OKINAWA BACKGROUND
The Battle of Okinawa began on April 1st, 1945 and ended on June 22nd, 1945. The battle lasted 82 days and claimed 250,000 soldiers lives. This battle marked the final push of allied forces towards the remaining stage of strategic bombing over Japan. Both Okinawa and Iwo Jima were vital to the U.S. in terms of launching their final air assault upon the Japanese. The U.S. Military's strategy was to gain complete air superiority so that their long range B-29 bombers could begin their raids upon the Japanese mainland. This strategy would eventually enable the U.S. to drop both Atomic Bombs upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Summary: Battle of Okinawa
The battle began initially with the bombardment of the shoreline in which the Japanese defensed were hidden. 30,000 shells were shot at the landing site in just under a week of bombardment. Four divisions consisting of two USMC and two Army corps land on Okinawa with little opposition. It wasn't until the Divisions reached the southern end of the island in where they met significant resistance. The resistance was so heavy it forced the Americans to split into two main fighting divisions. One division would attack from the south while the other would attack from the North. The Japanese were extremely dug in and were creating immense U.S. casualties. At this time, Japan out of severe desperation began using Kamikaze attacks as a strategy against the U.S. fleet. As a result the U.S. loses 34 Navy ships which is one of the worst losses in U.S. Naval History. In even more desperation the Yamato, Japan's crown jewel of Battleships is sent to Okinawa to fight. The U.S. scrambled 380 aircraft and obliterated the Yamato. As the U.S. fighting groups push farther inland the Japanese begin to execute "routine suicides" in which they kill them selves in vast numbers. The Battle of Okinawa ends when General Mitsuru Ushjima commits suicide after reporting their defeat.
AFTERMATH OF OKINAWA
Numbers: During the Battle of Okinawa the U.S. lost 12,500 men and suffered 72,000 casualties. The Japanese lost roughly 95,000 soldiers and surrendered 10,000. Also, over the course of 82 days, estimates of 42,000 to 150,000 Okinawan civilians were also reported to be dead.
Aftermath: The victory of Okinawa was hard fought, but it was essential in setting up the final staging area for the last push upon the Japanese homeland. Okinawa would be used to set up main fighter and bomber command for both strategic bombing and tasking for a possible invasion. It would also serve as a fleet anchorage, and troop staging area. Just weeks after Okinawa was taken, the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki resulting in the end of the war.
Today: The toll on the island itself is astounding. Apart from the some 150,000 citizens who were killed, the island was almost completely destroyed. Ninety percent of the buildings on the island were destroyed and a majority of it was deforested. After the war, Okinawa became the largest U.S. Airbase in Asia and remains so to this day.
Aftermath: The victory of Okinawa was hard fought, but it was essential in setting up the final staging area for the last push upon the Japanese homeland. Okinawa would be used to set up main fighter and bomber command for both strategic bombing and tasking for a possible invasion. It would also serve as a fleet anchorage, and troop staging area. Just weeks after Okinawa was taken, the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki resulting in the end of the war.
Today: The toll on the island itself is astounding. Apart from the some 150,000 citizens who were killed, the island was almost completely destroyed. Ninety percent of the buildings on the island were destroyed and a majority of it was deforested. After the war, Okinawa became the largest U.S. Airbase in Asia and remains so to this day.