Summary: The battle of Okinawa, also known as Operation Iceberg, took place in April-June 1945. It was the largest amphibious landing in the Pacific theater of World War II. It also resulted in the largest casualties with over 100,000 Japanese casualties and 50,000 casualties for the Allies. This article gives an account of the 80 day plus battle for the Island of Okinawa which some have described as the "typhoon of steel".
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When two United States Marine and two Army divisions landed abreast on Okinawa on Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, they faced an estimated 155,000 Japanese ground, air and naval troops holding an immense island on which an estimated 500,000 civilians lived in cities, towns and villages. Operation Iceberg was to be, in every way, vast when compared to any other operation undertaken by Allied forces in the Pacific War under U.S. Navy command. Indeed, using mainly divisions that had already undertaken island-hopping operations in the South and Central Pacific since mid-1942, the U.S. Pacific Fleet stood up the Tenth U.S. Army under Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., consisting of III Amphibious Corps and XXIV Army Corps — the largest land command ever assembled under the Navy's direct control.
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To those Japanese who thought the war was winnable, Okinawa was the last chance. The island lay within 350 miles — easy flight distance — from the Japanese homeland and was, by American design, to be the base from which the southernmost Home Island, Kyushu, would be pummeled to dust ahead of the expected follow-on invasion. Anything short of complete victory over Allied air, naval and ground forces spelled doom for Japan — and no such victory was remotely in the cards. Thus, from the Japanese view Okinawa was and could be no more than a delaying battle of attrition on a grand scale. The few Japanese who knew that their country's war effort was in extremis were content to fight on Okinawa simply for reasons of honor, for all military logic pointed to the same dismal conclusion: Japan was vanquished in all but name as soon as the first Boeing B-29s left the ground in the Marianas, as soon as American carrier aircraft hit targets in Japan at will, as soon as even twin-engine bombers could strike Japanese ports from Iwo Jima, as soon as Japan dared not move a warship or cargo vessel from a port in any part of the shrinking empire for fear it would be sunk by an Allied submarine. By April 1, 1945, all those events were taking place routinely.
Although the Japanese commanders counted 155,000 defenders, of whom 100,000 were soldiers of Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima's Thirty-second Army, the rest were of widely mixed abilities, and there were not nearly enough troops to cover the ground the way 23,000 troops had covered Iwo Jima. Therefore the forces on Okinawa were concentrated in a number of sectors that offered the best prospects for a robust, attritional defense. The northern half of the island was virtually conceded, and the south was turned into four extremely tough hedgehog defense sectors. The proportion of artillery and mortars to infantry was the highest encountered in the Pacific War.
Coming to put their defense arrangement to the test was the Tenth Army. The new 6th Marine Division (1st Provisional Marine Brigade plus the 29th Marines and attachments) would land over the northernmost beaches on the western side of Okinawa a little south of the island's midpoint. It was to strike across the island, then turn north to pacify a little more than half of Okinawa on its own. To the right, the 1st Marine Division was also to strike across the island, then become part of the Tenth Army reserve. The Army's 7th and 96th Infantry divisions were to land side by side in the southern half of the Tenth Army beachhead and pivot south to cover the width of the island. Also on April 1, the III Amphibious Corps' (IIIAC) reserve, the 2nd Marine Division, made a feint toward a set of beaches in southeastern Okinawa. This feint was in line with where the Japanese predicted the main landing would take place, so for once a feint actually held large numbers of defenders in place looking the wrong way. Other units, including the Fleet Marine Force's Pacific Reconnaissance Battalion, were assigned objectives elsewhere in the Ryukyu Islands, most of which were taken or at least assaulted before what was dubbed L-day on Okinawa.
U.S. Marine Corps |
| U.S. commanders observe their troops' movements. Standing from left are Lt. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., commander of the Tenth Army; Maj. Gen. Lemuel Shepherd, commander of the 6th Marine Division; and his assistant commander, Brig. Gen. William T. Clement. Buckner was killed by a Japanese shell on June 18, 1945. |
Immediate objectives were Yontan and Kadena airfields, in the IIIAC and XXIV Corps zones, respectively. As soon as these airfields could be brought to operational status, combat-support aircraft would operate from them. Also, many aircraft carriers would remain on station off Okinawa for as long as their air groups were needed. The land-based component was a Marine command named the Tactical Air Force and consisting of several Marine air groups of fighters and light bombers. Marine fighter squadrons based aboard fleet carriers and several new Marine carrier air groups (fighters and torpedo bombers) based aboard escort carriers would be available throughout the land operation.
The landings were made against zero opposition and with almost no casualties. Far from going into a state of optimism, however, the many veterans in the assault force realized that a very hard road lay before them, that the Japanese had chosen to dig deep and fight on their own terms.
Yontan Airfield fell by midmorning, after Marines overcame very light opposition along the juncture of the 1st and 6th Marine divisions. Reinforcements moved to fill gaps that developed due to rapid advances by the 4th, 7th and 22nd Marines. Marines of the 1st Division captured an intact bridge across a stream at the IIIAC-XXIV Corps boundary and overcame hastily built field fortifications all across the division front. Divisional and IIIAC artillery battalions landed routinely, and many batteries were providing fire by 1530 hours. The IIIAC advance halted between 1600 and 1700 to avoid more gaps and to help the Marines on the far right maintain contact with the 7th Infantry Division, whose left flank outpaced the 1st Marine Division right-flank unit by several hundred yards. The halt also gave artillery units outpaced by the rapid advance time to move forward and register night defensive fires.
Basically, all of L-day's headaches arose from the light-to-nonexistent defensive effort, and not the usual spate of battle problems. Both airfields, Kadena and Yontan, were firmly in American hands by nightfall, and engineers were already at work to get them operational in the shortest possible time.
