The full story of one of the bloodiest battles of the war in the Pacific Operation Detachment, the invasion of Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, was the first campaign on Japanese soil and resulted in some of the fiercest fighting of the Pacific campaign. U. S. Marines supported by the Navy and Air Force fought the Japanese both over and underground on the island of volcanic ash, in a battle which was immortalized by the raising of the Stars and Stripes above Mount Suribachi. It was a battle that the Japanese could not win but they were determined to die trying; of the 18,000-strong garrison, only 200 were taken prisoner. Americans lost more in the 35 day battle, but at the end had possession of three airfields in range of the Japanese mainland. This book gives a clear, concise account of those dramatic days in 1945, supported by a timeline of events and orders of battle.

Andrew Rawson has written numerous military history books, including Battle Story: Battle of the Bulge 1944-45, Battleground Europe: Walcheren, Bridge at Remagan, and The Vietnam War Handbook.