THE BATTLE OF OKINAWA

1945

By March 1945, Japan was a nation isolated and under siege, her once mighty empire had now been reduced to a few unimportant and isolated island strongholds. After a long and bitter campaign of reconquest, the Americans were preparing to assault the island of Okinawa, a mere three hundred and forty miles from mainland Japan.

It’s capture was vital to secure airfields and deep water ports necessary for the inevitable invasion of Japan itself. Set for April 1st, the American land elements would comprise the 10th army of six divisions, four army and two marine, totaling 100,000 men under General Buckner.

This striking force would be supported by the formidable U.S. 5th fleet commanded by Admiral Spruance. This large armada consisted of eleven fleet, seven light and eighteen escort carriers with seven Battleships, seventeen heavy cruiser’s and eighty eight support ships.

Okinawa itself was sixty miles long and at points only two and eighteen miles wide. She was also home to 450,000 Japanese civilian’s and would be defended by the 130,000 strong Japanese 32nd Army commanded by General Mitsuru Jima.

Four American divisions landed unopposed at Hagushi Bay on the western side of the island and within six hrs the 7th army Infantry and 1st marines had cut across the entire island cutting it in two. The 6th marines marched north brushing aside local militias while the 96th Infantry quickly captured the town of Kuba and then proceeded to march south.     

This was mainly due in part that Mitsuru’s plan was not to resist the American landings but to concentrate the bulk of his forces at the southern end of the island along a formidable defensive position known as the Shuri Line.

Most of the northern half of the island was occupied by the 1st and 6th marines with little opposition, however when the American 24th Corps comprising the 7th and 96th army infantry reach the Japanese southern defenses, they suffered heavy casualties despite enjoying total air supremacy and the support of hundreds of large caliber naval guns offshore.

The battle for the Shuri Line would continue for the next month until the Japanese 32nd army began to run out of food, medicine and ammunition supplies thus forcing General Jimas to launch an all out Banzai Infantry charge against the American positions rather than have to surrender. This would result in horrendous Japanese casualties virtually destroying the entire army.

 

The supporting naval forces during this time also had a fierce battle of there own to fight as hundreds of Kamikaze aircraft attacks which had become a constant feature of Japanese tactics where during this battle were developed to there fullest extent. 

For the loss of several hundred Japanese suicide aircraft and there pilots. The U.S. and British naval forces suffered thirty six ships sunk and three hundred and sixty eight damaged with four thousand nine hundred sailors killed and four thousand eight hundred wounded.

The Japanese Imperial Navy also participated in the battle for Okinawa sending the super battleship Yamato displacing 73,000 tons and armed with nine 18.1 inch main guns (which were the largest ever mounted on a warship) on what amounted to a suicide mission with only enough fuel to reach the island and disrupt the American landings.

However the Yamato was spotted on April 7th and attacked by two hundred and eighty dive bombers and torpedo planes. Within two hours she had been struck by twelve bombs and nineteen torpedo’s sending her to the bottom with 2,498 of her crew. In stark contrast the Americans lost only ten aircraft and twelve airmen.

Mopping up operations would continue for the next three months when on July 2nd 1945, the battle was declared over. The casualties suffered on both sides was extensive. One hundred and twenty thousand Japanese were killed, while U.S. losses numbered twelve thousand five hundred dead and thirty five thousand wounded.

As a rehearsal for the inevitable invasion of Japan itself, these casualty figures were to horrific for the U.S government to bear, which in the end strongly supported there decision for using the atom bomb to bring the war to an end.