Eighty years ago, American and Japanese forces engaged in one of the most intense and brutal confrontations of World War II’s Pacific theatre: the Battle of Iwo Jima. This small island, located between the Marianas and mainland Japan, held significant strategic importance for Allied forces as they prepared for an impending invasion of Okinawa.
Initially, the United States declared Iwo Jima secure on March 16, 1945, but the true capture of the island did not occur until ten days later. On February 23, during the battle, a photographer captured a now-legendary image of US Marines from the 28th Regiment, 5th Division, as they raised the American flag atop Mt Suribachi, symbolising a crucial victory.
Although the soldiers in the photograph were hailed as heroes, one of them remained misidentified for many years.