The fiercest amphibious assault in the Pacific theater, the Battle of Okinawa, demonstrated the resilience and deadly determination of the Japanese military.
Before the atomic bomb became a reality, the American plan was to invade Japan’s main islands. However, the anticipated end to the Pacific war was far from easy. Predictions indicated the Japanese would fight more ferociously than ever. With kamikaze suicide attacks, the Americans realized the upcoming battle would be more intense than any they had faced before.
The first step in the plan to invade Japan’s main islands was the landing on Okinawa. The bloody battles there foreshadowed that fully defeating Japan would be an extremely arduous task, steeped in blood and suffering.
The Battle of Okinawa served as a preview of what was to come. In this article, join Thefactsofwar to explore why this battle not only shaped the Pacific theater’s outcome but also left profound lessons about war’s brutality.
Preparations for the Battle of Okinawa
The Americans knew capturing Okinawa, the largest island in the Ryukyu archipelago, would be an immensely difficult task with expected high casualties. The island’s terrain was ideal for defense. The south featured steep limestone cliffs, while the north was rugged with hills and deep ravines.
Additionally, Okinawa had over 400,000 native residents, and the Japanese had mentally prepared them to resist the Americans. Through propaganda campaigns, the Japanese instilled fear in the Okinawan people. This was reinforced by relentless U.S. airstrikes starting in September 1944, reducing the capital, Naha, to rubble.
Though outnumbered, the Japanese leveraged the terrain to their advantage for defense. They were no strangers to this type of warfare, having gained experience from years of fighting China and the Allies in the Pacific. Around 80,000 Japanese soldiers were mobilized, alongside 40,000 forcibly conscripted Okinawans, including 1,790 boys aged 14 to 17.
On the American side, Vice Admiral Richmond K. Turner led the campaign until the landing, after which Admiral Raymond A. Spruance took overall command. Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. commanded the ground forces.
General Mitsuru Ushijima led Japan’s 32nd Army, the main infantry force on Okinawa.
The U.S. planned to land on a stretch of beaches on Okinawa’s west coast. From there, American forces would push inland, capturing airstrips at Yontan and Kadena before expanding north and south.
To execute the plan, the U.S. would hold a massive numerical advantage, with 180,000 combat troops initially, growing to 250,000 as the campaign progressed.
The landing date for “Operation Iceberg” was set for April 1. Before that, from March 24, U.S. forces began seizing smaller islands around Okinawa to prepare. By March 29, the American fleet moved into position and began bombardments to pave the way for the troops’ landing.
The Battle Begins
On the morning of April 1, landing ships approached the western beaches of Okinawa. The U.S. forces, expecting fierce resistance, were tense, but they encountered only scattered opposition upon landing. This assault involved 60,000 American soldiers and Marines, making it the largest landing in the Pacific theater of World War II.
Admiral Mitsuru Ushijima, commanding the Japanese forces, chose not to confront the Americans directly at the beaches. Aware of his numerical disadvantage, he avoided wasting troops. Instead, he exploited the island’s natural terrain to strike where he could inflict maximum damage on the Americans with minimal losses to his side.
The Japanese had retreated to the island’s mountainous regions, where they constructed an extensive network of bunkers and tunnels.
By April 2, the Americans controlled two airstrips near the landing zone and continued advancing with only light resistance. On April 5, U.S. forces reached the eastern coast, effectively splitting Okinawa in two. From there, the U.S. Army moved south, while the Marines headed north. As they advanced, Japanese resistance intensified, eroding American hopes of an easy victory.
Kamikaze Attacks
On April 6, Japan’s air campaign began, targeting the U.S. fleet with massive kamikaze assaults launched from Kyushu and Taiwan (Formosa). Beyond air attacks, the Japanese also deployed kamikaze boats. Over two days, April 6–7, more than 350 kamikaze strikes hit the American fleet. Though intense, this tactic fell short of Japan’s expectations.
In reality, many U.S. warships were sunk, but none larger than destroyers, while aircraft carriers, battleships, and cruisers sustained damage but remained operational.
The Yamato’s Involvement
Supported by the kamikaze wave, Japan’s battleship Yamato entered the fray. The Japanese hoped the might of the largest battleship ever built would shift the tide. However, Yamato became an easy target for U.S. carrier-based aircraft. Its sinking marked the end of the battleship era and Japan’s naval ability to challenge the U.S. fleet.
The Bloody Battle
The U.S. advance in the north proceeded steadily, and by April 7, Japanese forces on the Motobu Peninsula were surrounded, representing most of Japan’s strength in northern Okinawa.
