battle of okinawa significance

This extended to its once-prized conventional surface force. As one surviving kamikaze noted, “I do not believe the so-called suicide mentality is unique to the Japanese. [21] Samuel Eliot Morison, History of the United States Naval Operations in World War II. Of what significance was the Battle of Okinawa? DANFS - Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Permitting Policy and Resource Management, The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks: 20 Years Later, "Ex Scientia Tridens": The U.S. The Battle of Okinawa, the only ground engagement of the Pacific War fought on Japanese soil, claimed over 240,000 lives and destroyed buildings on the island along with countless historical documents, artifacts and cultural treasures. The kamikaze attacks at Okinawa, as well as the fate of the Japanese fleet, should not be viewed as an historical aberration unique to the final stages of the war in the Pacific. Okinawa's Outcome and Significance. 1 See answer mellowninjagames is waiting for your help. The Significance of the Battle of Antietam . Contact was made with Yamato group at 1223. [10] USS Laffey, “Report of operations in support of the invasion of the Okinawa Gunto, Ryukyu Islands, 3/25/45-4/22/45, including enemy bombing & suicide plane attack on 4/16/45 & AA actions,” 42A. Further details emerged when a plane from Essex made contact at 0823 on 7 April. A comment from Nimitz to Bucker that the speed of ground operations needed to increase put the Army general on the defensive. For today’s Navy, the Battle of Okinawa is a stark reminder of the importance of integrated American naval power, the necessity of conducting effective joint operations, and the value of being able to learn in real time. The Marines took the north and the Army took the south. (j.g.) Commander Krause escorts a beleaguered convoy across the icy North Atlantic in the most critical days of WW II. Exhausted beyond measure, he must make continuous and critical decisions as he leads his small fighting force against the ... II (Washington, DC: Fleet Marine Force Reference Publication 12-109-II, 1991), 1084. The Allied Forces would eventually win, but at a very high cost because both sides incurred huge losses. Although Okinawa was not the first major joint operation between the Army and Navy in the Pacific (the two had previously cooperated during campaigns in the Aleutians and the Philippines), the massive scale of these operations, the complicated command structure, and the strain placed on both services by the prolonged campaign and mounting casualties, demanded a considerably higher level of cooperation than had hitherto be demonstrated. [1] 5F Action Report, Ryukyus through 27 May 1945, 44. On June 23, 1945, when Gen. Ushijima Mitsuru and Lt. Gen. Cho Isamu committed suicide at the entrance to a cave on Mabuni Hill (known to the Americans as "Hill 89"), coordinated fighting in the Battle of Okinawa came to an end. Potter reported Bucker and Nimitz clashed during the visit. Acclaimed historians such as James C. Bradford, Henry H. Adams, and Craig Symonds lend their expertsie to the work, which continues to serve as a standard for any historical stufy of the role of navies on history. The Battle of Okinawa is officially over. [8] Samuel Eliot Morison, History of the United States Naval Operations in World War II. Significance The Battle of Okinawa was important because it gave Americans a taste of how the invasion of Japan would be like, was the bloodiest sea-land-air battle in American military history, and led to the use of the atomic bomb in Japan. With progress occurring much slower than anticipated (particularly on the southern end of the island) and ground forces heavily dependent on Fifth Fleet for fire support and supplies, Spruance’s ships remained on a short leash with no choice but to remain inviting targets for the kamikazes until the island was fully secured. Regrettably, these estimates proved to be quite on the mark, with the prolonged land battle enabling the Japanese to launch numerous air attacks that proved even more effective than anticipated. Simon B. Buckner was the general who organized the 10th army, which were both army and marine units, but was shot and killed when trying to inspect a forward observation post. [23] Hatsuho Naito, Thunder Gods: The Kamikaze Pilots Tell Their Story (New York: Kodansha International Ltd., 1989), 16. Okinawa is the largest and most densely populated island in the Ryukyu chain, some 380 miles southwest of the Japanese Home Island of Kyushu. In World War II's Pacific Theater, the U.S. Army Air Forces (AAF) devoted a small percentage of its long-range capability to aerial minelaying against Japanese warships and commerce. Okinawa is located just 350 miles (563 km) south of Kyushu, and its capture was regarded as a vital precursor to a ground invasion of the Japanese . Okinawa became the bloodiest battle in history. On —Easter Sunday—the Navy's Fifth Fleet and more than 180,000 U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps troops descended on the Pacific island of Okinawa for a final push towards Japan. On the very day that the Marines declared organized resistance over on Iwo Jima (16 March 1945), Admiral Raymond Spruance, Fifth Fleet commander, was on board his flagship Indianapolis (CA-35), enroute to the Ryukyus in company with Admiral Marc Mitscher’s Fast Carrier Task Force 58 (TF 58). Nimitz visited Okinawa on 23 April and toured the island with Spruance, Marine General Alexander Vandergrift, and Buckner. key leaders. Found insideRain of Steel follows Navy and Marine carrier aviators in the desperate air battles to control the kamikazes directed by Vice Admiral Matome Ugaki. A kamikaze spirit permeated the entire Navy."