U.S. Marine Corps |
| A Marine Vought F4U-1D Corsair launches its wing-mounted rockets against Japanese targets on Okinawa. The Americans were using Okinawa's airfields within days of their capture to support operations on the island. |
While by no means a romp, the days that followed on L-day were nearly bloodless. Enemy troops were encountered here and there as the two Marine divisions swallowed up miles of territory against, at most, desultory opposition. Captives proved to be second- and third-rate troops, mostly technicians and other noncombatants drafted into ad hoc defensive units, lightly armed and miserably trained. Also, many thousands of civilians turned themselves in to Marines, to be passed along to temporary stockades in the rear. The most hard-pressed Marine units were engineers, then supply troops. Roads were barely discernible paths, so they had to be engineered for modern traffic, and many bridges had to be built over gullies and other breaks in the terrain. Even with roads in place, it was difficult to push supplies forward to the rapidly advancing ground units; they moved ahead thousands of yards a day and were constantly on the brink of outrunning their supply dumps. It was difficult, also, for artillery units to keep pace with the advance, and the infantry had a difficult time maintaining contact with flank units, because the advance tended to broaden an already broad front. By April 3, the Marine divisions were on ground slated to fall on L-plus-15.
As the advance continued with surprising ease, a picture slowly emerged from prisoner interrogations. The main Japanese effort had gone into deeply fortifying the southern portion of the island. The XXIV Corps ran into the outlying positions on April 4, on the phase line established for L-plus-10. But the Marines were oriented east and north, and swallowing miles of lightly defended ground each day. Before the two Marine divisions could join the fight in the south, they had to secure the rest of the island.
By April 4, the 1st Marine Division had completed its cross-island advance and had thus run out of objectives. It turned to scouring land already in its hands and building up its logistical base. By then, Japanese troops cut off in the IIIAC zone had begun to coalesce into what the Marines eventually characterized as guerrilla forces that lived off the land in wild areas and exploited opportunities to attack patrols and rear-area facilities. Such forces also appeared in the rear of the 6th Division. These so-called guerrillas had to be painstakingly tracked by Marine units far more suited for intense modern conflict. Fortunately for the Americans, although the Japanese guerrillas were well motivated, they were not trained for such operations and were easily hunted down if they showed themselves. To help quell civilian complicity in the guerrilla operation, several thousand Okinawan males were interned in camps beginning on April 11. The Tenth Army eventually clamped down on all civilians and filled eight internment camps in the IIIAC zone with Okinawans of all ages and both sexes. This seemed to end the problem of civilian aid to guerrilla operations, but those small groups of isolated Japanese soldiers continued to operate in diminished circumstances throughout most of the campaign.
The 6th Marine Division continued to drive north — literally driven on tanks and other vehicles. One reconnaissance force advanced 14 miles unopposed, then turned back to the main body. The 6th Engineer Battalion had a tough time widening and improving roads and replacing or bracing bridges at such a pace. On April 9, supplies began to come ashore on beaches much closer to the 6th Division front, and the 1st Armored Amtrac Battalion was committed to provide artillery support because the 15th Marines artillery battalions had such a difficult time keeping up with the rapidly moving infantry.
On April 7, Marine Air Group (MAG) 31 began to handle flight operations for its newly arrived squadrons at Yontan Airfield, and MAG-33 arrived on April 9. This relieved some of the ground-support burden on carrier air units, which were increasingly drawn into a battle of attrition with kamikaze units located in Japan and intermediate bases. Indeed, Marine air became almost wholly committed to XXIV Corps as it hit increasingly stiffer resistance in the south.
It took the 6th Marine Division until April 13 to locate a well-led, competent and powerful Japanese force — on Mount Yae Take, in extreme northern Okinawa. A four-day battle involving Marine air and artillery and naval gunfire support reduced the enemy force of 1,500 and opened the door for the final northern push, which was completed on April 20. The 6th Marine Division's drive had cost 207 killed, 757 wounded and six missing by April 20, and the Marines had killed an estimated 2,000 Japanese troops.
Marine air, amply assisted by a sophisticated array of modern tools such as search, control and weather radars; landing force air-support control units equipped with advanced radio equipment; and frontline air control teams played a key role in supporting ground operations and forestalling kamikaze and conventional air attacks on the huge fleet that seemed to be a permanent fixture off Okinawa. Indeed, beginning on April 7, MAG-31 and MAG-33 fighter pilots scored hundreds of aerial victories off Okinawa, particularly in the north nearer to Japan. These included nocturnal kills by Marine squadrons equipped with F6F-5N Hellcat night fighters based ashore. Also, six Marine F4U Corsair squadrons were based aboard three fleet carriers, and they provided ground support and fleet cover. Indeed, Marine Corsairs took part in attacks on Kyushu airfields on March 18 and 19 that nearly swept kamikaze and conventional air units from the skies for several days. In return, Japanese aircraft damaged several American carriers, including USS Franklin, embarking two Marine F4U squadrons that saw a total of one day of offensive operations. By April 1945, Marine air was at the leading edge of technique and technology in support of modern combat operations across all three battle dimensions — land, sea and air.
The XXIV Corps met its first really stiff opposition on the southern front on April 6. Thereafter, resistance became more violent and better organized. The defenses extended across the entire width of the island and to an undetermined depth. In fact, it was a concentric defense, complete and pervasive, centered on the town of Shuri. Not apparent at the outset, but increasingly obvious with each passing day, the hard defenses could not and would not be carried by merely two Army divisions supported by organic and corps artillery, even after the artillery was bolstered on April 7 by IIIAC's three 155mm gun battalions and three 155mm howitzer battalions — not to mention Marine air based at Yontan and whatever carrier air the fleet had on hand for ground support. Next, beginning on April 9, all four artillery battalions of the 11th Marines and two-thirds of the Army's 27th Infantry Division were sent into the southern line, albeit with little effect.
By April 14, XXIV Corps had killed nearly 7,000 Japanese, but it had barely made a dent in the defenses north of Shuri. A corps attack on April 19 supported by 27 artillery battalions and 375 aircraft made negligible progress, then halted as the unperturbed Japanese troops moved back to their positions from underground shelters. The Army divisions advanced only after the Japanese withdrew from the advance defensive line on the night of April 23-24 to a more integrated line to the rear. On April 24, IIIAC was ordered to place one of its divisions in the Tenth Army reserve, and the 1st Marine Division was thus ordered to prepare to return to battle. (IIIAC's third division, the 2nd, had been returned to Saipan to prepare for an amphibious assault near Okinawa that never took place.) On April 30, the 1st Marine Division advanced to replace the 27th Division in the XXIV Corps zone, and that Army division was ordered north to replace the 6th Marine Division so it could enter the southern battle.
