During the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific War, a Japanese soldier was killed in action beside the command post in February 1945. The Japanese forces had constructed a formidable defensive position, transforming the ravines and gorges into a deadly maze.

 　During the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific War, a Japanese soldier was killed in action beside his command post in February 1945. The fighting across Iwo Jima was extremely fierce; American casualties alone exceeded 2,400 on the first day of the landing. The Japanese forces had constructed formidable defensive positions, turning the island's ravines and gorges into deadly mazes. Some strongholds were defended with extreme intensity, proving brutally tenacious. Both sides eventually conceded that the defenses would collapse, and it was only a matter of time before Iwo Jima fell to the Americans.

　　Iwo Jima was a small island with a total area of only about 21 square kilometers. The Japanese military had built three airfields on the island. It lay just about 1,126 kilometers from the Japanese mainland. The Japanese military had fortified the island, transforming it into a maze, and lay hidden within Iwo Jima. An underground tunnel network concealed the Japanese forces from American reconnaissance.

　　The U.S. forces landed with a Marine division first, followed by infantry regiments. The landing occurred almost exactly on schedule at 9:00 AM on February 19, 1945. The volcanic ash covering the island was soft and loose; on the beach, soldiers sank ankle-deep into the sand. The coastal slope was steep, and fierce waves violently pounded the landing craft.

　　Japanese forces lay concealed in underground tunnels. When the shelling ceased, they waited for the Marines to gather on the beach before opening fire. They unleashed a hail of bullets and shells upon the American soldiers crawling up the sandy beach and climbing the slopes. The Japanese garrison fought until their last breath. Iwo Jima became the only battle in the Pacific War where American casualties exceeded those of the Japanese.

　　The Battle of Iwo Jima lasted from February 19 to March 26, 1945. On the night of March 25, the Japanese forces launched a desperate banzai charge, their final strike for the Emperor. This attack killed or wounded over 100 American soldiers, but Iwo Jima was officially declared secured. Over 21,000 Japanese soldiers died defending Iwo Jima, with 216 taken prisoner. Of the 70,000 American troops on the island, more than 6,000 were killed in action, and a further 18,000 were wounded or killed. The bloody outcome forced American strategists to reconsider plans for an invasion of the Japanese mainland.