It has been declared the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War. invasion began on April 1 st, 1945, Easter Sunday. Nevertheless, in no other battles were so many ships and men lost (including Pearl Harbor) – 4,907 sailors and 7,343 airmen. For two hours she was attacked non-stop by 300 Allied planes and submarines, and sunk with the loss of 4,907 sailors, including the Captain.Ī number of historians have described the naval battle as somewhat one-sided. In the event the big ship was spotted mid-ocean on April 7 th. From there the Yamato was to keep up incessant deadly fire. The super-battleship, YAMATO, was sent steaming from her home port with instructions to destroy as many Allied ships as she could before deliberately beaching herself near the invasion beach. These could outshoot – in distance and destructive power – any Allied battleship. The Empire had another unique weapon – a monster battleship of 70,000 tons with an armory of 9 batteries of 18 inch guns. The Japanese also attacked with Kamikaze suicide human torpedoes. The suicide pilots attacked in multiples – two, or a group, or even a whole squadron. Damage could usually be quickly repaired. Here the British carriers were strong because their carrier decks were especially armored. Although the Kamikazes failed to sink any large warships, such as battleships and aircraft carriers, they did damage some quite severely. Nevertheless they sank 200 Allied ships of the smaller variety up to the destroyer class. The Kamikazes only hit about 19% of their targets. The Allied planes and naval guns tried to shoot them down before they could fulfill their deadly mission.
They flew their distinctive white headscarf. They boasted 1,500 willing pilots intending to die for their Emperor. The Japanese naval defense was not as strong as the Allies, but they had one weapon the Allies did not – KAMIKAZE planes and pilots.
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This included precious aircraft carriers, battleships and destroyers, plus 450 planes. One quarter of the Naval force comprised ships from the British Royal Navy. Almost all the Japanese aircraft on Okinawa were destroyed. From the aircraft carriers went fighter-bombers to harass or destroy Japanese defensive preparations. invasion on land, the Navy was in action. Eventually 240 high school girls were added to assist in medical work. They were known as “Tekkatsu Kinnataie” – the “Iron and Blood” brigades. In addition to the defenders I have described, all high school boys aged between 14 and 17 were also drafted and trained for frontline action. One section included 60 feet of sheer rock. The “Maeda” escarpment, 400 feet high ran five miles across the island from one side to the other. These were tunneled and caved providing cover for artillery, mortars, machine-guns, and other weaponry. “Tekkatsu Kinnataie” – child soldiers in OkinawaĮspecially strong were the defenses in rocky pinnacles and steep escarpments. In addition, 20,000 helpless Okinawan men were made to wear the military uniform and fight for the Empire. The Japanese had poured in at least 67,000 defense soldiers. The flight to Tokyo and other cities was a mere 350 miles. General Curtis Le May coveted for his B29 bombers. The Japanese occupiers had built several airfields which U.S.
Some parts of Okinawa were mountainous and wooded. The Okinawan farmers grew rice, sweet potatoes, and sugar. The American invaders would find large parts of the terrain were cultivated farmlands. It is 70 miles long and approximately 7 miles wide on average. Okinawa is the main island of the RYUKYU group. His War Cabinet assured His Majesty, “ Okinawa will not fall.” If Okinawa fell the Emperor faced the unthinkable, the Homeland could be occupied. B29 bombers were coming almost daily from the Mariana Islands. Hirohito knew the enemy was amassing a powerful invasion force and planned to use Okinawa as a staging area to invade the Homeland. and their Allies were getting nearer and nearer to the Homeland. Since then the Empire had slowly begun to lose all they had gained. On December 7, 1941, his planes attacked the U.S. Whole countries overpowered and occupied. Large parts of China – the old enemy – were now occupied.
To begin with the conquests had seemed unstoppable.