Two Marine divisions made the assault on February 19, touching off a month of as severe fighting as American forces experienced during World War II. A third Marine division evenly had to be thrown into the battle as 23,000 Japanese, firmly entrenched in terrain that gave every advantage to the defenders, exacted a price of some 20,000 American casualties for the tiny island.
The campaign came to an official end on March 16, 1945.
The campaign came to an official end on March 16, 1945.