4/5 A four-hour micro-look at how "The Greatest Generation" earned the title...
  by William E. Adams (Midland, Texas USA)
For the past decade, ever since James Bradley wrote "Flags of Our Fathers" the Iwo Jima fight has been the subject of films, other books and compilations of old and new documentary footage. I found this item in a bargain bin at a big-box store for half the price listed here, but I would have paid double for it. The 30,000 Marines who assaulted the island, backed up by perhaps 10,000 Navy and air personnel, trained for a year without knowing exactly where they were heading. The chosen target island was expected to fall inside of a week, but it took 36 days of brutal and unique combat to get the job done. World War II was too large, complex and lengthy to be understood by studying one battle that took one month in one spot, but the courage of the soldiers, sailors, pilots and Marines throughout the war CAN be comprehended by a study of the sacrifices made on Iwo Jima. Within a few years, there will be no more combat veterans left from that war---pretty much, anyone born after 1929 is too young to have gone to it at all, in any capacity. If the subject interests you, this item is well worth owning. I have also read at least six books on Iwo Jima, and each has a different enough look at what went on to be worth reading, and to have little duplication with other accounts. There is a reason that the U.S. Marine Memorial is a sculpture of the famous photo of the second flag-raising on the highest point of Iwo Jima, and this DVD set will demonstrate that fact. Even people who honor that image often do not realize that there were 30 more days of blood and bravery to come for those guys after that moment.

4/5 Brings the horror of battle to life and honors the brave men who fought
  by James P. Scallon (San Francisco, CA United States)
This amazing tribute documents the sacrifices and triumphs of the brave marines who risked and lost their lives to take Iwo Jima from a defending Japanese army of 21,000 that was dug into the volcanic island in a labyrinth of tunnels, caves, pillboxes, and sniper nests. The island was needed by the US military as a airfield for the assault of the Japanese mainland and an emergency landing base for damaged aircraft returning from Japan. Japanese soldiers defended the 8 square mile island almost to the last man. The invading marines had little shelter on the denuded island from the continual onslaught of Japanese firepower, and were forced to battle uphill one pillbox and defensive position at a time until the island was secured at the cost of 6,800 American lives and 19,000 wounded. With original color motion picture footage shot during the assault of the island interspersed with interviews of the marines, sailors and army air corps veterans who survived the 36 day battle, this unnerving and honorable film offers an excellent overview to anyone interested on one of the pivotal battles of WWII. Highly recommended. Warning: includes some graphic images of dead soldiers, some horribly maimed.

5/5 War is hell
  by Victor C. Mendes (Visalia CA)
This is one the best that I have ever seen about Iwo Jima. We lost a lot of good men during that 36 days, a little more than our current war of over 3 years.
I recomend this for any one intrested in WWII, and for the ones who just might want to learn some history.