U.S. Marines raised an American flag on the Japanese island’s highest peak exactly 80 years ago. But the fighting, some of the deadliest of World War II, would rage on for a month.

On Feb. 23, 1945, during World War II, U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima captured Mount Suribachi, where they raised two American flags. (The second flag-raising was captured in an iconic photograph by Joe Rosenthal of The Associated Press.)

Explore the brutal realities of the Battle of Iwo Jima—one of the bloodiest and most iconic battles in Marine Corps history. Discover the fierce Japanese defense led by General Kurabayashi, the strategic importance of the island,