IWO JIMA: 36 DAYS OF HELL

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SUMMARY:
Iwo Jima was arguably the toughest battle the Marines had ever faced. The courage and sacrifice of the men who fought to secure the eight square miles of stinking sulfur rock and volcanic ash will never be forgotten. Step back in time with the sailors, soldiers and airmen who were there and relive one of the most famous battles of WWIII. Told almost exclusively through color footage shot by Marine Corps cameramen and veteran interviews, this documentary tells the story of the battle for Iwo Jima through the eyes of those who lived through it. See why it is said that “on Iwo Jima uncommon valor was a common virtue.”

PRODUCED BY: Timeless Media
DOCUMENTARY, 6 x 1hr, 2006, Color/B&W

DETAILED SYNOPSIS:
DISC 1:
Iwo Jima was arguably the toughest battle the Marines had ever faced. The courage and sacrifice of the men who fought to secure the eight miles of stinking sulfur rock and volcanic ash will never be forgotten.

Thought at first to be an easy target, military planners figured it would take the Marines only three or four days to secure the small island. But it was only after a month of brutal, bloody, intense fighting that Iwo was finally taken. It would be the only battle in Marine Corps history where they suffered more casualties than the enemy. One third of all Marines killed in WWII would fall at Iwo Jima. Of the 81 Medals of Honor awarded to Marines in WWII, 27 of them would be awarded for action on this island.

Step back in time with the sailors, soldiers and airmen who were there and relive one of the most famous battles of WWII. Told almost exclusively through color footage shot by Marine Corps cameramen and veteran interviews, this documentary tells the story of the battle for Iwo Jima through the eyes of those who lived through it. See why it is said that “on Iwo Jima uncommon valor was a common virtue.”

CHAPTERS:
• Prologue
• The Face of Iwo Jima
• Plan of Attack
• The Landings
• The Shores of Iwo Jima
• Mt. Suribachi
• Inch by Inch
• Bloody Iwo
• Fire and Steel
• Off Shore Support
• High Price to Pay
• An Uneasy Silence
• Was It Worth It?

DISC 2:
By 1945, U.S. troops had recaptured most of the territory taken by the Japanese during the early days of the war. The invasion of Iwo Jima, which occurred in February, marked the first American landing on Japanese soil. But how was it that Japan and the United States ever came to fight for that forsaken piece of real estate? The Road to Iwo Jima outlines the events that ultimately led to war and reviews the battles that preceded this brutal showdown.

The B-29 Superfortress: The Boeing B-29 was the most advanced bomber of its time, and the primary aircraft used in the firebombing campaign against Japan during the final months of World War II. From bases in the Mariana Islands, B-29s flew thousands of missions against Japan, sewing widespread devastation and gravely damaging Japan’s war industries. Iwo Jima was considered vital to this campaign, since it could be used as a base for fighter capable of escorting B-29s on their missions, as well as an emergency landing field midway between the Marianas and Japan.

CHAPTERS:
• The Road to Iwo
• The B-29 Superfortress
• Voices from the Battlefield: Craig Leman, Marvin Perrett
• Iwo Jima Memorial

DISC 3:
Okinawa:
The Marines land on sacred Japan – Okinawa. The Japanese are ready in their extensive underground defenses and are told to make the Marines pay a high price. The divine wind is called forth and young Kamikaze pilots throw themselves at the Allied fleet ringing the island. “Make them pay, throw them back” is the Japanese battle cry. So pay they do, as the Marines relentlessly advance into the teeth of the fanatical Japanese defense. But they will not be thrown back and the rising sun is set in what will be the final battle for the Marines in WWII.

Kamikaze!:
During the summer of 1944, a small group of Japanese pilots deliberately attempted to crash their planes into American ships participating in the invasion of Biak Island. For the Japanese, this first attack paved the way for a whole new way of fighting the Americans. Though only a small percentage of “Kamikazes” managed to reach their targets, those that did almost always inflicted tremendous damage and casualties, making them one of the most feared and destructive weapons the U.S. Navy faced during the Second World War.

Japan’s Surrender:
This newsreel account summarizes the final days of the war against Japan, including the Potsdam Conference, the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Russia’s declaration of war against Japan and the formal surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri.

CHAPTERS:
• Okinawa
• Kamikaze
• Japan’s Surrender

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