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The Battle for Iwo Jima (Cornerstones of Freedom)

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No one will be surprised to see what photograph is on the cover of this Cornerstones of Freedom volume on "The Battle for Iwo Jima." However, the point here is to explain the epic battle for control of the island that is now symbolized by the most famous photograph of World War II. Tom McGowen provides a brief summary of the war in the Pacific and explains the strategic importance of Iwo Jima in the end game of the war. Young readers will learn how the Japanese turned the island into a giant fortress. Knowing they could not stop the American Marines from capturing the island, Japanese Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi asked his soldiers to vow to kill ten Americans each before they died. After three months of what proved to be ineffectual bombing, the Marine invaded Iwo Jima. McGowan tells the grim details of the invasion and the effort it took to gain total control of the island. The end of the book deals with the aftermath of the battle, both in terms of the famous flag raising on Mt. Suribachi and the end of the war against Japan. This book is illustrated with mostly black & white historic photographs. "The Battle for Iwo Jima" is usually mentioned in history textbooks as the second-to-last battle of the war in the Pacific, but McGowen provides considerably more detail about the battle and its significance.