What was the costliest battle in the history of the United States Marines Corps?
1 Answer
The Battle of Iwo Jima was the costliest battle for the United States Marine Corp.
Explanation:
The Battle of Iwo Jima raged from February 19 to March 26 1945. The United States Marine Corps land on and the finally captured this island from the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
During this battle there were over 6,000 US Marines killed and over 26,000 casualities.
There was huge loss of life on the Japanese side as well. Of the approximately 21,000 Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima at the beginning of the battle, only 216 were taken prisoner.
This was the only Pacific battle where the number of US casualties outnumbered the Japanese casualities.
The raising of the flag by US Marines on Iwo Jima's Mt. Suribachi was one of the most famous pictures to come out of the battle in the Pacific and for all of World War II. A statue of this picture is the center piece of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington DC.
