After Battle of Midway, the allied forces began planning an attack on Japans mainland. In order for the allied forces to be successful, they would need to capture an area for a base off the coast of Japan. The allies did this by doing the 'leapfrog' method by going from island to island and fighting the weaker forces and avoiding the stronger forces. Eventually, the allies arrived at the island of Iwo Jima and were greeted by heavily armed Japanese forces. After a battle with heavy casualties on both sides, the allies were victorious and conquered the island.
In April in 1945, the U.S. marines an island close to Japan known as Okinawa. Japan sent out 1,900 planes, used only for kamikaze attacks, sinking 30 ships, and killing 5,000 marines. In the end, America won at the cost of 7,600 marines and Japan lost 110,000 soldiers.