Posted on 04/01/2025 4:38:00 AM PDT by DFG
The Battle of Okinawa, code named Operation Iceberg, was World War II's largest and bloodiest battle in the Pacific Theater. The landings on the Japanese island by joint U.S. and Allied forces took place 80 years ago, April 1, 1945, lasting until June 22, 1945. It was the last major battle of the war.
Army Lt. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., who commanded the Tenth Army, led the invasion. The Tenth Army was a composite unit comprising the Army's 7th, 27th, 77th and 96th infantry divisions, the 1st, 2nd and 6th Marine divisions, as well as a joint Army/Marine Corps tactical air force.
Soldiers numbered approximately 102,000, Marines 88,000 and Navy 18,000, the latter of which were mostly medical personnel and Seabees. The Navy supported the landings by bombarding enemy positions and providing aircraft, landing ships and landing craft. The Coast Guard also provided maritime support.
The joint force was supported by partner nations, including the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Opposing the Allied troops on the ground was Japanese Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima's 32nd Army — a mixed force consisting of regular soldiers, airmen, naval infantry and conscripted Okinawans. The total Japanese troop strength on the island was about 100,000 as of the landing date, April 1, 1945.
The landings were relatively unopposed because the Japanese refused to fight on the beaches. Instead, they withdrew into caves in the rocky hills to force a battle of attrition.
That strategy worked, as U.S. casualties were staggering. More than 12,000 U.S. soldiers, sailors and Marines died during the battle.
In the waters around Okinawa, the Japanese launched the largest kamikaze, or suicide, attack of the war. Japanese planes rammed into Allied ships, sinking 26 and severely damaging 168. Almost 40% of the U.S. casualties during the battle were sailors lost in these attacks.
The Japanese military suffered even more, losing almost their entire force, including many who committed suicide. Around the same number of Okinawan civilians were killed or committed suicide.
On May 29, 1945, a Confederate flag was raised over Shuri Castle before being removed and replaced by an American flag three days later, on Buckner's orders.
What makes this flag story interesting is that Buckner's father, Simon Bolivar Buckner, was a Confederate Army brigadier general and later governor of Kentucky.
Buckner was among the Americans killed on Okinawa. He was hit by Japanese artillery fire, June 18, 1945, while checking on the progress of his troops at the front. He was the highest-ranking U.S. military officer killed during World War II.
Buckner was replaced by Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Roy Geiger, making him the only Marine to ever command such a large outfit on the battlefield.
Geiger was relieved five days later by Army Gen. Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell.
Army Brig. Gen. Claudius Miller Easley, commander of the 96th Infantry Division, was also killed. He died by Japanese machine-gun fire June 19, 1945, while checking on the progress of his troops.
On April 18, 1945, war correspondent Ernie Pyle was also killed by Japanese machine gun fire on Ie Shima, a small island just off the Okinawan coast. He was among the best-known war correspondents, remembered for his stories about junior soldiers in both the European and Pacific theaters.
The Battle of Okinawa was a series of separate battles fought throughout the island, mostly in the south, including the battle for Hacksaw Ridge. Army medic Cpl. Desmond T. Doss rescued 75 of his wounded comrades during that battle. For his valor, he received the Medal of Honor, Oct. 12, 1945. Doss was a conscientious objector who refused to carry a weapon or kill the enemy. The 2016 movie, "Hacksaw Ridge," portrays his story.
Although the battle was declared over June 22, 1945, some Japanese continued hiding in caves, including the future governor of Okinawa Prefecture, Masahide Ōta.
Ushijima committed suicide in his command headquarters in the closing hours of the battle. His chief of staff, Col. Hiromichi Yahara, asked Ushijima for permission also to commit suicide, but the general refused his request, saying: "If you die, there will be no one left who knows the truth about the Battle of Okinawa. Bear the temporary shame but endure it."
Yahara was the most senior Japanese officer to survive the battle, and he later authored the book, "The Battle for Okinawa."
Although the Allies planned to use Okinawa as a base to attack mainland Japan, dubbed Operation Downfall, Japan surrendered unconditionally Aug. 15, 1945.
In 1972, the U.S. returned Okinawa to Japanese control. Today, Japan is a valued ally of the United States.
Author Christopher L. Kolakowski describes many of the lessons learned from the battle in his May 8, 2024, article, "Okinawa 1945 and Lessons for Island Battles," which was printed in the Air Force's "Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs."