The infantry units that the 1st Marine Division replaced had been ground down to regiments little larger than battalions, and battalions little larger than companies. Dead ahead was the bulk of a Japanese infantry division holding a defensive sector the island command had just reorganized to higher levels of lethality. On the division's first full day on the line, the weather turned cool and rainy, a state that would prevail into July.
U.S. Marine Corps |
| Lieutenant General Isamu Cho was Ushijima's chief of staff and committed suicide with his commander. Below: Marines use an Okinawan burial crypt for shelter during the fighting. Similar family burial places were located throughout the island, and many were put to use by the Marines. |
The division went into the offensive on May 2, the westernmost of three divisions in the attack. The 5th Marines was stymied at the outset, but the adjacent 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines (3/1), fell into a gap. The 1st Marines attempted to change direction to exploit the gap, and 3/1 advanced even farther in the rain before nightfall. On the other hand, 1/1, on the division's right, faced fierce opposition, and portions of the battalion that were cut off had to withdraw, after which 1/1 changed direction and won some new ground.
This baptismal day on the southern front was emblematic of the fighting that ensued. The Japanese made excellent use of broken ground and other natural cover, and the Marines were either stymied or fell into dead ground from which they could either advance or from which they had to withdraw to maintain a cohesive line against the uncanny knack the defenders showed for mounting enfilade movements. On May 3, the 5th Marines advanced more than 500 yards in its zone, but the 1st Marines was pinned down with heavy casualties, so the 5th had to pull back several hundred yards in places. There simply was no point at which the Marines could gain adequate leverage — the same scenario the replaced Army divisions had faced in their battle.
U.S. Marine Corps |
| Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima commanded Japanese forces on Okinawa. Well aware that he would be unable to drive off the Americans, Ushijima instead devoted his energies to inflicting the highest casualties possible on the invading forces. He succeeded. The general committed suicide at 3 a.m. on the morning of June 22. |
General Ushijima still held many thousands of first-line troops in reserve. These men had been tied down defending beaches in southeastern Okinawa for landings that never took place. As the Japanese gained a finer sense of American tactics, it was put to Ushijima that an offensive using these fresh, well-trained and well-equipped troops might chasten the Americans and buy a great deal of time and flexibility. Some of the fresh troops were fed into the defensive sectors to make good the losses of weeks of bitter attritional warfare, but the bulk were held back to cover the suspect beaches or to serve as a mobile reserve. By April 22, most of the fresh force was fed into the Shuri sector to stiffen its defenses. Ultimately, however, a number of Ushijima's senior officers won an argument to launch a major tank-supported counteroffensive, including counterlandings behind American lines, that was to blunt the American offensive and perhaps throw it back.
Preceded by mass kamikaze attacks on rear areas on the island and logistical shipping offshore, the counteroffensive, including counterlandings on both coasts, began after dark on May 3. Artillery fire matched artillery fire at the front, while in the rear Marines opened fire on Japanese troops coming ashore on the beach on which Company B, 1/1, anchored the entire XXIV Corps line. This was not where the Japanese intended to land, and quick reaction by the defenders and confusion among the attackers created conditions for a Marine victory. Many more Marines were fed into the fire-lit battle, LVT(A)s (landing vehicles, tracked, assault) sealed the battlefield, and fresh troops hunted down infiltrators. Forewarned by this landing attempt, Marines quelled other attempts farther up the coast. Army troops also defended successfully on the eastern coast.
At dawn, behind an artillery curtain that never abated during the night and a rolling smoke barrage, the bulk of the Japanese Imperial Army's battle-hardened 24th Infantry Division crashed into a curtain of fire erected in front of the 7th and 77th Infantry divisions by 12 155mm and 8-inch gun and howitzer battalions and tag-team air attacks that would mount up to 134 sorties by the day's end. On May 4, the 1st Marine Division actually attacked in its zone in spite of Japanese efforts to win through to the east, but the division was stalled several hundred yards short of its objective line.
Far from delaying an American victory, the ill-advised Japanese counteroffensive used up the largest pool of seasoned fighters on the island, of which nearly 7,000 were killed. But other good fighters had remained in their excellent defensive sectors, and they showed no sign of cracking appreciably in the face of inexorable pressure across the entire corps front. In less than a week on the Shuri front, 649 Marines became casualties.
U.S. Marine Corps |
| Lieutenant Colonel R.P. Ross Jr. plants the Stars and Stripes atop Shuri Castle. The flag is the same one that the hard-fighting 1st Marine Division had raised at Cape Gloucester and Peleliu earlier in the war. |
The 6th Marine Division began going into the southern line on May 7, squeezing in along the coast to the right of the 1st Marine Division, and IIIAC resumed control of both Marine divisions. From that point, despite interesting tactical embellishments, the battle to win Okinawa settled down to become a test of attritional theories, one based on attack and the other based on defense. The Japanese had the troops they had, and relatively few were trained infantry. The Americans had a larger pool of trained infantry, including ample replacements who, in the case of IIIAC, were used as logistical fillers until they were needed in the infantry battalions. Even then, attrition was high among all the American divisions — 11,147 replacements were fed into Marine infantry units on Okinawa — but when a Japanese veteran was killed, he could not be replaced.
Deadly combinations of spirited infantry assaults, overwhelming artillery and naval gunfire support, and ample air support were played like a piano to advance American units through the rest of May and most of June. The concentric lines of defense built and held by the Japanese never got easier to reduce, but inexorably the quality of the troops holding them shifted downward, and they fell, one after the other.
