On 19th February 1945, men of the United States Marine Corps invaded Iwo Jima. Over the next 36 days, this small island was to become the site of a titanic struggle of sheer bloody will and determination. The Marines had to expel over 21,000 tenacious Japanese troops from a labyrinth of fortifications dug into the very bowels of this sulphurous island.

This film offers an unprecedented viewpoint of the famous battle. Aerial photographs taken during the war have now been layered over a three-dimensional contour map to create a CGI model of the battlefield. But this is no computer game. This is a model of the actual island as the battle raged. These original high-resolution images allow the viewer to track the battle, step by step, from the air. Individual stories of courage and heroism can be placed in the exact spot where they took place.

The Marines famously fought their way up the island's fortress volcano, Mount Suribachi and raised the American flag. The moment captured in a photograph became the most famous image of the Pacific War.

The Marines eventually secured the island, but half of the land combatants were killed or maimed. The battle assumed legendary status and earned its place in the collective consciousness of the American people.

The story of this historic battle is told in a totally new way, using cutting edge techniques, unique archive film, re-enactments and extraordinary interviews with the men who were there.