Battle Of Okinawa Essay

Last and biggest of the Pacific island battles of World War II, the Okinawa campaign (April 1—June 22, 1945) involved the 287,000 troops of the U.S. Tenth Army against 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese Thirty-second Army. At stake were air bases vital to the projected invasion of Japan ("Battle of Okinawa," 1996). The Battle of Okinawa remembered more for its iconic photograph of US Marines raising the US flag on Okinawa more so than any other war or battle ever fought. Okinawa the largest of the Ryukus islands played a major role in the American forces overall strategic efforts to advance to the mainland’s of Japan. Because it was the last major battle of WWII, the battle of Okinawa used lessons learned and TTP’s from all previous

At the turn of the century, Russia was the largest nation in Europe, both in terms of population and land area. It also had a powerful army and navy, which in addition to its vast territory made it almost unthinkable for any nation to attempt to wage a war against it. Why then had Russia not only been defeated, but suffered tremendous and uneven casualties compared to the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese War? This loss, which later had dire consequences for the Russian empire, occurred because of inadequate preparation, poor leadership, and simply bad luck which plagued the Russian military forces in the Pacific.

The fight for control of Iwo Jima lasted thirty eight days. Over that course of time the U.S. lost almost six thousand Marines with another eighteen thousand men wounded. The Japanese however lost around twenty one thousand men. This was the only battle during the war with Japan when the U.S. suffered more casualties than the Japanese. Being one of the bloodiest battles of the war, the taking of Iwo Jima served as a valuable lesson for the upcoming Okinawa campaign. In the weeks following, the battle fell under heavy scrutiny from the press and the public. Many viewed it as an unnecessary fight and loss of

Although WW II ended over 50 years ago there is still much discussion as to the events which ended the War in the Pacific. The primary event which historians attribute to this end are the use of atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although the bombing of these cities did force the Japanese to surrender, many people today ask "Was the use of the atomic bomb necessary to end the war?" and more importantly "Why was the decision to use the bomb made?" Ronald Takaki examines these questions in his book Hiroshima.

December 7, 1941, was one of the worst attacks on the United States in U.S. history. Of that day 2,403 soldiers were killed in action, 1,178 were wounded in action. Numerous U.S. armed forces personnel were misjudged, which allowed the Japanese to carry out this terrible attack. Not only did the Japanese hit the U.S. where they knew it would hurt the most, but it crippled the United States’ entire Pacific Fleet.

The Battle of Midway was not the first battle or the last battle of the Second World War, but there is not question that it was the most decisive battle of World War II in the Pacific. Midway is nothing special—just a small string of islands six miles across built up to form coral—however its location and resources are important. If the United States of America had not been in possession of Midway, the Empire of Japan could have easily attacked Pearl Harbor, or possibly even the west coast of the United States. I believe the possession of the Island of Midway was a key ingredient to winning the war in the Pacific. Japan, which has almost no natural resources, would

There were 26,000 casualties and 6,800 dead Americans at Iwo Jima, with 20,000 casualties and 1083 dead Japanese. (1. "Battle for Iwo Jima, 1945." The Navy Department Library) At Okinawa there were 65,000 American casualties and 14,000 dead, while the Japanese lost 70,000 soldiers out of the 130,000 stationed on Okinawa. (2. "Battle of Okinawa." History.com) The bloodshed from these two battles gave the Americans a taste of the militaristic Japanese, and that a battle for the homeland of Japan would be astronomically worse. The Japanese were prepared to use any means necessary to stop the Americans because of “Yamato Damashii”, which was a virtue of the samurai that went hand in hand with the Bushido code, and it made the Japanese value the country and the emperor above all else, and that fighting to the death was greater than surrender. and it came in the form of Kamikaze attacks, suicide troops, and guerilla warfare. At Okinawa, 193 kamikaze attacks were launched at the Americans damaging 368 ships and destroying 36. (3. "The Battle of Okinawa." History Learning Site) The Japanese were prepared to sacrifice everything they had to destroy American ships and troops. The Japanese also used their own people to fight against the Americans.

The American forces plan consisted of a “divide and conquer” methodology. The U.S. focused on landing its assault force expediently and quickly and securing Mt. Suribachi and dominant high ground of the island. The Americans expected victory in less than a week. Their forces consisted of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions. The 4th and 5th Marine Divisions were to land on the eastern beaches the 4th on the right and the 5th on the left. The 3rd Marines would either land on the eastern beaches or assume a defensive role, which ever was called (Planning for the Battle of Iwo Jima, n.d.).