The 2nd Marine Division's 8th Marine Regiment took part in several landings on islands elsewhere in the Ryukyus in late May, then went ashore on Okinawa to fill out the 1st Marine Division for the final assaults of the campaign. An interesting footnote to Marine Corps history came about on June 18 when the Tenth Army commander, General Buckner, was killed by a Japanese artillery shell in the 8th Marines line while reconnoitering the front. The next senior general officer on the scene was Marine Maj. Gen. Roy Geiger, the IIIAC commanding general. Geiger, an aviator who had commanded the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Guadalcanal, I Marine Amphibious Corps at Bougainville and IIIAC at Guam and Okinawa, was spot-promoted to lieutenant general to become the first and only Marine and the first and only naval aviator — perhaps the first and only aviator — ever to command an American army in the field.
U.S. Marine Corps |
| Marines visit their fallen buddies at the 6th Marine Division cemetery following the fighting on Okinawa. The battle was the bloodiest in the Pacific War and had a profound influence on President Harry S. Truman as he pondered the first use of atomic weapons. |
The Japanese defenses were all but overwhelmed by June 16, and Ushijima realized that the end was near. On June 19, he dissolved his staff and ordered all available troops to go over to guerrilla operations. On June 21, organized resistance came to an end in the 6th Marine Division zone, which encompassed the southern shore of the island. By then, Japanese troops were surrendering by the hundreds. The 1st Marine Division mounted its final attacks of the campaign, also on June 21, and reported by nightfall that all its objectives had been secured. The XXIV Corps made similar announcements. It thus fell to General Geiger to declare Okinawa secure following a bloody 82-day battle. The final official flag-raising ceremony on a Pacific War battlefield took place at the Tenth Army headquarters at 1000 hours, June 22, 1945. Earlier that morning, Ushijima and his chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Isamu Cho, committed ritual suicide.
The battle had been among the most brutal of the Pacific War. The Navy suffered its greatest casualties for a single engagement. More than 12,000 Americans were killed and a further 50,000 were wounded. More than 150,000 Japanese — many of them civilians — were killed during the battle. Despite the casualties, preparations were quickly underway for the long-anticipated invasion of Japan. All hands turned to in order to begin preparations to invade Kyushu. Already, Army Air Forces bomber groups that had been in Europe on V-E Day joined Marine Tactical Air Force units operating from Okinawa's airfields and thousands of American, British and Canadian carrier-based aircraft in the prelanding bombardment that was to lay waste to the southernmost Home Island before a contemplated October invasion was set in motion.
Who could have known on June 22, 1945, that only some six weeks separated America's Pacific warriors from the blinding flashes over Hiroshima and Nagasaki that would send the vast majority home to the peace so many of their brave comrades had died to secure.
This article was written by Eric Hammel, a noted historian of the Pacific War. This article is adapted from his forthcoming book, Pacific Warriors: The U.S. Marines in World War II, A Pictorial Tribute, published by Zenith Press. This article originally appeared in the June 2005 issue of World War II magazine. For more great articles subscribe to World War II magazine today!
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I have a KABAR knife an elderly family took off a dead marine while working as a Naval SeeBee on the beaches of Okinawa. It is the sharpest knife I have ever owned.
OOH-RAH MARINE CORPS
My father was a corpsman on OK-he received a Bronze Star for saving 7 marines-under direct fire-I dont see the justice,,,,,
I was based on Okinawa January 1965 and left Aug 1967. I TDY'd to our satellite bases in Viet Nam during my stay, I was with STRATCOM, Ft Buckner. While on Okinawa, we lost approximatley 6 military personnel due to uncovered live ammunition from WWII. Most were around an air base used by the Japanese near a village named Futemna. A lot of battle history and a monument to our soldiers bravery and committment.
God Blees all those who were involved in the battle of Okinawa. My father James Robert Deniston passed away today December 10, 2008. He served with the U.S. Marines First Division Third Armored Amphibian Battalion at Okinawa.
Stephen Deniston
Greetings Mr. Deniston,
My condolences on the passing of your father. My father was a former Marine, Cpl. Edward Keith Welch. He, too, served with the 1st Marines and went ashore April 1. 1945, at Okinawa. He, obviously (!) survived and died October 15, 2007. Semper Fi!
DiannaWelch Knox
trying to make contact with anyone who served with my father, gm victor zigmont aka "ziggy" either in the north atantic or during the okinawa camapign,
i bless there hearts
i am doing a report about it
My father, Bob Murphy, served in A company, 1st Brigade, 1st Marines, on Okinawa. What little he told us about it was harrowing. He died on April 27, 2009. God Bless all those who fought and died during WWII, and all of those who fought and survived who, sadly, are leaving us more and more.
My father died Nov 2005, was a field radio operator assigned to 198th FABn USArmy XXIVth Corps, 10th Army. was wounded during the Ruyku Island campaign on 5 Jul 45. Ive taken up my mothers quest to put together a complete Class A uniform and need the details as to which DUI he would have worn. He was extreemly proud of me when I enlisted in the USMC in 1973.
He served in direct support with the Marines on Okinawa during Operation Iceburg. Dont have too many details,all he ever told me was the Jap LT that shot him was a Yale graduate and he was left at an aid ststion for three days. The bullet passed within an inch of his heart and three days latter pushed through to extend the skin in his back, thats when it was removed.
I'm doing a report on this also.
My father, James Joseph O'Halloran was in the 96th Infantry on Okinawa. He never talked about it even when asked. He died in June 1985. I am very proud to be his daughter.
my granfather was a one of the engeneres that duilt the air fields there
My late Father, Howard Kenneth Johnson, from Spring Lake, Michigan served on PGM-17 during the battle for Okinawa. After PGM-17 was sunk, he served on tug ATR-9. I am interested in contacting anyone who served on either of these two ships. Thanks, Bill Johnson
Email: yfreewilly@aol.com
My Uncles were lost in the Pacific. The first, Seaman 1st Class David Crossett, was scrambling to his duty station up in the crow's nest of the USS Utah. A Japanese fighter strafed the ship. Crossett was shot twice. He fell to the deck. As further damage was inflicted upon the Utah, his body was covered with debris. Every year, my aunt raised a flag on Dec 7th, she is gone and I have taken it up.
But, no one in my family knows anything about Carlton Crossett, who died on Okinawa at the end of May 1945. It seems so sad that he is overshadowed and forgotten. Since I was a child I have been haunted by his crooked smile in his photos, what happened to Carlton? I can not even be sure of what branch of the military he served.
