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The invasion of Okinawa was the first American attack on Japanese territitory. Okinawa, in the Ryukyu Island chain was strategically located between Kyushu, the southernmost Japanese island and Taiwan (called Formosa by the Japanese). American strategists saw Okinawa as a necessary base from which an American invasion of the Japanese home islands could be staged. Okinawa had several air bases and the only two important harbors between Formosa and Kyushu. The American invasion was code named Operation Iceberg. The greatest naval force in histoy was assembled for the invasion. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance's 5th fleet included more than 40 aircraft carriers, 18 battleships, 200 destroyers and hundreds of support ships. Over 182,000 troops participated in the invasion. The American invasion forced was surprised when the beach landings were unopposed. Okinawa was defendened by the 32nd Japanese Army and a garrison of about 110,000 men. The Japanese had drawn back from the onvssion beaches. The Japanese strategy was to bring as many ships as possible in close to the island to support the invasion. it was then that a major Kamakazi attack was unleased on the invasion fleet. The Japanese on April 6-7 employed the first massed formations of hundreds of kamikaze aircraft. The Japanese during the Okinawan campaign flew 1,465 kamikaze flights from
Kyushu. They succeedd in sinking 30 American ships and damaged 164 others. Other ships were attacked nearer Kyushu and Formosa. The Army Air Corps had rejected a request to havily bomb these air fields as it was seen as a diversion from the strategic bombing campaign. One third of the invasion force was killed or wounded. Over half of the 16,000 Americans killed were sailors on the ships attacked by the Kamakazis. Virtually the entire Japanese garison died in the Okinawa campaign. Few Japanese soldiers surendered even after defeat was certain. Large number of civilans were also killed. The Jaoanese military reserved available food and supplies for its use and in many cases forced civilians to commit suicide. The American military saw Okinawa as a dress rehersal for an invasion of the Japanese Home Islands and anticipated even fiercer resistance. The extent of the casualties was a major factor in the American decission to use the atomic bombs.
The invasion of Okinawa was the first American attack on Japanese territitory. Okinawa, in the Ryukyu Island chain was strategically located between Kyushu, the southernmost Japanese island and Taiwan (called Formosa by the Japanese).
Kyūshū is the most southerly of the main islands. The largest cities are Fukuoka and Kumamoto. The Ryukyu Islands are part of Kyūshū. One of the largest of the Ryukyu Islands is Okinawa, an island of Volcanic origins. Of all the islands, the Ryukyu/Okinawa are the most culturally dectinct because of its relatively recent incorporation into Japan by samuris (17th century). It was the closeness of Okinawa to Kyūshū that invited the Jaopanese invasion. Even after the Japanese invasion, considerable cultural autonomy continued. Its soutern location made it a target of the United States in the Pacific War. Just as the closeness to Kyūshū invited the Japanese invasion in the 17th century, it also invited the American invasion (20th century). The result was an apocolyptic World War II battle, the last major battle of the War.
American strategists saw Okinawa as a necessary base from which an American invasion of the Japanese home islands could be staged. Okinawa had several air bases and the only two important harbors between Formosa and Kyushu. The American invasion was code named Operation Iceberg.
The Americans in the Pacific theater, in sharp contrast to the European theater, where the Allies conducted major operations to misinform the Germans about Allied intentions. The Americans did carryout one important deception effort--Operation Bluebird. This was designed to convince the Japanese that southern China and Formosa (Taiwan) were to be invaded rather than Okinawa. [Holt]
The greatest naval force in histoy was assembled for the invasion. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance's 5th fleet included more than 40 aircraft carriers, 18 battleships, 200 destroyers and hundreds of support ships. The Japanese Imperail Navy which had once dominated the Pacific was no longer capable of opposing the American Navy.
Over 182,000 troops participated in the invasion. The American invasion forced was surprised when the beach landings were unopposed. Okinawa was defendened by the 32nd Japanese Army and a garrison of about 110,000 men.
The Japanese had drawn back from the invssion beaches. The Japanese strategy was to bring as many ships as possible in close to the island to support the invasion. It was then that a major Kamakazi attack was unleased on the invasion fleet.
The Japanese on April 6-7 employed the first massed formations of hundreds of kamikaze aircraft. The Japanese during the Okinawan campaign flew 1,465 kamikaze flights from
Kyushu. They succeedd in sinking 30 American ships and damaged 164 others. Other ships were attacked nearer Kyushu and Formosa. The Army Air Corps had rejected a request to havily bomb these air fields as it was seen as a diversion from the strategic bombing campaign.
