The five-week battle saw some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the Pacific War. Navy and Marine Corps aviators throughout the battle.
The American ground forces were supported by extensive naval artillery and had complete air supremacy provided by U.S.
The Japanese Army positions on the island were heavily fortified, with a dense network of bunkers, hidden artillery positions, and 18 km (11 mi) of tunnels. The American invasion, designated Operation Detachment, had the purpose of capturing the island with its two airfields: South Field and Central Field. The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps and Navy landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II.