I am a former Marine and those family members are gone, his last surviving sister, talks of him using a flamethrower on Okinawa, but her stories are romanticized, not sure what is true.
I hope someday I can go to Okinawa and look for his name on the Memorial…. just as my aunt did at Pearl harbor
Your uncle Carleton Crossett was in the US ARMY.in the 302th Engineer Combat Batallion
77 Inf. Div. KIA MAY 21,1945
buried at PUNCHBOWL CEMETERY. HAWAII
plot Q grave 333
FRANK NIADER
CLIFTON NJ 973 628 8913
brother of
Pvt. William Niader USMC
KIA JUNE 12. 1945
OKINAWA
Thank you so much! Your info helped me in my research. Your brother and my uncle fought through hell, it is so sad they lost their lives at the end, so close to returning home!
Would like to know if any of the vets on Okinawa remembers a Cpl. William M. "Bill" Wright who fought with the 10th Army, 7th Division , 17th Infantry Regiment, HQ.Co. on Okinawa. He was an artist and did a lot of drawing while there. He saw General Stillwell
and Buckner talking by a tent when he went to pick up company mail. When he returned with the mail , driving a jeep by the tent, he saw the generals were gone. An hour or so later he heard that Gen. Buckner had been killed by Japanese artillery.
Would appreciate hearing from anyone who knew Bill. He passed away 2008.
Paul Wright
Hi Paul, My father, who died in 1995, was in Co B 17th Regiment 7th Division, did his training at Fort Ord, CA. fought in all of the battles, Attu, Kiska,Kwajalein,Leyte and Okinawa. I'm sure my father and Mr. Wright, walked on the same ground while on Okinawa. Was Mr. Wright, in any of the other battles? I have alot of info on the 7th Division and i would be more than happy to share what i have. During the Vietnam war, i was station on Okinawa, i was in the 7th Psyop Group, went to Vietnam a few times on TDY. I was able to visit some of the battle sites.
If you are interesting in what info i have please get back with me josie56@sbcglobal.net
James LaVerdure
Michigan
Paul wright how can I mail you.
You can mail me on joleinw@hotmail.com
greetz
I am looking for Bill johnson who was stationed in Schoppingen germany in and about 1968. Germany
joleinw@hotmail.com
greetz
In response to "Chis Naugle", I believe my uncle, Carlton Crossett was US Army. There was once talk of a book titled "least we not forget" that talked about how Carlton died. But never saw it. I have tried to find some reference to it but can not.. jrcrossett@ieee.org
CARLTON CROSSETT US ARMY KIA MAY 21, 1945
302 Engineer Combat Batallion
77th INF DIV.
Buried at the punchbowl Cemetery, Hawaii
PLOT Q GRAVE 333
Frank Niader
Clifton NJ
973-628-8913
My father served in 1945 Marines 1st division/ 7th. in Okinawah 1945, was wounded and after his recovery went to North China. He never spoke about that time in his life – and passed away in Nov 09. We opened his trunk and found lots of photos and letters that he had written to his family. We are tryiing to researdh and preserve his information. We are losing our history as the WWII vets die. It is up to us to preserve it…..
My Father never spoke about the war, as so many of those brave men didn't.
My father passed away 3 years ago, but before he died he talked to me about the war.He stated his rank serial #, division,He was a marine in !st dision 3rd 7th
Not sure what all those Number meant just that he was in 1st division.
My father was a cook onboard,but landed with his battelion as a radio operator.My Father's name was JOHN VALKO< FROM PHILLIPS<WI.
if you happen to have any photos or something about my father it would be greatly appreciated.My father told me there were 13 from his troop to come back alive.His back was pitted from scrapnal.
We all have alot to be proud of what they endured for us.
Hi, I'm looking for anyone that knew my Father, His name was Melvin Clinton Sumrell. He fought in battle on Peleliu and Okinawa in WW2. I have his discharge papers and it says he paticpated in action aganist enemy at Peleliu from 15 Sept. 44 to 4 oct 44; Okinawa 1 April 45 to 2 July 45. I am looking for anything I can find out. I hope somebody out there know's anything about him and let me know. He did'nt talk about the war. Always said he had a desk job. After he died I was looking at his discharge papers and found out the little that I know. Any help will be appreciated. Thankyou, Donna Sumrell Taff.
My father, William Logan Jr. was with the 6th Marines on Okinawa and has talked a lot about the taking of 'Sugar Loaf Hill'. The more I read, the more I understand how lucky he was to just be wounded and receive a Purple Heart. His platoon was down to 25 men, as they assisted the taking of 'Sugar Loaf', Horseshoe, and on. Our family would like to record the stories of the battles and of course the marines on Okinawa before my father passes. He is 84 and we would like to make contact with anyone who can help with information on these battles to take Sugar Loaf Hill and push back the Shuri Line.
Thank you.
CONTACT BILL PIERCE FROM N.C, –PHONE 843-884-5785
EMAIL–GYRENE629@AOL.COM
SAY MY NAME
FRANK NIADER
CLIFTON NJ
My uncle was killed at sugar loaf hill,he was a bar man kia by jap grenade.May 45 my uncle would have been 84 also…dave..his name was Johnnie Ot of seminole Oklahoma..he was 19 at the time
Realized that I did not publish my email; SallyLogan@verizon.net for information on the takiing of 'Sugar Loaf Hill' on Okinawa with the 6th Marines. Father is 84 and we are trying to write down his stories before he is gone. Please contact, if you have information. Thank you!
[...] Battle of Okinawa: Operation Iceberg When two United States Marine and two Army divisions landed abreast on Okinawa on Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, they faced an estimated 155,000 Japanese ground, air and naval troops holding an immense island on which an estimated 500,000 civilians lived in cities, towns and villages. Operation Iceberg was to be, in every way, vast when compared to any other operation undertaken by Allied forces in the Pacific War under U.S. Navy command. Indeed, using mainly divisions that had already undertaken island-hopping operations in the South and Central Pacific since mid-1942, the U.S. Pacific Fleet stood up the Tenth U.S. Army under Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., consisting of III Amphibious Corps and XXIV Army Corps — the largest land command ever assembled under the Navy's direct control. [...]
