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The story of the battle of Iwo Jima
between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from
the perspective of the Japanese who fought it. The island of Iwo Jima stands
between the American military force and the home islands of Japan. Therefore the
Imperial Japanese Army is desperate to prevent it from falling into American
hands and providing a launching point for an invasion of Japan. General
Tadamichi Kuribayashi is given command of the forces on the island and sets out
to prepare for the imminent attack. General Kuribayashi, however, does not favor
the rigid traditional approach recommended by his subordinates, and resentment
and resistance fester among his staff. In the lower echelons, a young soldier,
Saigo, a poor baker in civilian life, strives with his friends to survive the
harsh regime of the Japanese army itself, all the while knowing that a fierce
battle looms. When the American invasion begins, both Kuribayashi and Saigo find
strength, honor, courage, and horrors beyond imagination.
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