It also meant American bombers could fly over Japan with fighter escorts. Now, the Army Air Forces could make bombing runs without a Japanese garrison at Iwo Jima warning the mainland about the danger to come.
could launch bombing runs from Iwo Jima's strategic airfields, as the tiny island was directly under the flight path of B-29 Superfortresses from Guam, Saipan and the Mariana Islands. Taking the island meant more than a symbolic capture of the Japanese homeland. Iwo Jima Was Strategically Necessary for the United States' War Effort Bob CampbellNational Archives)Īfter three years of taking control of islands previously captured by the Japanese, the Marines were finally taking part of the Japanese capital. Marines risk sniper fire atop Mount Suribachi as they gather to the great attraction of the day: 5th Division Marines raise the American flag.
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