This 1945 photograph shows Ie Shima, a small island off Okinawa's northern coast, dominated by the volcanic peak Iegusuku, nicknamed "The Pinnacle" by American troops. Captured by U.S. forces in April 1945, Ie Shima is best known as the place where war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed by Japanese machine-gun fire. The image captures the rapid transformation of the island's flat terrain into a military staging and airfield area, with vehicle tracks crisscrossing the bulldozed ground. Project: 218616