Assault On Iwo Jima * Actual combat footage. * Learn why Iwo Jima was so important to America. * Recollections from survivors and expert commentary. 6,821 Americans and 21,000 Japanese soldiers died in a span of 36 days on a volcanic island in early 1945. Learn the story behind the iconic image of American soldiers erecting the Stars and Stripes on the sands of Iwo Jima. Just 660 miles from Tokyo, three Marine Divisions stormed the beaches to meet the Imperial Forces of Japan. Code-named Operation Detachment, the fighting was supposed to last three or four days, but instead became the bloodiest battle in the history of the Marine Corps. DANGEROUS MISSIONS collects eyewitness accounts from survivors, commentary from military historians, and actual combat footage of one of the worst battles of all time. Find out why this small island was so important to America's plan to defeat Japan and why such a terrible toll had to be paid.