Okinawa: The Last Battle is a tactical history of the conquest of
the Ryukyu Islands by forces under the command of the U.S. Tenth
Army in the period 1 April to 30 June 1945. The volume takes its
name from the principal island of the Ryukyu island group, where
the critical and decisive battles of the campaign were fought. The
Ryukyus Campaign followed the capture of Iwo Jima and was planned
as the last of the Pacific island operations before the invasion of
Japan itself. This work is an account of all United States forces
engaged--Army, Navy, Air, and Marine. It also tells in considerable
detail the story of the Japanese 32d Army, which was the Okinawa
garrison, and of Japanese naval and air forces committed in the
defense of the Ryukyus. The volume begins with the planning for
this amphibious operation at the threshold of Japan, one of the
largest of the Pacific war, and follows the operation through all
succeeding phases to the death of the Japanese commanding general
and his chief of staff. Of special interest was the tremendous
volume of naval firepower employed by ships stationed offshore on
the flanks of the American ground forces as the latter advanced
across the island. The concentration of naval, air, and ground
firepower employed by American forces in the Okinawa campaign was
unparalleled for any comparable force, length of front, and
duration of time in the history of warfare. Nevertheless, blunting
this great firepower was the most extensive network of underground
cave and tunnel defenses with tightly interlocking fields of fire
encountered in the history of warfare. The Japanese defensive
system stretched from coast to coast and converged ring upon ring
in depth, withShuri, the ancient capital of the Ryukyus, at its
center. The battle resolved itself into a myriad of small-unit
actions against enemy cave and firing positions. This fight was
conducted at close quarters by infantry-engineer and infantry-tank
teams. Tank flamethrowers and engineer and infantry demolition
teams, covered by small groups of riflemen, often formed the combat
units that enabled Tenth Army slowly to destroy the many
well-constructed defensive positions, eliminate their dedicated
defenders, and move gradually forward. The extensive attacks of
Japanese Kamikaze pilots against the American naval forces
supporting the ground forces are also treated as an important part
of the operation. The ground combat story is told principally from
regimental level. But as often as not, the treatment goes down to
battalion level and frequently to company, platoon, and squad. It
was the small unit that normally destroyed a particular enemy
position holding the key to further advances. Often it was the
individual soldier whose heroism was the decisive factor in such
laborious activities, making it the theme of the immediate
narrative. The XXIV Army Corps and the III Amphibious Corps, U.S.
Fleet Marine Force, were the principal subordinate units of Tenth
Army. In the two corps were the Army's 7th, 27th, 77th, and 96th
Infantry Divisions and the 1st and 6th Marine Divisions. In
addition, the 2d Marine Division played a minor role in the
preinvasion maneuvers, and its 18th Regiment was in limited action
for a few days toward the end of the campaign.
General
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