Online Exhibit
Overview
The invasion of Okinawa was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War. On Easter Sunday (and April Fool’s Day), 1 April 1945, over 60,000 American troops stormed the beaches of the island in an eerily unopposed landing. The peace did not last long.
First Division Marines close in to fire on Japanese cave defenses point blank. From the Norm Hatch Collection of the National Museum of the Pacific War.
Japanese forces had dug into the island, much like with Iwo Jima. The complex network of defenses was concentrated in the south. Difficult terrain and heavy tropical rains made matters worse for the Americans. Soldiers and Marines struggled for every yard they took as they advanced across the island, and sailors offshore battled fierce kamikaze attacks. The battle of Okinawa cost nearly 50,000 American casualties, including over 12,000 dead, and almost 100,000 Japanese deaths. It is estimated that up to 150,000 civilian Okinawans were killed, as well, caught up in the vicious battle. The high casualty rate of the battle of Okinawa played a large part in President Truman’s decision to use the atomic bombs to end the war.