This battle started during the end of the Pacific War and took place around Okinawa Island, and it's known as the last battle between the U.S. and Japan.
After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor (1941), the U.S. entered World War 2. Okinawa's geographic location was an ideal position for strategic warfare in the Pacific – it was located between Kyushu and Formosa (Taiwan). Japan was an incredible force during World War 2 and the Allied forces wanted to attack Japan and stop Japan's aggressions. The Allied forces (including U.S.) viewed Okinawa as a perfect point from which they could invade/strike Japan. The invasion was code named "Operation Iceberg." This was the reason why this battle occurred.
The number of people who died in the Battle of Okinawa
American Soldiers – almost 12,520 people
Soldiers from Mainland – almost 65,908 people
Soldiers from Okinawa – almost 28, 228 people
General Inhabitant – almost 94,000 people
Total
200,656 people
From this, we could say that this battle is different from other battles in which did not involve general inhabitants
Now, we want to show you part of the E-mail letter we got from Bob Doktor about his experiences in the Battle of Okinawa.
Since you know that I was in the Battle for Okinawa you can realize that I may be older than some of your Grandparents. However I try to keep my mind abreast of things that are happening for example computers and Internet.
I will try to tell you as much as I can remember of the Battle of Okinawa. We arrived almost a week before the landing and were sheltered by some islands off the coast of Okinawa until April 1, 1945. During this period the large naval vessels such as the Battleship Missouri shelled Okinawa to prepare for the landing. Although we were sheltered off shore the ship had to move about as there were Japanese midget submarines stalking us part of the time and then we had the Kamikaze aircraft coming in.
One evening, I believe it was the second or third a Kamikaze was able to sneak through and hit a ship next to us. There were no fatalities fortunately other than the Japanese pilot. There were a few injuries, the ship was run aground so that it would not sink. The unit that was on this LST (this is the designation of Landing Ship Tank) was in our group and we knew quite a few of the men. We did not find out until the next morning that no one was killed, but we were worried as there was such a large explosion that we had assumed there were casualties and that some had died, but as I said before luck was with them and no one was killed other than the pilot.
When we landed we were sort of in shock since we met no resistance from the island and we had been briefed that there was a large force of Japanese soldiers there and to expect heavy gunfire with heavy resistance. Having been in battle prior to this landing, resistance is what we had expected. The only thing was Japanese aircraft was all over and they strafed the beaches and dropped a few bombs, but I think that this was so minimal and caused very few casualties. The Navy and Marines had many aircraft flying off the aircraft carriers and did give us outstanding air support. As we were on the beach and the Japanese aircraft dove at us, the American aircraft were right behind them and shot most of them down.
I do remember one incident in particular was that as a Japanese Zero dove and flew along the beach strafing, a U.S. Navy pane which was an F6F was right behind him, the Navy plane shot him down approximately 300 yards from us. At this same time the gunfire off the ships in the firing line and the LST & iacute's was as heavy and could be. Just when the Navy plane was almost abeam of us it shook all over as if it had been hit by friendly gunfire. The plane was maybe at 25 feet altitude at that time; the pilot set the plane down on the beach. He had got into the line of fire and was shot down. When there was no more fire the pilot got out of the plane and raised is arms in anger and yelling at the American ships for shooting him down. We rushed over to him and checked to see if he was all right and then took him down to the area where the smaller landing craft were so that they could get him back out to his carrier. I felt sorry for him and at the same time it seemed a little humorous that he had waved his arms in angry in a gesture of threatening the firepower.
We found out a little later on that a couple of other aircraft had been shot down and the pilots were lost. It turned out that in this case that the pilots were told not to go down that low with all of the firing from all of vessels. It was in the heat of battle that these orders were forgotten as the pilots were following the Japanese aircraft so intensely that they were oblivious to the outside world.
As the fighting continued the Marines headed northerly and started to get some ground fire around Kadena and around the village of Kadena, which was destroyed and demolished.
The as we moved to the north we met with more resistance, and ran into little pockets of Japanese soldiers who fought bravely, but either they surrendered or were killed. It seemed as if the firepower they had was limited and possibly did not have the training they should have had. We did manage to take many prisoners. Eventually we made it up to beyond Nago-Wan and we were moving rather swiftly now.
The Army to the south was running into much more resistance and came to a standstill more or less and they removed one Army division and sent them to the north to do the mopping up and the Marines were sent to the south. The fighting was fierce and again the Japanese soldiers put up a good fight. I think that we had the spirit and a good supply of ammunition and although we suffered many casualties we just persevered and pushed on until we got to the Naha – Shuri and the fighting really got heavy. I do not know if we would have made it after this point until we brought our heavy tanks in and started to push and push and push some more. I think that this broke the spirit of some of the Japanese soldiers and they started to move to the rear more and more as each day went by. I say spirit as if you do not feel that you can do anything regardless if it is war or not, just anything on a normal day, you have lost.
What I really felt bad about after the fighting had ceased I visited the final fighting area and saw the amount of Japanese soldiers who jumped off the cliffs and killed themselves. At the time I could not understand why these soldiers had jumped. I did have at the time respect for them in their loyalty, but did not understand it. As time went by I learned more of the Japanese people and of their culture and then realized why these honorable men had did what they had done.
I do not know if you had spoken to anyone in Group 6, but I was a career Marine and retired after 27 years. I had been to Okinawa many times and this is where I met my wife and married her in 1967. I used to joke about it that she was probably one of the young kids that I and other men used to give them the chocolate that came in our rations.
Sincerely,
Bob Doktor
In this E-mail, he told us many things about this battle. However the most interesting thing that he wrote usdescribing how he really felt bad about after the fighting had ceased. He visited the final fighting area and saw the bodies of Japanese soldiers who jumped off the cliffs and committed suicide. At the time he could not understand why these soldiers had killed themselves. As the time passed by, he learned more about the Japanese people and of their culture, and then realized why.
