The west Pacific volcanic island of Iwo Jima was declared
secured by the U.S. military after weeks of fiercely fighting
its Japanese defenders.
The Americans began applying pressure to the Japanese
defense of Iwo Jima in February 1944, when B-24 and B-25
bombers raided the island for 74 days straight.
It was the longest pre-invasion bombardment of the war,
necessary because of the extent to which the Japanese–
21,000 strong–fortified the island, above and below ground,
including a network of caves.
Underwater demolition teams (“frogmen”) were dispatched
by the Americans just before the actual invasion to clear the
shores of mines and any other obstacles that could obstruct
an invading force. In fact, the Japanese mistook the frogmen
for an invasion force and killed 170 of them.
When all was done, more than 6,000 Marines died fighting for the
island, along with almost all the 21,000 Japanese soldiers trying
to defend it.
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