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Battle of Okinawa
The battle for Okinawa, the largest of the Ryukyu Islands located just south of the Japanese home islands, was one of the major battles of World War II. The capture of Okinawa was seen as critical to the final destruction of what was left of the Japanese merchant fleet and for the use of its airfields for bombing raids on Japan.
In the months prior to the attack, Okinawa had been subjected to an effective bombardment. The United States Navy anchored off of Okinawa, however, was subjected to deadly kamikaze attacks. Although the United States carrier fleet experienced heavy damage, the majority of the kamikazes were destroyed.
On April 1, 1945, as part of the air, land and sea assault, the Marines landed on the west coast of Okinawa. The northern part of the island was taken with relatively little resistance. The southern part of the island was where the major battle for the island occurred. The resistance was fierce, with many of the Japanese hiding in caves.
The resistance by the Japanese ended on June 21, 1945. Over 107,000 Japanese soldiers and 100,000 civilians were killed during the attack. The combined United States military deaths were over 15,000 men. The famous war correspondent, Ernie Pyle, was among those killed during the battle for Okinawa.
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