Battle of Iwo Jima
1945 CE · Iwo Jima, Japan
The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought in 1945 CE in Iwo Jima, Japan between United States vs the Empire of Japan; American victory; almost the entire Japanese garrison fought to the death.
Battle of Iwo Jima: quick facts
- Date
- 1945 CE
- Location
- Iwo Jima, Japan
- Belligerents
- United States vs the Empire of Japan
- Commanders
- Holland Smith vs Tadamichi Kuribayashi
- Result
- American victory; almost the entire Japanese garrison fought to the death.
- Era
- 🪖 World Wars
- Quiz difficulty
- easy
What happened at the Battle of Iwo Jima?
Over 70,000 US Marines fought to capture the heavily fortified volcanic island of Iwo Jima from 21,000 entrenched Japanese defenders. The battle produced some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific War, with nearly 7,000 Marines killed and virtually the entire Japanese garrison wiped out. The iconic photograph of Marines raising the flag on Mount Suribachi became one of the most famous images of World War II.
Did you know?
Of the nearly 21,000 Japanese defenders on Iwo Jima, only 216 were taken prisoner. The rest fought to the death or took their own lives, a testament to the fanatical resistance American forces faced.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Iwo Jima on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.