Things You Probably Didn't Know

[IceWizard]

About the Battle of Okinawa







On June 22, 1945, the World War II battle for Okinawa ended after about 81 long,
harrowing days of fighting for control of the island. Here are a few interesting facts you
didn't know about the last major battle of World War II...





It Was the Pacific Theater’s Biggest Amphibious Assault

The initial invasion of Okinawa on April 1, 1945, was the largest amphibious assault
in the Pacific Theater of World War II. More than 60,000 soldiers and US Marines of
the US Tenth Army stormed ashore at Okinawa. Possession of Okinawa would give
the United States a base large enough for an invasion of mainland Japan. There
were more than 100,000 Japanese defenders on the island, but most were deeply
entrenched in the island’s densely forested interior. The Battle of Okinawa,
codenamed Operation Iceberg, was vital to the Japanese because of its proximity
to mainland Japan, and conquering this island was essential for America.



Japanese Middle School Students "Volunteered" As Soldiers

The Imperial Japanese Army mobilized 1,780 middle school boys aged 14–17 years into
front-line service. This mobilization was conducted by an ordinance of the Ministry of the
Army. The ordinances mobilized the students as volunteer soldiers, but in reality, the
military authorities ordered schools to force almost all students to "volunteer" as soldiers;
sometimes they counterfeited the necessary documents. .Among the 21 male and female
secondary schools that made up these student corps, 2,000 students would die on the battlefield.



Corporal Desmond Doss Was a Hero at the Battle of Hacksaw Ridge

Desmond Doss is credited with saving 75 soldiers during one of the bloodiest battles of
World War II in the Pacific — and he did it without ever carrying a weapon. The battle at
Hacksaw Ridge, on the island of Okinawa, was a close combat fight with heavy weaponry.
All Americans who fought in the Battle of Okinawa were heroic, but one soldier at the
escarpment stood out—Corporal Desmond T. Doss. He was a pacifist and army medic
who refused to carry or use a weapon or firearm of any kind. He remained on the after
his commanding officers ordered a retreat. Surrounded by enemy soldiers, he went
alone into the battle fray and rescued 75 of his wounded comrades. His heroic story
was brought to life on the big screen in 2016 in the film Hacksaw Ridge and he was
decorated with a Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Battle of Okinawa.







Kamikaze Pilots Caused Many Casualties

Suicide pilots, called kamikazes by the Japanese, were well-trained and prepared to die
for their country. Although American sailors attempted to shoot down their planes, it
was difficult when the Japanese flyers were bent on suicide to cause the most damage
possible, at times flying at 500 mph into the Allied ships below. By the end of the
campaign, Japan would launch almost 2,000 suicide attacks. Of the 36 Allied ships
lost, most were destroyed by the Japanese pilots who gave up their lives in
kamikaze missions.






The Death Toll on Both Sides Was Massive

The Battle of Okinawa resulted in huge losses, including 12,520 fatalities and more
than 49,000 casualties on the American side. Among the dead was the Tenth Army’s
commander, Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., killed on June 18 by a
sniper during the final offensive. He was the highest-ranking American general
killed in action during World War II. About 90,000 Japanese combatants died in
the fighting, but deaths among Okinawan civilians may have reached 150,000.