Children in Okinawa
Most of the teachers and students had to go to the army and help digging and moving earth and sand for making a new position for the army. Furthermore, some students were made to go into the army and be a soldier. They made the children take military training. Even the girls had to go to the army as a "Himeyuri" unit. This unit was to take care of the injured soldiers all day.
How the Japanese Prisoner was treated
U.S. Army didn't hurt the few Japanese prisoners that were taken, but they asked about Japanese army and it's conditions.
They gave some food such as candies, chewing gums and cigarettes to Okinawans and didn't force to do something. However they won't treat Japanese army like that so Japanese soldiers hid their own recognition card and every thing that says he is soldier of Japan.
Our teacher told us that there were cases of surrender Japanese soldiers being killed by Americans. Also, soon after the battle ended many Okinawans were put work for road repair, construction and other jobs.
My dad, James D. Shofestall, served aboard the L.C.S.(L) 114 during the invasion of Okinawa. The 114 was one of the first ships in and had quite an active role in the invasion. During the first hours a destroyer took two hits from kamikaze planes and went down. My dad and the crew of the 114 are credited with pulling 119 men from the water and the 114 received a Presidential Citation for their efforts while under attack themselves. After W.W.II dad became a civilian, but only for a short time! In 1948 he became a member of the U.S.Army, just in time for Korea. While caring for his family of five he managed to find time for Viet Nam on many TDY's from Clark A.F.B. where he was stationed with S.R.U.8 while on loan to the Air ForceDad proudly served his country for 22+ years. We lost him on Feb. 7, 2008 to lung cancer. Shortly before he left us he gave me a small box. Inside was a battered old flag with 48 stars. I turns out, it is the battle flag from the 114 during the invasion of Okinawa! THANK YOU to all our Vets. Past, Present and Future
I am looking for anyone who may have served with my father. He was TEC 5 US Army, Herbert F. Reese. He served in Okinawa (and a brief pass-through at Pearl Harbor) during WWII. You may contact me at bbmeador@cox.net.
He never talked about the war until his mind started to go due to a brain tumor. He told of the Japanese tunneling underground and how some killed their own women and children, then committed suicide. We lost him December 5, 2004. I have some pictures and a few keepsakes, but am very interested in knowing more of what he experienced.
Thank you Veterans! God bless you all.
Looking for any information on the 1906th Engineering Aviation Bat. and in particular Company 'B'. I am trying to retrace my Dad's (TSGT Jesse H. Jay, Jr.) time with them from Dow Field in Bangor Maine 23 July '43 until he left Okinawa 20 Dec '45 and their deactivation 20 Dec '45. I have some 'B' Company newsletters, photos, etc. I will share. Contact me at jamesdjay@yahoo.com
James, My Dad also served in the 1906 ENGR AVN BN company B. Also was at Dow field Bangor Main. Was at New Guinea,Phillipines,Ryukus.and Layte. I would love to see any info on the 1906 Company B you or anyone else would have.
I could use more information on more research paper coul you guys help me
My great grandfather (Fred Blackman) served on okinawa and was with the 77th infantry division US Army. He died on May 10th from jumping on a grenade to save three other men in his fox hole.
God Bless America and all those how dead for our freedom
My father (Waverley Traylor Jr.) was injured on June 5th 1945 on Okinawa. He was a machine gunner and a Japanese motor landed directly in the foxhole. His buddy was killed from the explosion and I am searching for any family members of that brave marine.
Semper Fi!
My father, Charles Dedeian, passed Feb19,2011. Served in the M4 -Sherman tanks on Okinawa during WW2. Survived a Japanese land mine that destroyed his tank and killed the rest of the crew. He was blown clear of the tank, and nearly buried alive before they rushed him to a hospital. We feel honored by the knowledge that he served with so many brave men. He spoke little of his experiences, but that is to be expected of such men. They did their job and either came home …or didn't… We need these kind of people. God Bless them all.
I, Steve Michael Dedeian, am honered to be my fathers' second son, John, being my brother, Mary, my sister , have our very lifes to thank for men of dads' caliber, and honor and thank ALL the men and women of our fine armed forces that have kept our freedom alive. Dad…a very special "hi" to you in your afterlife…and from my experience, I know you understand that statement..love ya pop "Tee Up"
My Dad was corporal John C. Corbett eighth regimental combat team of the second marines,firt marine to reach lower end of Okinawa The Complete History of World War II by Francis Trevelyan Miller page 933 para 1. He was near site that General Buckner was killed. Any one out there that served in that unit?
My father James W. Butler served in the signal corp on Okinawa. He had pictures of the Japanese peace planes on Semia Island. He went to Korea with the occupational forces after the war. If any one knowes anything abpout my father I would like to contact them. dad passed in 1999.
Thanks
Jim Butler
My uncle, Ervin E. Anderson, PFC, 77th Division, 307th infantry, Company 4 was killed on Okinawa on 17 May 1945. He was killed while participating in one of the few (US) night attacks of the war. His unit fought from behind enemy lines of nearly three days, with very heavy casualties and my uncle was one. He won the Bronze star and the Soldier's medal both for separate actions on the day he died. I am familiar with the Bronze Star but not the Soldier's Medal, which he received for action that resulted in his death. I would like very much to know if someone is familiar with my uncle's unit, and anything about the Soldier's medal. I still have my grandfather's letter to my uncle, which must have been on him when he died, because it is still covered with very red blood after all these years. Thank you for any information.
I'm very distrub to what I have read and learn. My wife is Okinawan and has told me so much since reading up on this. My father is a Africian American who was assigned to the USS James Franklin Bell (APA 16), he is 87 now and thank God he is strong and alive and I have heard the stories of the battle and the times of Africian Americans serving during the world. I'm sorry for any lost and this war was sad and didn't need to happen. I am proud I have just recently given my father his Plank Order from the Navy in his recognition during this war and medals he never knew he qualified for. I would wish I could hear more about anything in regards to Africian Americans during this era. Raoul
I am the only son of Lester McFarland who was a(blackshoe) member of the crew of the LST-844. The LST-844 was lanched Dec. 3 at Ameribrige, PA. From all i can discover the LST-844 as part of Taskforce 58 and landed 10th Marine troops on west coast of Okinawa on or about April 1945. My father had a log he keep in the back of the "motor mantaince" record book I would like share with others that may have interest this data.
