6 reasons the Battle of Iwo Jima is so important to US Marines Blake Stilwell , But the battle had significance for the Marine Corps for more than just its brutality. No historical account of World War II would be complete without covering the Battle of Iwo Jima. At first glance, it seems similar to many other battles that happened late in the Pacific War: American troops fiercely fought their way through booby traps, Banzai charges and surprise attacks while stalwart dug-in Japanese defenders struggled against overwhelming US power in the air, on land and by sea. For the United States Marine Corps, however, the Battle of Iwo Jima was more than one more island in a string of battles in an island-hopping campaign. The Pacific War was one of the most brutal in the history of mankind, and nowhere was that more apparent than on Iwo Jima in February 1945.