What was the codename for the US Marine Corps invasion of Iwo Jima?

The U.S. Marine Corps invasion of Iwo Jima was codenamed Operation Detachment. The assault began on February 19, 1945, during the Pacific War, with American forces targeting the strategically important island in the Volcano Islands chain.

Iwo Jima was valuable because its airfields could support fighter escorts for B-29 bombers attacking Japan and provide emergency landing facilities for damaged aircraft returning from missions. American planners expected the island to fall quickly, but the Japanese garrison had built a vast network of tunnels, bunkers, artillery positions, and concealed firing points under Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi.

The battle lasted until March 26 and became one of the bloodiest U.S. operations of the Pacific campaign. The famous flag-raising photograph on Mount Suribachi was taken during Operation Detachment, although the image captured the second flag-raising there rather than the first. The operation is sometimes confused with later campaigns such as Operation Iceberg, the codename for the invasion of Okinawa.