Seventy-five years ago, one of the fiercest struggles of World War II (1939-1945) began: the Battle of Iwo Jima (EE-woh JEE-muh). The brutal fight between the United States and Japan took place on that Japanese-controlled island in the Pacific Ocean. This photo shows U.S. Marines raising the American flag on a mountaintop captured during the battle.

The U.S. entered World War II in 1941 after Japan attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Within days, the U.S. was also at war against Germany and Italy, Japan’s allies in Europe. 

In February 1945, after years of warfare against Japan, the U.S. invaded Iwo Jima. The Americans needed the island as an air base for a potential invasion of Japan. U.S. forces greatly outnumbered Japan’s. But Japanese soldiers, who were hiding in the island’s hilly terrain, fought fiercely. It took five weeks for U.S. forces to prevail. Nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines died in the battle and about 20,000 were wounded. About 18,000 Japanese soldiers were killed.

The U.S. and its allies would soon win the war. This image has become a powerful symbol of their bravery and sacrifice.