Welcome to the fight, soldier The deafening thunder of artillery fire echoes the pounding heart in your chest as you wade onto a beach littered with the bodies of your fallen comrades. In front of you – 8 square miles of rugged volcanic island, broken by the weapons of war, and occupied by hostile Japanese forces. Welcome to hell on Earth. This shattered piece of land is invaluable to the United States as a potential staging point for offensive sorties on Tokyo and winning the war for the Allies. Your mission: Seize the island from a heavily entrenched enemy in what will be the largest amphibious assault in Marine history. Welcome to Iwo Jima.