Okinawa, Japan was the site of the largest amphibious battle of World War II. The Battle of Okinawa resulted in the death of over 12,000 American and 100,000 Japanese soldiers, which lasted from late March through June 1945. The Battle of Okinawa was one of the main reasons President Harry Truman dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The main reason for the bombing was to put a stop to the American death toll. Approximately two months later on August 6, 1945, the massive nuclear weapon was dropped over Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb destroyed about four square miles of the city and also caused the death of 65,000 Japanese citizens. Because of this bombing, the Japanese government surrendered a week later.

World War Two came to America on December 7th, 1941. The focus on America's involvement in the war generally focuses on the European front. What must be remembered is the time and sacrifices made in the Pacific theatre. America's entry into the war on the Pacific was not an immediate success. It took American forces until the summer of 1942 at the Battle of Midway to become properly prepared for the war. The American military learned much from their losses – both through the strengths of the Japanese forces and America's own faults. After these losses were realized, changes were made within the military. These improvements allowed the American forces to turn the war back and begin to have successes in the Pacific.

The Battle of Midway took place on June 3rd-6th, 1942 off the coast of Midway between the Japanese and American Navies. During the battle, the US Navy took the Japanese Navy by surprise and secured a decisive victory over the Japanese by sinking all 4 of their carriers, 3 battleships damaged, two heavy cruisers sunk, 3 additional heavy cruisers severely damaged, 4 destroyers sunk, and an estimated total loss of 4800 personnel, while the US only lost 1 carrier (Yorktown) and 1 destroyer (Hammann). The Battle of Midway was vital to the US winning the Pacific front of WWII because it crippled the Japanese fleet, and it changed the momentum of the war in the United States’ favor. The Battle of Midway was a trap planned by the Japanese for the

In the beginning of war, Japanese victory in Pacific terrified West Cost Americans. Partial victory for Americans appeared when Japanese capital Tokyo was bombed. It was less of a material loss but huge in terms of psychological attack. It was followed by the Battle of Coral Sea in May 1942 and after that the decisive Battle of Midway Island took place. U.S. aircraft carriers destroyed three out of four Japanese carriers that sabotaged their further plans of invasion and they adopted a defensive strategy.

Paul Fussell article states that in PFC E. B. Sledge memoir With the Old Breed at Pelieu and Okinawa. As the U.S military fights closely to the mainland of Japan, the fighting in the surrounding islands in Iwo Jima and Okinawa was getting more vicious than in previous fights and that having a new land invasion would be a “ghastly bloodletting” and would shock the American public and the world ( Fussell, pg. 16). The Japanese were ruthless fighters and would never give up and would die for their country. It was said that every Japanese soldier, woman and children would fight from coast to coast (Fussell pg. 17). The Japanese code bushido meaning “the way of the warrior” meant that surrendering was absolutely dishonorable to the Emperor and the country and most soldiers would prefer to take their own lives rather than surrender to the enemy (Correll Enola Gay). The Japanese were prepared to take as much casualties as possible with an estimation of commitment of 2.3 million troops (Correll Enola Gay). Yes the atomic bomb would kill thousands of civilians but these civilians may have been trained to commit suicide runs against the allies if an invasion was put through (Fussell pg. 17). With the

Hiroshima is an outstanding recreation of the complete annihilation and devastation of during the aftermath and the year following the United States’ dropping of the atomic bomb. As the war in the east carried on, many thought this desolated war might last a lifetime, all the while hoping for an end and praying it not mean their own end. To end the war, Americans had to pick a target that would leave the Japanese government with nowhere to retreat, allowing for a crippling effect that would essentially cause their collapse and surrender. In his writings, John Hersey proclaims that Hiroshima was a “… inviting target - mainly because it had been one of the most important military command and communications centres in Japan …” (HERSEY, P. 107). In the minds of American strategists, this must have seemed a flawless method to force the Japanese military into a corner, not allowing withdrawal without laying down of arms. There was surely no doubt that dropping this bomb of god-like destructive power would, at a minimum, tear into the souls of Japanese, causing catastrophic devastation.

During the battles of Okinawa, Guadalcanal, and Coral sea, the U.S. took major hits from the Japanese. The Japanese code was to fight on and never surrender to the extent of all costs. They would rather suicide than surrender to their enemies. Just in 81 days, at the battle of Okinawa, the U.S. lost over 12,500 American lives. It also proved to be the bloodiest battle in the entire war. In