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The Battle of Iwo Jima Was Costly but It Saved 2,400 B-29 Bomber Crews
Capturing the Imperial Japanese island was brutal work, but it created an airfield for damanged Allied bombers to safely land.
Key point: The cost and benefits of any campaign or battle are important to weigh. Here is one factor that is often forgotten when people think about the Battle of Iwo Jima.
On February 19, 1945, thousands of American Marines hit the beaches on the Volcano Islands in the Pacific, starting what we call today the Battle of Iwo Jima. Taking the small island, encompassing only about eight square miles, required the commitment of 70,000 American fighting men and 26,000 casualties, over 6,800 of them killed.