleet in several major battles. Significant American victories at Midway, Guadalcanal, the Battle of the Philippines Sea and Leyte Gulf left the Japanese navy greatly outnumbered. Essentially, the Japanese navy ceased to exist as an effective fighting force. That left Japanese military planners with one last strategy. The Japanese string of island outposts was to be fortified and held at all costs.
One such outpost was Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima is a small island less than 1,000 miles from southern Japan. Iwo Jima could be an import strategic base for the American bombers, so American military strategists were busy developing invasion plans. The Japanese also saw the importance of this island and dedicated significant military resources for the defense of this outpost.
By March of 1944, the naval war was effectively decided. The Japanese naval commanders knew that they could not match the American navy. They began fortifying the island and over 20,000 Japanese soldiers were sent. Defensive barriers, such as bunkers and tunnels were constructed over the course of the next year.
Beginning in June of 1944, early American air raids on the island were occurring. While these raids were not major battles, they did serve to harass the defenders and delay Japanese construction work. These raids would continue until the invasion started.
The battle effectively began with the arrival of the American fleet on February 16, 1945. Shore bombardment from American battleships and cruisers was intended to soften up the island defenses. While they certainly had an impact, many of the defenders were underground and consequently, the bombing was not as effective as was hoped. After three days of bombing, American forces landed on the island.
On February 19, 1945, the first American Marines landed on Iwo Jima. A total of 30,000 Marines would participate in the invasion. Initially, little resistance was experienced. It was not until the Marines moved inward that they encountered the defenses built by the Japanese over the prior year.
For five bloody days, the American Marines advanced south towards Mount Suribachi. Suribachi was the high point of the island and its most valuable strategic point. Battling the entrenched Japanese, the Marines finally took control of the mountain and on February 23, the American flag was planted on the top of the mountain.
After taking the key mountain, the American forces concentrated on moving north and completing the conquest of the island. Unfortunately, the defenses in the northern part of the island were even stronger than the south. The battle continued as American Marines advanced yard by yard. Slowly and after many casualties, the Americans took control of each strategic point in the north. It was not until March 26, 31 days after the planting of the flag on Suribachi, that the entire island was safely in American hands.
The aftermath of this major World War 2 battle left the Americans with almost 7,000 dead and 19,000 wounded. The Japanese suffered 22,000 killed in this battle, almost the entire garrison. The Battle of Iwo Jima left the Americans in control of perhaps the most important strategic base in the South Pacific.