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Battle of Okinawa: Operation IcebergWorld War II | 20 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post
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.
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! Subscribe Today
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20 Comments to “Battle of Okinawa: Operation Iceberg”
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.
By Ty Dorland on Jun 20, 2008 at 11:59 pm
OOH-RAH MARINE CORPS
By CORTEZ on Jul 25, 2008 at 3:37 am
My father was a corpsman on OK-he received a Bronze Star for saving 7 marines-under direct fire-I dont see the justice,,,,,
By SSG> Donald Cooke on Aug 20, 2008 at 11:24 pm
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.
By Rj on Sep 4, 2008 at 5:49 pm
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
By stephen deniston on Dec 10, 2008 at 10:25 pm
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
By Dianna Welch Knox on Jan 25, 2009 at 3:20 pm
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,
By victor zigmont on Feb 10, 2009 at 12:02 am
i bless there hearts
By chris on Apr 17, 2009 at 11:19 am
i am doing a report about it
By chris on Apr 17, 2009 at 11:22 am
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.
By Brian Murphy on Apr 29, 2009 at 1:02 pm
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.
By SSG Leon Bozek (ret) on May 30, 2009 at 8:44 pm
I’m doing a report on this also.
By Patrick Knight on Jun 1, 2009 at 11:29 am
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.
By Karen O'Halloran on Jun 3, 2009 at 4:54 pm
my granfather was a one of the engeneres that duilt the air fields there
By nick tobias on Jun 14, 2009 at 4:19 pm
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
By Bill Johnson on Jun 14, 2009 at 6:35 pm
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
By Chris Naugle on Jun 17, 2009 at 12:35 pm
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
By Paul Wright on Jul 5, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Paul wright how can I mail you.
You can mail me on joleinw@hotmail.com
greetz
By jolein on Jul 6, 2009 at 4:01 am
I am looking for Bill johnson who was stationed in Schoppingen germany in and about 1968. Germany
joleinw@hotmail.com
greetz
By jolein on Jul 6, 2009 at 4:03 am
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
By JRC on Jul 22, 2009 at 2:54 pm