On April 13, U.S. troops reached the island’s northern tip, Hedo Point. Fighting on the Motobu Peninsula continued with Japanese suicide assaults. Meanwhile, the small island of Iejima off the peninsula’s coast saw another U.S. landing.
There, the Japanese launched large-scale suicide attacks, including women armed with spears. From April 16, combat raged fiercely, and by April 21, the island was declared secure. It was also where American journalist Ernie Pyle was killed by machine-gun fire on April 18.
On the Motobu Peninsula, U.S. forces captured Mount Yaedake, Japan’s main defensive position.
In the south, the Americans were temporarily halted by fierce Japanese resistance exploiting the rugged terrain. However, this terrain became a fatal weakness as U.S. artillery inflicted heavy casualties, clearing the path for the advance.
Battles at Kakazu Ridge, Nishibaru Ridge, and Tombstone Hill turned disastrous, with over 450 American and 5,000 Japanese soldiers killed. These heavy losses demoralized the Japanese, who retreated south to establish a new defensive line, including the infamous Maeda Escarpment, known as “Hacksaw Ridge.” There, Desmond Doss, a soldier who refused to carry a weapon, earned the Medal of Honor for saving dozens of American and Japanese lives under fire.
Throughout April, the Americans advanced slowly, overcoming Japan’s fortified defenses in brutal conditions.
On May 4, the Japanese attempted a counterattack, sneaking behind American lines. However, their artillery was exposed to U.S. counterfire, foiling the plan and forcing them back to a war-of-attrition defense.
Heavy rain throughout May turned the battlefield into a quagmire, reminiscent of World War I trenches, with rotting corpses and debris making life hellish for soldiers.
Meanwhile, in northern Motobu, a Japanese commando unit destroyed 70,000 gallons of fuel and nine U.S. planes in a suicide raid before being wiped out. That same day, U.S. Marines reached the outskirts of Okinawa’s capital, Naha, finding it deserted. It took until May 27 for the Americans to fully control the city.
At the same time, the battleship USS Mississippi shelled Shuri Castle, two miles east of Naha. On May 29, as U.S. troops approached, they found the area abandoned. The entire defensive line had been deserted by the Japanese, with 30,000 troops retreating south to join 10,000 others at the Oroku Peninsula.
On June 4, the U.S. launched an amphibious assault on the peninsula, targeting an airstrip where 4,000 Japanese sailors were entrenched. All, including their commander, Admiral Ōta, committed suicide.
The remaining Japanese forces were pushed east and south, confined to a small area in southernmost Okinawa. On June 18, with the battle’s outcome clear, General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., the ground forces commander, was killed by Japanese artillery.
Casualties
By June 21, the Battle of Okinawa officially ended. Most Japanese soldiers who didn’t die in combat took their own lives, many through suicide charges or ritual seppuku. Among the Japanese commanders, only Colonel Yahara survived, as Admiral Ushijima ordered him not to kill himself. Ushijima wanted a witness to tell the story of Okinawa.
The high suicide rate stemmed largely from the belief that Americans took no prisoners and that surrender meant immediate execution. Many Japanese soldiers and civilians leapt from cliffs or used guns to end their lives.
In total, about 77,000 Japanese soldiers perished, along with thousands of Okinawan recruits. Official U.S. estimates put Japanese deaths at over 110,000.
In contrast, the U.S. suffered heavy losses with 50,000 casualties, including 12,000 killed.
On the naval front, Japan executed over 1,000 kamikaze attacks, the largest deployment of this tactic in the war.
The Battle of Okinawa was a horrific slaughter. Given the island’s small size, the casualty rate was staggering.
Ultimately, the invasion of Okinawa proved largely unnecessary. The island was seized as a staging ground for attacking Japan’s main islands, but this plan was never executed, as the atomic bomb ended the war far sooner than anticipated.
Conclusion
The Battle of Okinawa stands as one of World War II’s most tragic chapters, reflecting the ferocity and immense losses in the struggle for this strategic island. With over 200,000 deaths on both sides, the battle underscored the devastating havoc war can wreak.
Through this article, we hope Thefactsofwar has helped readers better understand the events, strategies, and consequences of the Battle of Okinawa, as well as the harsh realities of the Pacific theater. These historical lessons honor those who fell and remind us of peace’s value and our duty to prevent such conflicts in the future.
Translated by: Minh Tuan
Source: thecollector.com – Battle of Okinawa: The Most Intense Battle of WWII’s Pacific Theater
