page_title: Battle of Iwo Jima
section_title: Opposing forces
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Iwo Jima / Opposing forces
context_page_description: The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps and Navy landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The American invasion, designated Operation Detachment, had the purpose of capturing the island with its two airfields: South Field and Central Field was twofold. The first was to provide for B-29s unable to make it back to Tinian. The second was to have air fields for shorter ranged fighters to be staged to extend fighter coverage to the bombers. The island could also serve as a staging point for attacks on the Japanese main islands. The five-week battle was some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the Pacific War.
  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 for ground troops and useless to the U.S. Navy as a fleet base with no
  anchorage. However, Navy Seabees rebuilt the two landing strips and added a third. which were used as occasional landing strips for USAAF B-29s, although rarely for emergencies.
caption: Map of Iwo Jima detailing the invasion
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