World War II Photograph

Shell bursts bloom on the lava-crusted slopes of Mount Suribachi, Volcano peak converted by the Japanese into a miniature “Gibraltar” for the defense of Iwo Jima. Pitted with caves and crevasses, and 546 feet high, the mountain commands all the southern approaches to the base, and was one of the first objectives of the Marine attack groups, landed by Coast Guard-manned and Navy landing craft. At the right is a battleship hammering the mountain with the full power of its guns.