Just a couple of years after the Second World War, John Wayne starred in Sands of Iwo Jima, a movie reenacting it. At 42, the Hollywood actor felt he was too old to play Sgt John M Stryker, and at one ...

The battle inspired movies and books but is perhaps best associated with one of the most famous photos of World War II -- showing a group of US Marines raising the American flag on the rubble ...