Iwo Jima

Joni Nuutinen

About this game

Iwo Jima 1945 is a turn based strategy game which takes place on the WW2 Pacific Theater. rom Joni Nuutinen: by a wargamer for the wargamers since 2011. Last update December 2025

You are in command of the American Marine force that is tasked with seizing the tiny volcanic island of Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945 (Operation Detachment). The object of the game is to completely conquer this small and inhospitable island as quickly as possible to both prevent the Japanese from using it to detect American bomber fleets and to provide an emergency landing area for long-range US planes.

This tiny volcanic island has been under heavy bombardment for months, and American submarines have sunk most of the Japanese supplies and reinforcements, so this is going to be the easiest and quickest mission yet!

...unless the Japanese have fortified the entire island, dug over 10 miles of tunnels, located troops in the thousands of caves, built platforms to move their artillery underground after firing, and prepared to die to the last man,

"The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years."
-- James Forrestal

Welcome to the battlefield! Here are two key principles you must embrace to secure a triumph.

1) As you lead your troops into battle, remember that strength lies in numbers. Coordinate your attacks by keeping your units in tight groups. By positioning adjacent units to support each other, you can gain the power of local superiority.

2) Cunning over Brute Force: Employ smart tactics to outmaneuver Japanese troops. Rather than engaging in head-on clashes, always look for a way to encircle the enemy forces. By cutting off their supply lines and isolating them, you can weaken their position in a massive way.

If you ever tried the traditional wargame classics, this captures that same spirit.

"The Marines on Iwo Jima have written a shining page in American history. Their courage and devotion to duty will never be forgotten. They have shown the world what American fighting men can do when they are called upon to defend their country."
- President Harry S. Truman

Ratings and reviews

Honestly love this game, brilliant accuracy and wargame experience. My main problem is with the prices of each game, which seem completely extortionate for such a large number of games. No one wants to spend the money on each game, and the price for a single scenario based campaign likely drives off many possible buyers. It makes economical sense to lower the prices by some degree, perhaps half, so as to encourage more purchases. This is a brilliant game, but this is the issue that lets it down.

Great game

I like this game very much. It forces you to be tactically sound- if you are over aggressive, your troops will get cut off and encircled. The shrouded areas lends to the "fog of war" where you don't know what lies ahead of you. My one complaint is that you only have two view options for the map, zoomed in or zoomed out to show the whole island. It would be helpful if you can manually adjust the zoom level so you can view the map at the level you want.

What’s new

+ Six new settings, see change log for details