Battle for Iwo Jima, 1945

Iwo Jima was the US Marine Corps's toughest battle. In February 1945, 3 Marine Divisions stormed the island's shores in what was supposed to be a 10-day battle, but they had reckoned without General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the enemy commander. Do not plan for my return, he wrote in one of his letters to his wife. He knew that he and his garrison could not defeat the Marines, but he was determined to exact a fearful toll in American casualties. In the 36-day battle for Iwo Jima, the Marines lost nearly 6,000 men and the enemy garrison was virtually wiped out. This history draws upon letters, photographs and drawings by General Kuribayashi and is supported by many other eyewitness accounts and the true story, from Press photographer Joe Rosenthal, of the famous flag-raising on Mount Suribachi. The text is illustrated with over 80 photos and includes maps that show locations of defenses and the progress of the battle, drawings of the principal tanks and aircraft of the campaign.