Battle of Okinawa
Last push of Island hopping campaign (April 1—June 22, 1945)
Importance of the island Okinawa
There were air bases vital to the projected invasion of Japan
At the end of Okinawa
- This was the largest battle of the whole island hopping campaign
- USA had 287,000 troops Japan had 130,000 soldiers
- Japan changed its tactics back to its original tactics to defending the beaches
- After the Marines broke through the first defense line the Japanese used pillboxes, strongboxes, caves
- JAPAN WAS ON ITS LAST LEG ON THIS BATTLE
- Both commanding generals died American general Simon B. Buckner by artillery fire, Japanese general Ushijima Mitsuru by suicide
Importance of the island Okinawa
There were air bases vital to the projected invasion of Japan
At the end of Okinawa
- Japan had lost more than 77,000 soldiers
- Allies had 65,000 and had 14,000 dead