Personally signed by United States Marines and B-29 Airmen who made history on the volcanic island of Iwo Jima during the climactic final chapters of World War II. Iwo Jima, a charred, volcanic speck in the Pacific, became a thing of beauty to B-29 crews in trouble, returning from missions against Japan in early 1945. The U.S. Marines paid dearly for their countrymen to live, in what was one of the most famous battles in history. In 36 days of combat, between six and seven thousand Marines died taking Iwo, with many thousands more wounded. It’s estimated that the lives of nearly 25,000 airmen were spared as a result of being able to make emergency landings there. In this scene, a crippled Superfortress of the 34th Bomb Group limps onto Iwo Jima’s hard-won runway, carved from the volcanic rock stretching outward from the base of Mt. Suribachi, site of the famous flag-raising made famous in the world-renowned image by wartime photographer Joseph Rosenthal.Overall size 94cm x 59cm Image size 80cm x 41cm
