The overtaking of the island (ee-wo) Iwo Jima was by far the bloodiest and most violent battle of World War 2. Both sides of the battle lost many soldiers, including 7,000 Marines from the U.S. side. Every little thing that happened during the Iwo Jima attack played an important role in history. The beginning, middle, and end of the battle all come together to form an amazing, dramatic, and tragic event. The start of the battle of Iwo Jima was bound to happen. The Japanese were prepared for the attack of the U.S. Marines. There were around 23 thousand Japanese troops that were surrounding the island before the U.S. came around. They knew what was coming, and they also knew exactly why. The reason that the Battle of Iwo Jima started was because the U.S. Marines wanted to have a place near the Japanese coast to camp out at. Unfortunately, the Japanese coast was 575 miles away from Iwo Jima. Even though it was a far trip, they were still pleased with the spot that they had picked. Once they got on the island, they did not hesitate to take out their enemy, nor did they hesitate to place the American Flag on the island of Iwo Jima. This all started on the day of February 19, 1945. During the first days of the battle, many soldiers thought the battle would only last a couple of…show more content… Marines had cut the island in two by the end of the first day, despite taking over 2,400 casualties. On Day 2, the Marines attacked Mount Suribachi. Once they did, they found more Japanese defence. Mount Suribachi was taken on February 23rd, only after three days of fighting. Another major event that had happened was the placing of the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi. “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” is a photograph taken on February 23, 1945, by Joe Rosenthal. It shows six United States Marines raising a U.S. flag atop Mouth Suribachi. The picture was first published in Sunday newspapers on February 25, 1945. It was very popular and was reprinted in thousands of
