World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Okinawa Gunto Operation
From Month/Year
March / 1945
To Month/Year
June / 1945
Description The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg. was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945. After a long campaign of island hopping, the Allies were approaching Japan, and planned to use Okinawa, a large island only 340 mi (550 km) away from mainland Japan, as a base for air operations on the planned invasion of Japanese mainland (coded Operation Downfall). Four divisions of the U.S. 10th Army (the 7th, 27th, 77th, and 96th) and two Marine Divisions (the 1st and 6th) fought on the island. Their invasion was supported by naval, amphibious, and tactical air forces.
The battle has been referred to as the "typhoon of steel" in English, and tetsu no ame ("rain of steel") or ("violent wind of steel") in Japanese. The nicknames refer to the ferocity of the fighting, the intensity of kamikaze attacks from the Japanese defenders, and to the sheer numbers of Allied ships and armored vehicles that assaulted the island. The battle resulted in the highest number of casualties in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Based on Okinawan government sources, mainland Japan lost 77,166 soldiers, who were either killed or committed suicide, and the Allies suffered 14,009 deaths (with an estimated total of more than 65,000 casualties of all kinds). Simultaneously, 42,000–150,000 local civilians were killed or committed suicide, a significant proportion of the local population. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki together with the Soviet invasion of Manchuria caused Japan to surrender less than two months after the end of the fighting on Okinawa.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
March / 1945
To Month/Year
June / 1945
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
People You Remember April first Easter sunday 1945 we were in close tothe island of Okinawa.
Doing preinvasion Bombbardment of the landing area.
that night when the jap planes came in the sky light up like a christmas tree hundreds of ships all fireing at the same time.On the fourth or fifth say .what was left of the Japanese Fleet With the Battleship Yamoto .was heading to Okinawa.
WE joined battle ships to meet them we were on the starboard side of the Maryland when a plane came in on our starboard side at the last second he went over us and hit the Maryland at midship.
April 17th went on first Radar picket station my battle station was trainer on twin40 mm #4 port side by #2 stack midship a plane droped out of a cloud on our port bow came down our port side the 5 inch 38 were fireing at him at our port Quarter he turned and came in our first round hit his wing we followed it to the cockpit he went over #2 stack crashed and exploded 25 feet on our starboard side showering us with parts of the plane.
April 28th was the worst time of all how we made it through that night was with GODS help There were bogies everywhere atorpedo missed us down the starboard side Strafing and shrapnel hurt no one one suicide plane hit the captains Gig and life raft Another plane was shot down twenty feet off the port bow My battle station was about twenty five frome the captains gig it was hit and disapeared i was covered with gasoline and salt water afew miutes later a message came over the phone Stand by eighteen more bogies comeing in
