Special Sub-Topic: Battle of Okinawa Click Here To Play: Battle of Okinawa

The last battle of World War 2 was on the island of Okinawa. What was the name of the operation?

Operation Iceberg. Operation Iceberg was the biggest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater.

Okinawa was an island in what specific group?

Ryukyus. Okinawa is the largest of the islands in the Ryukyus. Running generally north and south, it is 60 miles long and from 2 to 18 miles wide.

Who was the commander of the Tenth Army, responsible for the taking of the island?

Simon Buckner. His father was Confederate General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Sr., who surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Fort Donelson, 1862.

The fleet which attacked Okinawa was one of the largest fleets ever assembled. How big was it?

1,200 ships. April 1, 1945, Easter Sunday, (and April Fools' Day), was a brilliantly clear day in the East China Sea. Over 1,200 ships, carrying more that 180,000 marines and soldiers, converged on the banana shaped island of Okinawa, 350 miles southwest of Japan.

Who commanded the Japanese forces?

Ushijima. The task of defending the Ryukyus was entrusted to the Japanese 32nd Army, commanded by LTG Mitsuru Ushijima. General Ushijima, according the members of his staff, was a calm and very capable officer who inspired confidence among his troops.

The main defensive line of the Japanese on Okinawa was what?

The Shuri line. Acting on the assumption that he could not defeat the combined American forces, General Ushijima drew his forces together into the southern part of Okinawa and, from the strongly fortified positions around Shuri, where he prepared to make his stand there as costly to the Americans as possible.

What famous war correspondent lost his life while observing the fighting on Ie Shima?

Ernie Pyle. Pyle was buried under a marker bearing the inscription of "At this spot the 77th Infantry Division lost a buddy, Ernie Pyle, 18 April 1945".

What were the total US casualties in the Battle of Okinawa?

48,100. The price paid for Okinanwa was dear. The final toll of American casualties was the highest experienced in any campaign against the Japanese. Total American battle casualties were 49,151 of which 12,520 were killed or missing and 36,631 wounded.

The kamikaze attacks were of significant concern and effect during the battle. What type of ship was hardest hit in these attacks?

Picket destroyers. On April 6, the Japanese launched a massive series of kamikazi attacks. Hundreds of planes struck at the American fleet in successive waves. Day after day, week after week, the Japanese onslaught continued. The radar picket destroyers bore the brunt of these attacks: sailors on one destroyer set up a huge arrow-shaped sign reading "Carriers this way."

One of the major results of the Battle was what?

American strategists looked for an alternative to attacking the Japanese mainland.. Okinawa scared the living snot out of everybody. Consider the fanatical resistance, the culture of suicide, and Japanese aversion to surrender: what would be the cost of a sustained battle on the Japanese homeland? It made the use of the atomic bomb much more palitable.