Iwo Jima is an island in the Pacific, approximately 650 miles from Tokyo that really did not have significant amount of natural resources. It was a rocky island with a volcano; however, it did serve as a vital platform for the Japanese fighters to launch attacks against American bombers. The island also held tactical importance to American forces. The island would serve as a landing strip for fighter escorts and as an airstrip used to repair damaged aircraft. The Marines conducted an amphibious landing on Iwo Jima to capture the island and secure its airfields. On the island, the Marines faced a barrage of enemy fire from Mount Suribachi. Japanese forces had fortified the island with tunnel complexes, bunkers, caves firing positions