Okinawan civilians after the War referred to the invasion as the "typhoon of steel". The Japanese Imperial Army repeatedly told Okinawans that Americam soldiers would rape and brutalize women and girls. The 3-month battle for Okinawa took 94,000 Okinawan civilian lives. This was about one-quarter of the population. Many were killed in the crossfire of the fighting, but large numbers of Okinawans were convinced or fcorced to cimmit suiside by the Japanrse miltary. Some were even killed by the miklitary. For the Okinaewans, their own soldiers were more dangerous than the Americans. Okinawans today want a grreater national recognition of their sufferings. Nationalist elements on the main islands, however, want to sanitize the past. This is another of the efforts by natioinalists to supress information about the extent of Japanese attrocities during the War. Nobukatsu Fujioka, a nationalist educator, has campaigned to delete from Japanese schoolbooks the accounts of Japanese soldiers ordering civilians to commit suiside. He writes, "People claimed that there was an order by Japanese Army because they wanted to get pension for the bereaved."
A display at the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, highlights a glinting bayonet held by a fierce-looking Japanese soldier who stands over an Okinawan family huddled in a cave, the mother trying to smother the cries her terrified baby.
The caption reads, "At the hands of Japanese soldiers, civilians were massacred, forced to kill themselves and each other." Next to this, a life-size wall photo shows the bloody aftermath of a family killed by a hand grenade. [Brooke] After the unexpected American invasion, the battle, the Japanese military commander attempted to prevent spying by banning the speaking of the Okinawan dialect--which Japanese soldirrs could not understand. Japanese soldiers reportedly killed about 1,000 Okinawans as a result of violations of this order. One of the reasons the Japanese soldiers attempted to prevent civilans from surrendering is thsat they believed that the civilians would devulge information about hidden positions and cave reguges. The orders to commit suiside were not a great deparyre fron years of miklitary propaganda in which the Japanese people were
exhorted to sacrifice themslves for the nation. Despite the fact that hand grenades were in short supply, they were destributed to civilians. The Okinawan youths fighting with the Japanese Army's Blood and Iron Student Corps were ordered to commit suicide using the grenades rather than becoming captives. There were no written suicide orders by Japanese military commanders, but local commanders and soldiers demanded that civikians kill themselves. What is unclear is to what extent the suuiside order came from Japanese commanders or if it was more an expected actioin by rank and file soldiers. It is also unclear just how many of the civilian deaths were from suiside or actual Japanese military executions.
One third of the American invasion force was killed or wounded. Here I have different statistics that I need to look into. One source indicates that 12,500 American soldiers and marineswere killed. [Hanson] Another source indicates that over half of the 16,000 Americans killed were sailors on the ships attacked by the Kamakazis.
Virtually the entire Japanese garison died in the Okinawa campaign. The death toll was about 110,000 men. [Hanson] Few Japanese soldiers surendered even after defeat was certain. Large number of civilans were also killed. The Jaoanese military reserved available food and supplies for its use and in many cases forced civilians to commit suicide. The Japanese strategy at Okinawa failed because of the as in other Pacific engagements, the ratio of losses was disportinately heavy for the Imperial armed forces. The Japanese were willing to make great sacrifices. The capacity of the Japanese army to demand suicide, however, was not infinte. This was seen in Msnchuria when the Soviets invaded (August 1945). The Japanese near the end of the Okinawa campaign were finding it increasingly difficult to recruit Kamakazi pilots. [Hanson]
The American military saw Okinawa as a dress rehersal for an invasion of the Japanese Home Islands. They were horified as the savagery and tenacity of the Japanese resistance and their willingness to kill civilians as well. One historian writes, "Okinawa chillingly demonstrated that the human capacity for slaughter, savagery, and chaois is almost limitless." [Sloan] Military planners anticipated even fiercer resistance in any invasion of the Home Islands. The prospect of invading Japan began to look increasingly unattractive. The extent of the casualties and the ferocity of the Japanese resistance was a major factor in the American decission to use the atomic bombs. [Hanson]
Okinawa is often describbed as the last battle of World War II. This is simplly not the case. The last battle is the massive Soviet invasion of Manchuria (August 1945). Stalin ordered the invasion which was being prepared to proceed immediately after the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima (august 6). The Soviets strucjk (august 8). The Japanese had a very substantial force in Manchuria. The Japanese in Msanchuria, however, were not prepared for asuisidal battle as was the case on Okinawa. Thus Soviet forces very quickly advanced in Manchuria. This is an often ignored campaign. But it was a very important one and may have had as much toi do with the Japanese surender as the Atomic bombs.
Brooke, James. "1945 suicide order still a trauma on Okinawa," International Herald Tribune (June 21, 2005).
Hanson, Victor Davis. Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Live and How We Think (Doubleday, 2003), 278p.
Holt, Thaddeus. The Deceivers: Allied Military Deceptionin the Second World War (Scribner, 2004), 1,148.
Sloan, Bill. The Ultimate Battle: Okinawa 1945--The Last Epic Struggle of World War II<.i> (Simon & Schuster, 2007).
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