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U.S marines and navy landed on Iwo Jima, initaing a large naval bombardment, lasting 36 days of intense fighting. The U.S struggled due to the layout and resources of Iwo Jima. The early bombardment put Kuribayashi’s plan into action.
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Americans outweigh the Japanese with a 3:1 ratio. Each side is struggling early on. 4 days into the battle U.S troops capture Mount Suribachi on the south side of Iwo Jima. They raised the flag creating the iconic photo.
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300 of Kuribayashi’s men mounted a final banzai attack. While America had many casualties, they fought back and declared they capture Iwo Jima. Weeks later they spent searching through the island’s jungles, finding and killing or capturing Japanese “holdouts” who refused to surrender and opted to continue fighting.
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in September of 1954, the US created the US Marine Corps War Memorial also known as the Iwo Jima memorial in honor of being the bloodiest battle in Marine history. This memorial in Arlington VA honors lost marines who fought for the land, Losing their life for the U.S troops.