The Battle of Iwo Jima took place on the island of Iwo Jima, located 750 miles south of Tokyo, Japan. The Japanese had fortified the island with over 1,500 interconnected underground tunnels and bunkers. Their strategy was to inflict heavy casualties on U.S. forces without surviving themselves. Over 21,000 Japanese defenders fought ferociously from their fortified positions. After a month of intense fighting against this heavily entrenched enemy, the U.S. was finally able to capture the island, but at a heavy cost of over 26,000 U.S. casualties, including nearly 7,000 killed. The victory provided a crucial staging area for U.S. bombers conducting raids on Japan,