The Hardest War (the Okinawa Nightmare)

The New York Review of Books ^ | December 20, 2001 | John Gregory Dunne

[Qatar-6]

I believe the veterans of the 1st Cavalry Division, the 11th Airborne, the 6th, 24th, 25th, 32nd, 37th, 38th,40th and 43rd Infantry Divisions would disagree with you.

Considering there were there were over 200,000 Japanese troops on Luzon (as opposed to 100,000 on Okinawa, only 76,000 of which were actual Japanese Military, the remaining 24,000 being impressed Okinawans) I'd be careful about calling it an "occupation"

The Army fought and defeated some of the best units the Japanese had, to include the only Japanese armored division faced by US forces in the pacific war. Luzon also included the biggest urban combat in the Pacific war in the Battle for Manila.

There were a total of 450,000 Japanese troops in the Phillipines and surrounding islands. By the end of the war the only effectives left were less than 50,000 hold up in the mountains of Northern Luzon. US Army forces eliminated the equivilant of 20 Japanese divisions in the space of eight months.

The total casualties for the Phillipine campaign were 15,000 dead and 50,000 wounded. Excluding naval casualties.

The total casualties for Okinawa were 7,400 dead and 32,000 wounded. Excluding naval casualties.

By every measure that matters, Luzon was a much bigger campaign than Okinawa.

[exmarine]

The total casualties for the Phillipine campaign were 15,000 dead and 50,000 wounded. Excluding naval casualties.

for the entire Philippine campaign, but not for Luzon. You said "Luzon".

[Mr. Jeeves]

For Roosevelt and Churchill, the idea of the Russian army west of the Rhine was a source not just of concern but of dread.

Well, he's half right - for Churchill it was a source of dread.

[Qatar-6]

Well, if you must. The casualty figures for "Luzon" alone were 8000 KIA and over 30,000 WIA. Exclusive of naval casualties.

I recommend Stanly Falk's two excellent books "Decision at Leyte" and "Liberation of the Phillipines"

The Army Official History (Green Book) is also a good source

Marines have every right to be proud of Okinawa and all the other Pacific battles

But that doesn't change the fact that the biggest Pacific battle was Luzon and the largest land campaign was the liberation of the Phillipines, both in terms of number of opposing troops involved and in the amount of casualties inflicted upon the enemy by US forces.