In the winter of 1945, American forces prepared to launch an amphibious invasion of a tiny, desolate island in the Pacific - one of the most savagely fought and pivotal battles of World War II. On the black volcanic shores of Iwo Jima, the United States and Japan were about to clash in an epic struggle unparalleled in its ferocity and heroism on both sides.

For thirty-six terrifying days, nearly 70,000 Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen would be engaged in a nightmarish campaign against 22,000 Japanese defenders led by the brilliant mind of Lt. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi. In an ingeniously designed landscape of underground fortifications, blockhouses and deadly crossfires, Kuribayashi's forces turned Iwo Jima into an impenetrable killing field. The Marines paid a horrific price to capture every inch of terrain against an enemy willing to fight to the last man.

Now renowned military historian [Author's Name] brings this epic battle to stunning clarity in a masterful chronicle of strategy, leadership and the extraordinary human experiences that defined this pivotal moment of World War II. With unprecedented access to firsthand accounts and primary sources, [Author] plunges readers into the claustrophobic, rain-soaked chaos endured by the combatants on both sides. This is a true "unflinching" history - one that pulls no punches in reconstructing the brutality, carnage and sheer grit displayed in equal measure by American and Japanese forces.

From the incredible individual acts of heroic sacrifice that earned 27 Medals of Honor, to the tactical genius of Kuribayashi's interwoven kill zones, to the sheer unrelenting violence witnessed by men like Marines Tony Stein and John Bradley, Thirty-Six Days of Hell recreates the unimaginable human drama and trauma endured on those nightmarish volcanic fields. You'll march with Marine companies as they face withering crossfires and mortar barrages to gain one brutally-contested yard at a time.

You'll experience the horrific confines of the underground bunkers and tunnel networks where Kuribayashi's troops defiantly sustained weeks of ceaseless bombardment.

Most critically, this book reveals how the catastrophic losses and examples of fanatical resistance on Iwo Jima profoundly altered the trajectory of the entire Pacific campaign - and validated the American decision to avoid an invasion of Japan itself through different, unimaginably powerful means.