Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but limited view
Review: An extensively researched account of the American experience of this important battle. The author provides a blow-by-blow account of the US campaign which details the roles of each of the different branches of the US forces involved and detailed step-by-step accounts of significant actions. The book also provides an interesting glimpse into the US inter-service politics behind the battle and describes the importance of the battle in the context of WW2. The author intended this book to be a celebration of American courage and patriotism. Consequently as a historical account and assessment of the battle overall, the book is disappointing. Similarly some of the author's historical comparisons with other military actions are very suspect. To the historian, the value of the book can perhaps be found in the information that underpins the main text. Despite Bill Ross's desire to continually emphasise the valour of actions by US forces the careful reader is also able to discern an overall view of the battle. The author describes the difficulties faced by the US forces, despite overwhelming superiority on the air and sea, more manpower than could practically fit on the island, superiority in equipment, training and morale, the ability to evacuate wounded,land supplies and reinforcements and to provide mail and freshly baked donuts to troops on the front line. It is unfortunate that with so much reasearch by the author, the reader is largely left to guess the conditions faced by the surrounded, outnumbered Japanese who ultimately suffered three times the number of dead of the US forces. Similarly the author fails to substantiate his view that Iwo Jima ranks as one of the most significant events in military history through meaningful comparison to other battles mentioned in the book or otherwise.
Rating: 
Summary: Engrossing and fascinatingly detailed
Review: Bill D. Ross manages to paint with his words the rocky wastes of Iwo Jima, and to convey to the reader how this tiny island exploded into a picture of Dante's hell that the poet himself perhaps never had the skill to capture. This novel is meticulous in its detail and will never stop engaging the reader's interest. Woven throughout the story of Iwo Jima are hundreds of quotes, facts, and personal accounts of bravery, heroism, and loss.
Highly recommended to both those interested in the individual hardships faced by soldiers during this conflict, and those concerned with the strategic elements of the battle.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Bill Ross has written an excellent book about the bloody battle for Iwo Jima. Iwo was sought by the Americans as an emergency airfield for the B-29 Superfortresses which were damaged over Japan, as well as an advanced fighter base for fighter escorts. This book describes in vivid detail the American invasion and struggle to secure the island. Much to the chagrin of the Marines, they found out that the island was covered with ash which made it next to impossible to walk or move heavy equipment. As the Marines made their way inland, the Japanese, who constructed underground bunkers and pillboxes which were virtually untouched by the shore bombardment, began to attack en masse. The Marines suffered more casualties in this battle than at any other time in the war. Also, over twenty medals of honor were awarded (some postumously). Ross describes each medal of honor recipient and what they did to earn the medal. Some threw themselves on live grenades to save their comrades, while others rushed enemy pillboxes in the face of murderous fire. This was the most fascinating part of the book for me. Ross has produced an excellent book about Iwo Jima that will undoubtedly remain a classic. His writing style flows very easily and the reader never gets bogged down. I highly recommend this work along with "Flags of our Fathers". Both do a commendable job of describing the ferocious fighting that took place on this tiny island.
Rating:
Summary: A memorial to those who died
Review: Iwo Jima was the only Central Pacific Island battle where Americans suffered more casualties than did the Japanese. After giving some background information on the high level planning for this assault, the author changes focus to the experience of the individual infantryman once the battle begins. While not completely abandoning the larger picture, we are taken into the heart of the battle with portraits of many individual soldiers, seeing what they did during the battle step by step - and step by step was exactly how this grinding battle was fought. We are taken through their individual ordeals right up to their deaths, and this is what makes this book so compelling. The author has a way of getting the reader to follow each individual as if each one were a main character in a story, only to, in most cases, follow their story to their death. One of the themes that runs through this style of historical writing, is that in battle, the big picture is often the small picture. To the infantryman, the awareness of the battle as a whole often does not go too far past his foxhole, so you are getting a description of the battle as experienced by the soldier. This book is not a comprehensive history of the battle, as it does not give much information from the Japanese viewpoint, and does not detail the command decisions outside of some background information, but the author does not claim to be comprehensive - that is not the point of the book. It is best read for what it is - a memorial to the Americans who fought and died there, and a portrait of the experience of battle.
