In American hands, the island provided a vital airfield in the final drive on Japan, as the Allies finally brought about Japanese surrender less than three months later. Twenty-four American military personnel we awarded the Medal of Honor for going above and beyond the call of duty. Some of the most well-known stories from the long fight include the heroics of conscientious objector Private Desmond Doss and the death of Ernie Pyle of Ie Shima. Of the Japanese defending the island, an estimated 110,000 died. Okinawans caught in the fighting suffered greatly, with an estimate as high as 150,000 civilians killed. By the time Okinawa was secured by American forces on June 22, 1945, the United States had sustained over 49,000 casualties including more than 12,500 men killed or missing. The battle for Okinawa drug out over nearly three months and included some of the worst kamikaze attacks of the war. Although the joint Army-Marine Corps landings on Okinawa were initially unopposed, the well dug-in Japanese defenders soon put-up fierce resistance.
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Code named Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa and other islands in the Ryukyus began on April 1, 1945. Niagara Countys largest social media platform for news and updates to keep our community safer, closer, and more informed. From Okinawa, US forces could increase air strikes against Japan and blockade important logistical routes, denying the home islands of vital commodities. Taking Okinawa would provide Allied forces an airbase from which bombers could strike Japan and an advanced anchorage for Allied fleets.
The island of Okinawa is the largest in the chain of islands known as the Ryukyus, which lie to the southwest of Japan.
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