It’s 1944, and American offensives are capturing one Pacific island after another. Pressed for time, Lieutenant-General Kuribayashi feverishly prepares Iwo Jima for an onslaught.
“The enemy is about to land,” writes Kuribayashi. “The fighting will b ...
It’s 1944, and American offensives are capturing one Pacific island after another. Pressed for time, Lieutenant-General Kuribayashi feverishly prepares Iwo Jima for an onslaught.
“The enemy is about to land,” writes Kuribayashi. “The fighting will be fierce, and I don’t know how it’s going to end. All my men know what to expect and will give it their all. With heavy hearts, they have resigned themselves to death and think of nothing else. I am no exception. Maybe it’s my weakness, but I can’t stop wondering about one thing – what will become of my wife and children?”
As the months pass and preparations proceed, he writes home about his life on the island, his longing for his family and his agony over having to send his men into the jaws of death. He writes 41 letters before the Americans land on 19 February 1945. The letters offer not only a chilling depiction of the hell of war, but a detailed description of everyday Japan during the war years. And the reader catches a rare glimpse into the events that led up to one of the most famous battles of World War II.
The Americans counted on taking Iwo Jima in a week and a half. But the battle lasted for 36 gruesome days, claiming some 20,000 Japanese and 7,000 American lives. Kuribayashi was among those who didn’t survive.