The Sands of Iwo Jima

The top two pictures are of the beaches where the main assault forces touched down. The Japanese didn't fire on the assault force initially, instead waiting for them to come a little further in where they would be enveloped in tremendous converging weapons fire. The Japanese had also plotted out in detail every inch of the island, had already sighted in their artillery and carefully concealed their gun emplacements to make it even more difficult for the American forces to advance in the already treacherous terrain. In the lower pictures you can see several ships and landing craft that still haunt the beachline on the north side of the island.