The Battle of Iwo Jima

How did the battle affect Japan affect the war against Japan?

Introduction

Battle of Iwo Jima

U.S. Marines- 30,000 at first invasion

75,000 by the end

Japanese Soldiers- 21,000

Why did the U.S. attack?

Iwo Jima was a radar installation for the Japanese during WWII

Weapons cache was also on the island

U.S. needed the island to refuel bombers heading to Tokyo, only 660 miles away.

Summary

Japanese lost island in about one month

Est. 7,000 Americans diedEst. 20,000 Japanese died.

U.S. planes were now free to attack the mainland at any time.

Aftermath

The U.S. victory was one of many near the end of the war.

U.S. used bombers to cripple the Japanese military and economy.

U.S. ultimately won with atomic bombings.