Onto the Black Shores of Hell: the Battle for Iwo Jima

Book excerpt: On 19 February 1945, thousands of Marines landed on the black shores of a tiny volcanic island in the Pacific. The fight that was supposed to take 3 days lasted well over a month. It was the only battle in which the Marine Corps suffered more casualties than the Japanese. In just over a month of fighting, 27 Medals of Honor were awarded, and only 216 of the 22,000 Japanese defenders surrendered. Three United States Marines share their personal experiences from boot camp to the shores of Iwo Jima through a largely day-by-day account, interwoven with historical background information.