Video - The Battle of Iwo Jima: The Bloody Fight for Victory

February 19 to March 26, 1945: The Battle of Iwo Jima begins as U.S. Marines land on the volcanic island, located 660 miles south of Tokyo, to secure a strategic staging area for a potential assault on Japan's mainland. The ensuing battle is brutal and protracted, with fierce fighting over the island's rugged terrain. Despite eventually capturing Iwo Jima, the cost is high: 7,000 Marines are killed and 20,000 wounded. Of the 18,000 Japanese soldiers defending the island, only 216 survive. The island later becomes a critical emergency landing site for B-29 bombers, further aiding the Allied war effort in the Pacific.