<Li> Manchuria (1945) </Li> <P> The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February--26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II . The American invasion, designated Operation Detachment, had the goal of capturing the entire island, including the three Japanese - controlled airfields (including the South Field and the Central Field), to provide a staging area for attacks on the Japanese main islands . This five - week battle comprised some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the Pacific War of World War II . </P> <P> After the heavy losses incurred in the battle, the strategic value of the island became controversial . It was useless to the U.S. Army as a staging base and useless to the U.S. Navy as a fleet base . However, Navy Seabees rebuilt the landing strips, which were used as emergency landing strips for USAAF B - 29s . </P> <P> The IJA positions on the island were heavily fortified, with a dense network of bunkers, hidden artillery positions, and 18 km (11 mi) of underground tunnels . The American ground forces were supported by extensive naval artillery, and had complete air supremacy provided by U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators throughout the entire battle . </P>

Why did the us fight the battle of iwo jima