Okinawa: The Last Battle of World War IIIt began on April Fool's Day, 1945, which was also Easter Sunday. It lasted eighty-four days. In that time the United States lost its commander in chief, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and at the site of the battle itself, lost its most beloved war correspondent, Ernie Pyle. In that time Germany was finally defeated, but when GIs on the island heard the news, they snorted in contempt - "So what?" For these men were fighting for their own lives against a tenacious Japanese force whose goal was to "bleed all over" the Americans and thus drown them in Japanese blood. To achieve final victory over Japan, Okinawa had to be seized; it would be a catapult for the planned invasion of Japan itself. And so the U.S. Marines and Army attacked Okinawa with 540,000 men and 1,600 seagoing ships, eclipsing even D-Day in troops, tonnage, and firepower. But Japanese troops were hunkered down in a honeycomb of caves and terrain that the U.S. Tenth Army commander, Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, called the most formidable fixed position in the history of warfare. And General Buckner asked his men to employ "corkscrew and blowtorch" - explosives and flame - to conquer the island. What he didn't need to ask for was individual heroism. For the last battle of World War II was full of acts of valor that went far beyond the call of duty. At the end, American casualties totaled almost 50,000. But the Japanese were left with 100,000 dead. And Nippon's navy was crushed, 7,800 of its planes lost, many in the last frenzied kamikaze attacks of the war. |
Contents
TWO Japan at Bay | 9 |
THREE The Divine Wind | 15 |
FOUR The Japanese Samurai | 23 |
Copyright | |
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Other editions - View all
Okinawa: A Decorated Marine's Account of the Last Battle of World War II Robert Leckie Limited preview - 1996 |
Okinawa: A Decorated Marine's Account of the Last Battle of World War II Robert Leckie No preview available - 1996 |
Common terms and phrases
actually Admiral aircraft airfields American artillery assault attack base battalion battle beaches began bombs Buckner called carrier caves charge chief Colonel commander Corps dead death deck defenses destroy destroyers Division east enemy entire feet fighters fighting fire five flank fleet force four front grenades ground guns hands Headquarters Hill hundred hurled Infantry invasion island Japan Japanese Japanese Thirty-second Army joined Kakazu kamikaze killed Kyushu landing later Lieutenant losses lost machine Major March Marine Marine Division miles months mortar moving Navy night Ninety-sixth officers Okinawa operation ordered Pacific pilots planes position rear remaining reported Ridge Second Seventh shells ships Shuri side Sixth slope soldiers staff strike Sugar suicide supply tactics tanks Tenth Army third thousand troops turned Ugaki Ushijima World wounded