Colorized photo of a U.S. Marine aiming his rifle during the Battle of Iwo Jima

Colorized photo of a U.S. Marine aiming his rifle in practice during a lull in the Battle of Iwo Jima from 19Feb to 26Mar 1945. Under Operation Detachment meant to capture Iwo Jima as a staging point to attack Japan, US Marines faced the fiercest and bloodiest battles against a well-prepared and well-entrenched Japanese Imperial Army who considered the defense of Iwo Jima their last hope of prolonging the war and preventing it from reaching Japan. Virtually nothing from the naval bombardment or bombings conducted by the U.S. allied forces made any impact and securing the beachhead made the Invasion of Normandy look like a walk in the park by comparison. It took America 36 days to defeat the enemy and capture the island. It was the only battle in the Pacific where the American wounded exceeded the Japanese, although Japanese combat deaths numbered three times as many as American deaths.