Operation Detachment, the U.S. Marines’ invasion of Iwo Jima,
was launched. Iwo Jima was a barren Pacific island guarded
by Japanese artillery, but to American military minds, it was
prime real estate on which to build airfields to launch bombing
raids against Japan, only 660 miles away.
When the American flag was finally raised on Iwo Jima, the
memorable image was captured in a famous photograph that
later won the Pulitzer Prize.
