Battle of Iwo Jima

US Marines assaulted the heavily fortified island of Iwo Jima, defended by 21,000 Japanese troops in a labyrinth of tunnels and bunkers. The 36-day battle cost nearly 7,000 Marine dead and 19,000 wounded. The iconic flag-raising on Mount Suribachi became one of WWII's most famous images. Almost all Japanese defenders died.