I have looking for a proper venue to publish this document. It also contains the names address and home town data of the offices and crew of the 844
I am very interested contacting any one who had a family member on this ship or was transported into battle on this ship.
Lester McFarland, Jr
630 Harwood Road
Mt. Orab, Oh 45154
email: lester@highlandtech.biz
Phone 513-739-3510 any time you wish to call.
HI! My brother Lawrence Newnam was on Okinawa during the battle. He was inducted at Camp Chafee Ark. and did his boot at Camp Hood Tx.Trained on anti/tank and artillary. Went on to Ft Ord Ca. and onto Hawaii for jungle training. On to the pacific and was attached to 10th Army,96 Div. 383Inf Div. Did anti/tank, and 105 pulled howitzers, and served as a loader in the open turret tanks, he was a 100yds from Gen Buckener when he was killed. He drove trucks and pulled the guns and hauled ammo for them. He was almost killed as they were loading his truck with 105m.m. shells when one of them exploded and blew him off the truck. My brother is 90 yrs old & still alive and has all of his faculties! He is helping me to put down his story, FINALLY!! He would like to hear from anyone else that was in his outfit. (209)537/3402
Please ask your brother if he knew TEC5 Corporal Herbert F. Reese. That was my father. I do not know all the details of Daddy's service records; however, some of your post reminds me of him.
Thanks.
HI! Again, I am starting to receive inquires about my brother Lawrence McCoy Newnam who was in the Battle of Okinawa, See (THE PACIFIC) Documentary! I want to encourage everyone who is doing history searches on family members, to don't get discouraged!! Keep asking and searching!! You will be rewarded!! Like a lot of families during that time, We had multiple, members in the armed service. MY Father M.C. McCOY NEWNAM was in the army 1912/1919 Coast Artillery Served in Hawaii,Schoffield Barracks, Helped install Big Guns on Diamond Head. Was 2yrs at Ft Corrigador Manila, Luzon, Philippines, Crockett Gun Emplacement. Stationed in Houston Tx Remainder of WWI MY uncle Herbert Newnam Dads younger brother, Army, was wounded and died of Pneumonia in France 1917 My next to the oldest brother Harvey C. Newnam (Lil JOE) was In the 463rd Ordinance Evacuation Unit of the First Army BIG RED ONE. His unit 463 O.E.U. was awarded 5 Major Battle Unit Citations! He was in a Landing craft ( in close) on D-DAY and watched the destruction and loss of the tanks trying to go in with the first invasion troops. His unit was a support Unit for those tanks! Only two made it to shore! His unit was in support of the 101St. Airborne Div. at the end of the war! See or google ( THE TANK) See ( BAND OF BROTHERS) I was lucky to have his recordings of his story just before his passing! I did a complete story about his experiences for our family history story! My uncle Edward R. Summers was in the FIRST Marine Div. and went in on Day one on Guadalcanal as Medic first and a rifleman second. He was highly decorated and had that 1000yd stare! Hair and eyes turned white. He was my favorite uncle and never would talk about his experiences. See (THE PACIFIC) Great Documentary He heard I was doing a story and wanted to talk to me , but I didn't see him before he passed away! My father in law Robert L Dull was captured in the Battle Of The BULGE by the Germans, he was lucky and escaped from a train taking them to Germany, he finally made it back to the American lines. I missed his story! I didn't take the time to write it down! My Brother In Law Eugene B Davis Landed at Caiin France and fought until V DAY he was highly decorated Two Meritous Pins and Bronze star. I found this out for his family, after starting research on my brother Harvey! Get a note book and take notes, run searches on any Unit numbers you can find , Our WAR RECORDS DEPT. is not any help!! since most of it was destroyed by a fire!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!! I have found out more about my families Military History on the Internet than they ever had. I have sent them copy's of Discharges and service records to replace the ones that were lost . IT IS! GREAT!! (Web Sights) like this!, where you will get great information, and leads to search! My brother Lawrence!, did not know that the 96Th Div. had been awarded a Presidential Unit Citation in ( 2001) COPY'S are available through, Donald Decker, Historian 96Th Div Historian at (608) 837/7479 For what they had done on OKINAWA! Only 4 Army Div citations have been presented!
Don`t wait! start now!! We are losing veterans everyday! Then, WHO? will tell their story's? The ones who took the time and effort to ask! and Write down the story's!! I will pass along any INFO. that I have and receive, to anyone that wants it! You can call by brother, or contact me at my web site. tuponies2000@yahoo.com
I HAVE A JAPANESE RIFLE,GIVEN TO ME BY A CO-WORKER IN 1971. SCRATCHED ON YHE REAR OF THE STOCK,UNDER THE BUTPLATE—-"F.MACHMAN—-WHITE BEACH—JUNE 1945".———-I DISCOVERED THIS IN SEPT. 2011 WHEN I REMOVED THE BUTTPLATE WHILE CLEANING UP THE STOCK !!!!-?????
I am searching for any troops or sailors who were on the USS Meriwether (APA-203) before, during and after the battle of Okinawa.
my father Joesph Baron drove a small landing craft back and fourth from the ship to shore. I am hoping to find any photos that anyone has of him in action, or during normal duties. I am also hoping to find anyone who remembers almost being hit by a Kamikaze plane that was trying to sink my fathers landing craft while he was trying to unload wounded soldiers on a floating dock. thanks, Tim Baron 908-461-3254
was this a real life thing or just tv show
Yes, IT! was a real thing that happened! Over 6000 american military were killed in this ONE battle! See the T.V. series (THE PACIFIC)
Bro it was and is the real thing!!! i salute and uphold with great admoration and the deepest intestinal respect all those who gave their lives and those who are still fighting for our beautiful country.
We have received some records of my uncle, Carl Jundt, who was killed on May 6, 1945 in "the Pacific Ocean area". They really don't tell a whole lot except we have a suspicion he was killed near Okinawa since he was first interred in that area. Would be interested in hearing from anyone who can help me answer what some of the information on these records mean, such as "DOW"," Thanks.