Rating:
Summary: The Most Striking In-Depth Account To Date
Review: This is a remarkable account of one of history's most horrific battles. The author walks you step by step through each critical phase, from the decision to invade and subsequent build-up to, the bloody landings and the nightmare that each moment upon that god-forsaken cinder of an island was for the Marines of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Divisions. The losses suffered by both sides are difficult to comprehend, but knowing that the Marines were always above ground, taking every rock, hole, pillbox, cave and bunker in head-on frontal assaults makes their experiences much more compelling, and amazing. Until I read Iwo Jima: Legacy of Valor, I thought I had atleast a basic grasp of the horrors they were confronted with, but I now realize that it was much, much worse. This author has done an admiral job of covering every aspect of the battle, with particular attention paid to (and in honor of) the brave men in the Line Companies of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions. May mankind never forget, and never repeat, what happened on that battlefield. This book goes a long way toward that end.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good overview of the whole battle
Review: This is a terrific book for anyone with any interest in the battle of Iwo Jima. Bill Ross does an excellent job of providing the reader with a general overview of the whole battle. His writing style is both easy and descriptive and, at times, speaks with a pained, human voice that reveals the author's presence at the battle. His efforts at painting the broad picture and describing the personal details of the battle are successful and are the highlight of this book. The information on the defender and his men are worthwhile and appreciated by a reader that often finds that information lacking. Additionally, he pays tribute to and details the men and women of the support forces who landed, supplied, patched up and all too often administered last rites to the Marines.
My only gripe with this book is the lack of maps and the absence of diagrams of the Japanese fortifications. This book is a rewarding and enjoyable read for anyone interested in WWII, the battle of Iwo Jima or the United States Marine Corps. Must reading for anyone with any doubts about mankind's capacity for valor, sacrifice and savagery.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: This is an outstanding book. Having had a member of our family killed on Iwo Jima, we were glad to read the history of the battle in such detail. I had my children read it so that they could really understand what their Uncle had done for them. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the War. The detail is unbelievable. It's a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely detailed account of a landmark battle
Review: This is one of the most detailed single volume on WWII's most horrific battle. If you are looking for an extremely well-researched work about the struggle for Iwo Jima, this would be it. Every battle, day-by-day, is told in painstaking detail. The reader is provided with the reasons as to why the island was so crucial to the United States from the very beginning of the decision to land Marines there, right up till the final offensive, leading all the way up to Japan's eventual capitulation. In my opinion, one of the strongest points about this book is that Mr. Ross is very careful not to leave out many of the key players. Even though he was one of the Marines fighting on Iwo Jima, he took great pains to give much credit to the Navy sailors and officers, corpsmen, seabees etc who all played crucial roles in making victory possible. This is also the first book I've read on Iwo Jima that devoted more than one or two sentences to the African-American Marines on Iwo Jima. Every single Medal of Honor recipient is paid their proper respect in this book, their valiant deeds recorded faithfully for all to know and remember. The casual reader looking for a more generalized work on Iwo Jima might find this work a little too excruciatingly detailed at times. But if you'd like to really know everything that went on in that battle, from start to finish, then this is the book for you. The fact that the author himself was there as a fighting Marine makes the book all the more enjoyable and deserving of attention. Mr. Ross should be proud of the work he has produced. I can't think of a more fitting tribute to the veterans of Iwo Jima than this no-holds-barred volume. Semper Fi!!
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: This was an extremely detailed and moving account of the battle and the men involved. It gives us a glimpse of the horror of the battle . I constantly found myself wondering how these "kids" managed to survive the trauma and continue to fight to the final victory. Rooting out the Japanese from their underground tunnels and caves was an incredibly difficult task that many did not survive. Highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book depicting unspeakable slaughter...
Review: With all the attention given James Bradley's "Flags of Our Fathers" over the past couple of years, I have been afraid that Bill Ross might be neglected. This earlier work on Iwo Jima is really different than "Flags" and for a full understanding of that battle, both should be read. "Legacy" is a fuller and better-written depiction of the difficulties and horrors of the fight, and of the political decisions that led to it and shaped its progress, or lack of it. "Flags" is excellent in its own way, but is more the tale of the accidentally famous flag-raisers after the island was won, and before they enlisted. This is a grim and gripping story, and it is unlikely anyone else will come along and do a better job telling the tale of Iwo.
| 