[20]. Both battles resulted in huge numbers of casualties. Indeed, that very night, two U.S. submarines had reported Yamato group’s movements. Missouri (BB-63) about to be hit by a Japanese A6M Zero kamikaze, while operating off Okinawa on 11 April 1945. Such tactics had previously been deployed at Leyte Gulf, Luzon and Lingayen, and Iwo Jima, but not on a particularly alarming scale. Shooting down kamikazes before they could make attacks on ships, or Japanese bombers down before they could release Ohkas, was Fifth Fleet’s best weapon. The structure of US base issues resembles that of the Battle of Okinawa, namely the double oppression from the US and the Japanese mainland. Becton was unstinting in his praise for both groups, noting, “The performance of all gunnery personnel… was superb. Each radar picket would ideally have had 4–6 DDs and 6 support craft with similar speed and maneuvering capabilities, but the large number of picket ships lost made this impossible. Spruance was given authority to establish when the point of transition took place but, even so, inter-service rivalries needed to be set aside to achieve victory. [15] COMPHIBPAC, “Suicide Plane Attacks,” 7 July 1945, 4. Buckner was killed June 18, 1945 by one of the few . These deaths, combined with the status of the Battle of Okinawa as the . [25] Countering such threats would not only require new tactics and greater adaptability, but also increased cooperation with Allies and other branches of the military. The battle was between the military forces of the Empire of Japan and the Allies. The battle resulted in victory for the Allies, with huge casualties being inflicted on the Japanese army despite substantial losses . Their ships suffered equally, with 36 ships sunk and more than 350 more sustaining varying degrees of damage. [27] Spruance to Moore, 13 May 1945. by Joseph Wheelan. The Battle of Okinawa was one of the largest and costliest military actions during World War II (1939-1945) and lasted between April 1 and June 22, 1945. Found insideUtilizing accounts by US combatants and Japanese sources, author Joseph Wheelan endows this riveting story of the war's last great battle with a compelling human dimension. Thus, the Battle of Okinawa became not only the final major engagement of the war, but a grim testament to what the future might have held for U.S. forces had they continued onwards to the Japanese mainland. As seemingly commonplace as such incredible acts of perseverance and mental fortitude were during Okinawa, we must not overlook the severe physical and mental toll the campaign took on officers and enlisted alike. [6] Commanding Officer, USS Natoma Bay (CVE 62), Amphibious Operations Capture of Okinawa 27 March to 21 June 1945 (Washington, DC: Office of Chief of Naval Operations, 1946), 7/70. [8], The efforts on board aircraft carrier Franklin that same day were even more heroic. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. The Battle of Okinawa was the brutal final chapter in the fighting of the Pacific War. That she was able to remain afloat, let alone steam under her own power to Pearl Harbor less than a day after the grim events of 19 March, is a testament to both her crew’s mental fortitude and the efficiency of their damage control efforts under the most extreme of circumstances. Okinawa, about 467 square miles, overgrown, with two large air strips, was the last island standing between the American invasion and Japan. Amtracks from U.S. task force coming ashore on Okinawa, Ryukyus Islands, 1 April 1945. So that is why I started this topic. Delaney, while the Japanese sailors around him struggled to stay afloat. These deaths, combined with the status of the Battle of Okinawa as the . Okinawa, about 467 square miles, overgrown, with two large air strips, was the last island standing between . [29] E.B. [18] Commander, Fast Carrier Task Force, Amphibious Operations Capture of Okinawa 27 March to 21 June 1945 (Washington, DC: Office of Chief of Naval Operations, 1946), 7/1 – 7/3. June 22, 1946. 2) It was one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific Theater with hundreds of thousands of lives lost between the Japanese and American forces. Such losses could have been considerably higher were it not for the perseverance and preparation of their crews. Copy in Spruance Modern Officers Biography Files, NHHC. During the launch of strikes against Honshū and Kobe Harbor, Franklin (CV-13) was hit by two bombs from a Japanese dive bomber. [5] In addition to the large attacks, smaller attacks harassed U.S. ships on a daily basis, usually at dawn or dusk. By the engagement’s end, an estimated 3,665 Japanese sailors had lost their lives (including roughly 2,500 on board Yamato) compared to only 12 U.S. The Battle of Okinawa has been called the largest sea-land-air battle in history. They were utterly fearless in combatting fires, although continually imperiled by exploding ammunition..”[10]. Both O’Callahan and Gary would receive the Medal of Honor for their efforts to save the ship, while 19 other individuals would earn the Navy Cross. 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