80 years ago, the battle of Iwo Jima came to an end on 26 March 1945. After 36 days of fighting, nearly 7,000 US Marines had been killed and another 20,000 injured.

Don is joined by historian Timothy Heck, naval historian, artillery officer and author of two books on amphibious warfare. They discuss the tactical importance of Iwo Jima, the battle itself and its outcomes, including that famous image of the marines raising the US flag.

Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Stuff Island #91: Grink'd w/ Ran Barnaclo