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Photos from the Battle of Iwo Jima

The battle for Iwo Jima is one of the most bloody and at the same time the most important battles fought during World War II. This small island was a unique destination for U. S. forces because of its location – after it was seized, Japan was in the range of American bombers with a fighter escort.

The Japanese command defended Iwo Jima until the last soldier and the last round, and the Americans themselves suffered significant losses during the offensive. The battle for Iwo Jima is a story of the heroism of soldiers of both nations. Japanese defenders of the island stood out with inhumane courage fighting to the end, despite the fact that the war was practically lost for them. During the battle, 21703 Japanese soldiers from a total of 22800 men were killed.

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“Flag raising on Iwo Jima” by Joe Rosenthal, Associated Press, February 23, 1945.

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Wrecked American vehicles destroyed by Japanese mortars and shellfire on the beach of Iwo Jima
Source: By PhoM3c. Robert M. Warren, USN [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

 

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Japanese 120mm gun in a destroyed bunker
Source: ibiblio.org

 

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Tracked Landing Vehicles with 4th Marine Division troops approach Iwo Jima
Source: Public Domain

 

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A flamethrower operator of 9th Marines during the battle on Iwo Jima
Source: Public Domain

 

On the video below you can see the devastating effect of using flamethrowers by U.S. soldiers during the battle (source:ww2incolor.com):

 

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A Marine flame tank, called “Ronson”. One of the eight M4A3 Shermans equipped with the Navy Mark 1, a flame thrower, which proved itself to be extremely effective against the Japanese.
Source: Public Domain

 

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Marine Corporal Edward Burckhardt and his “captive” kitten that he found at the base of Suribachi Yama on the battlefield at Iwo Jima.
Source: the Holland Smith Collection (COLL/2949) at the Marine Corps Archives and Special Collections

 

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U.S. Regimental Command Post next to the front lines on Iwo Jima
Source: Marine Corps Archives and Special Collections

 

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U.S. Marine firing at Japanese positions with his Browning M1917
Source: Public Domain

 

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U. S. Marine taking a short nap while his war dog stands guard
Source: Public Domain

 

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The Japanese captured flag
Source: Public Domain

 

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American flag raised on the top of Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima
Source: Louis R. Lowery [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Here you can find the compilation of original videos showing the Battle of Iwo Jima from the U.S. perspective:

 

This one is a short documentary about the battle, it contains coloured photos, videos and commentary:

 

And finally a clip from the fantastic series “The Pacific” which shows the fighting on the Iwo Jima:

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