10 Most Important Battles In US History
6. The Battle Of Iwo Jima - World War Two
As World War 2 raged on, The United States’ island hopping strategy in the Pacific was drawing closer to striking the Japanese mainland. The US needed a solid location for a base to launch strikes against Japan. On 19 February 1945, the small island of Iwo Jima was invaded by U.S. Marines. The invading Marines hit the beaches but they soon ran into fierce Japanese resistance from dug in defensive positions.
Japanese forces had created a system of dug outs, bunkers, and caves that enhanced their fighting capabilities. The American forces slowly pushed through Japanese defenses, and on 23 February 1945, Mount Suribachi was taken, leading to the iconic “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” photo. Slowly but surely, US Marines took the island, despite high casualties on both sides.
On 26 March 1945, the battle was over. 6,281 Americans had died while up to 18,375 Japanese Imperial soldiers met their ends. The victory for the US boosted morale on the pacific side of the second world war and allowed them to set up crucial air installations that helped the bombings of Japan and invasion of Okinawa that was to come.
The battle not only expressed a key strategic moment in the American fight against the Japanese, but also opened up the ability for the United States to take over the Japanese mainland and use it as a "puppet" state in the fight against communism.