The plan for the US to attack Iwo Jima was known by Japan long before the battle took place.
The commander for this region, General Kuribayashi, prepared in ways that were different from anything seen before.
They fought completely underground. His army dug miles of tunnels connecting hundreds of small rooms into the island.
His army didn't expect to survive this battle, and they didn't want to. Their plan was to kill 10 Americans before they were allowed to die.
Their goal was to kill as many Americans as possible. Not even the General expected to survive.
The US began their attack in the air. Their attack, though very powerful, had little effect against the Japanese in their strong tunnels.
The US then sent in Marines as a second attack. They sent 880 ships and a total of 110,000 marines.
The battle began on February 19, 1945, but the US marines had little luck. The hidden Japanese were too hard to see.
The final strategy that helped the US win this battle was the use of weapons like grenades, gas, and napalm, which were much more effective.
In total, there were about 25% casualties to the US, with 95% of the Japanese killed. The other 5% were all captured.