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Jun 22, 2021 · The Battle of Okinawa, also called “ Operation Iceberg,” was the last major battle of World War II and was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific campaign. At dawn on Easter, April 1, 1945, a fleet of 1,300 U.S. ships and 50 British ships closed in for the invasion of Okinawa, which is an island in Japan’s southernmost prefecture.
- Reporting From The Front Lines of WWII
Despite their heritage, George and Russell Gobba shared...
- Reporting From The Front Lines of WWII
- Okinawa Island
- Landing on The Beachheads
- Japanese Army Waits
- Battleship Yamato
- Kamikaze Warfare
- Hacksaw Ridge
- Suicide Or Surrender
- Death Toll
- Who Won The Battle of Okinawa?
- Sources
By the time American troops landed on Okinawa, World War II on the European front was nearing its end. Allied and Soviet Union troops had liberated much of Nazi-occupied Europe and were just weeks away from forcing Germany’s unconditional surrender. In the Pacific theater, however, American forces were still painstakingly conquering Japan’s Home Is...
As dawn arrived on April 1, morale was low among American troops as the Fifth Fleet launched the largest bombardment ever to support a troop landing to soften Japanese defenses. Soldiers and Army brass alike expected the beach landings to be a massacre worse than D-Day. But the Fifth Fleet’s offensive onslaught was almost pointless and landing troo...
Japan’s 32nd Army, some 130,000 men strong and commanded by Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima, defended Okinawa. The military force also included an unknown number of conscripted civilians and unarmed Home Guards known as Boeitai. As they moved inland, American troops wondered when and where they’d finally encounter enemy resistance. What they didn’t know ...
American troops who headed North to the Motobu Peninsula endured intense resistance and over 1,000 casualties but won a decisive battle relatively quickly. It was different along the Shuri Line where they had to overcome a series of heavily defended hills loaded with firmly-entrenched Japanese troops. On April 7, Japan’s mighty battleship Yamato wa...
The kamikaze suicide pilotwas Japan’s most ruthless weapon: On April 4, the Japanese unleashed these well-trained pilots on the Fifth Fleet. Some dove their planes into ships at 500 miles per hour, causing catastrophic damage. American sailors tried desperately to shoot the kamikaze planes down but were often sitting ducks against enemy pilots with...
The Maeda Escarpment, also known as Hacksaw Ridge, was located atop a 400-foot vertical cliff. The American attack on the ridge began on April 26. It was a brutal battle for both sides. To defend the escarpment, Japanese troops hunkered down in a network of caves and dugouts. They were determined to hold the ridge, and decimated American platoons u...
Most Japanese troops and Okinawa citizens believed Americans took no prisoners and they’d be killed on the spot if captured. As a result, countless took their own lives. To encourage their surrender, General Simon Bolivar Bucknerinitiated propaganda warfare and dropped millions of leaflets declaring the war was all but lost for Japan. About 7,000 J...
Both sides suffered staggering losses in the Battle of Okinawa. The Americans bore over 49,000 casualties including 12,520 killed. General Buckner himself was killed in action on June 18, just days before the battle ended. Japanese losses were even greater—about 110,000 Japanese soldiers lost their lives. It’s estimated between 40,000 and 150,000 O...
Winning the Battle of Okinawa put Allied forces within striking distance of Japan. But wanting to bring the war to a swift end, and knowing over 2 million Japanese troops were awaiting battle-weary American soldiers, President Harry S. Truman chose to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshimaon August 6. Japan didn’t give in immediately, so Truman ordered t...
Hellish Prelude at Okinawa. U.S. Naval Institute. Okinawa: The Last Battle. Marine Corps Gazette. Center of Military History, United States Army. Operation Iceberg: The Assault on Okinawa-The Last Battle of WWII (Part 1) April-June 1945. History of War. The Decision to Drop the Bomb. USHistory.org. The Real ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ Soldier Saved 75 Souls Wi...
Sep 26, 2024 · Tuna fishing, cattle raising, sugar refining, and pineapple canning constitute Okinawa’s main economic activities, and tourism is of growing importance. Sweet potatoes, rice, and soybeans are also grown on the island, and textiles, sake (rice wine), and lacquerware are manufactured.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Apr 1, 2020 · By April 1945, US forces were ready to launch an assault on Okinawa. An airbase here would bring US B-29 bombers within range of the Japanese home islands. Discover five facts about the Battle of Okinawa and a few highlights from our collection.
May 19, 2015 · The Battle of Okinawa started in April 1945. The capture of Okinawa was part of a three-point plan the Americans had for winning the war in the Far East. Okinawa was to prove a bloody battle even by the standards of the war in the Far East but it was to be one of the major battles of World War Two.
Oct 30, 2020 · This small island kingdom developed its own distinctive culture, bringing together elements from Japan, China, Korea, and Southeast Asia, and established an international position for itself...
Oct 15, 2016 · This article provides a critical discussion of Okinawa’s role in serving American and Japanese strategic interests. Since the end of World War II Okinawa has been a mostly unhappy host of American military bases, and the issue has been prominent at times on the agenda of the Japanese peace movement.
