In Flags of Our Fathers, the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945 is the background conflict the actors will revolve around in the film. On this page, I hope to tell you a little about the battle and why it was so significant and worth making a movie about. For now, it’s a bit short, but I hope to expand on it in the future.

The Battle of Iwo Jima (a volcanic island) was fought between the United States and Japan in February and March of 1945. Iwo Jima was Japanese home soil–part of Japan–only 650 miles from Tokyo. The battle, part of the Pacific Campaign of WWII, was crucial because it allowed the United States to finally gain control of the island – thus, enabling the US forces to strike the heart of Japan and end the war with the dropping of the Atomic Bomb (yea, it wasn’t that simple, but I’ll expand on this on a later date).

But the battle itself…..was probably one of the most intense, deadly and chaotic conflicts ever fought by the US Military. It was certainly the greatest ever fought by US Marines. The invading US Marines fought above ground. The defending Japanese fought from below the ground. The US Marines on Iwo rarely saw a Japanese soldier.

A historian once described the US forces’ attack against the Japanese defense as “throwing human flesh against reinforced concrete.” There were no front lines. The Marines could not see the enemy. However, the Japanese could see the Marines perfectly.

The battle was unique in itself. One hundred thousand men fighting on a tiny island one-third the size of Manhattan. For 36 days, Iwo Jima was one of the most populated 7.5 miles on earth.

It was also the deadliest. More US Marines earned the Medal of Honor on Iwo Jima than in any other battle in US History. America awarded only 353 Medals of Honor for WWII–27 of those were awarded for 36 days of action on Iwo Jima.

The filmmakers of Flags of Our Fathers hope to put the viewer into the heart of the conflict and witness possibly the greatest WWII battle ever filmed. Not to glorify war. Not to make a pro-war or an anti-war film. The filmmakers don’t want to make a statement. They want to let actions speak louder than words. Clint Eastwood has said that he does “not want to make another bull!@# John Wayne film”. He wants to show the real war. The way it was and why our boys came home with 75% casualties–a nearly decimated force.

Here, uncommon valor was a common virtue.

Additional Reading:

Iwo Jima: http://www.iwojima.com/

Battle of Iwo Jima: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iwo_Jima