"All three services — land, sea, and air — had to synchronize their efforts to secure victory," he wrote. "The success of any single service was contingent upon the cooperation and effectiveness of the others. This principle applied equally to both American and Japanese forces, underscoring the indispensability of joint operations."
Kolakowski noted that some of the lessons learned from the battle can be applied to a possible future battle over Taiwan.
The article states that fighting around Taiwan, encompassing the region of the Taiwan Strait, would likely mirror the patterns observed on Okinawa. It would involve assaults on surface vessels from both aircraft and missiles and a contest to establish and maintain air dominance.
In a potential conflict, the proximity of bases will be a critical factor, as having them closer to the theater of operations conserves resources and strengthens operational efficiency. Kolakowski said this consideration raises inquiries about the roles of various locations, including the South China Sea islands, the coastal islands of Quemoy and Matsu, and the Penghu archipelago, in any prospective invasion scenario for Taiwan.
With modern weaponry, such an operation would necessitate covering a battlespace at least as expansive as Operation Iceberg's, if not greater. Kolakowski writes that the expanded battlespace would undoubtedly impact U.S. bases in the Indo-Pacific region, including Okinawa, Guam, South Korea, the Philippines and Japan itself.
#2 son is over there now as of Nov. Futenma. Temporarily doing some work at Camp Foster.
Truly 1 of the best 1st person accounts of WWII. It covered the battles for Pelilu (sp) and Okinawa. Victor Davis Hanson wrote the foreword for 1 of the later editions. He was named after an uncle whom he never met who perished on Okinawa. Should be required reading for every American. The 2010 mini-series, “The Pacific”, was partly based upon this book.
Wow and wow.
Wow! Did he happen to catch the kamikaze hitting the Maryland? I once saw that photo, but wasn’t able to get a copy at that time. I’d sure like one...
With The Old Breed is a great book. I wish I had read it before serving in Vietnam Nam, (would have complained a whole lot less.)
I agree. With the Old Breed is hands-down the best 1st person account of the war in the Pacific Theater. Sledge didn't glamorize or glorify the war; he laid out the facts and painted a harrowing picture of its cost.
He did get some kamakazi pics, but I have no idea if it was the Maryland. He had some battle photos showing explosions, and one from the air showing all the ships and landing craft heading onto the beach, with their wakes sweeping behind them. I don’t have the pictures anymore, as I have five other siblings one of whom must have grabbed them all.
But I remember them vividly.
I wish I still had them. I only have a few copies from a copier now.
My father was in the Sixth Marine Division which landed on Okinawa 80 years ago today. My father was wounded in the battle of Sugar Loaf Hill and evacuated, several days before Victor Hanson was killed. My father was in the 22nd Marines and Hanson was in the 29th so they did not know each other.
You are correct. Thanks for the tip.
11/22/2017, A New Year's Toast To The Old Breed
... As a college student, I once pressed him about my cousin and his closest male relative, Victor Hanson, a corporal of the Sixth Marine Division who was killed on the last day of the assault on Sugar Loaf Hill on Okinawa. ...
My father was part of the group that first captured the top of Sugar Loaf Hill on the evening of May 14, led by Major Courtney (who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor). My father was one of a handful of the men who first went up who was still alive the next morning. He lived 65 more years He was offered a silver star for his role in the battle but opted for a bronze star since he already had a silver star (for Guam). That gave him one more ribbon.
Wow. No wonder you knew about VDH. Powerful family story. I continue to pray that another U.S. generation will not have to go through that hell on earth.
Awww...terrible.
James H. Hallas wrote a whole book on the battle: Killing Ground on Okinawa: The Battle for Sugar Loaf Hill. In the back he lists dozens of Marines as "sources" including my father.
I know. Probably my brother, who has ‘em in a shoebox somewhere.
Oh well. I have my memories.
Thanks. They have two Kindle versions of this book in my local library system. I just put it on hold, wait time about two weeks.
A friend of mine had Eugene Sledge as a professor of biology at Montevallo State University (now the University of Montevallo) during the mid-1970s. He said that Dr. Sledge would occasionally lapse into stories about his war experiences.
When I was growing up and even when I was in college a lot of the men I knew were WWII veterans. But I don’t remember them talking about their experiences, except for my father who told us many stories about the war.
It is clear from Eugene Sledge's 2 books, the 2nd was China Marine, that he was sorely afflicted with combat fatigue (PTSD). It was his wife who encouraged him to write the books in an attempt to moderate his condition. I met a man 2 years ago who had done some work for Sledge's son in Hoover, AL. The son said that he remembered as a small boy that his father would retreat to a room to brood.
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