Battle of Okinawa
April 1, 1945 - June 22, 1945
location of the battle and the nations fighting
Causalities
Allies :
12,513 killed
38,916 wounded
33,096 non-combat losses
Total: 84,570
Axis :
About 95,000+ killed
7,400–10,755 captured
Total: 105,755+
Significance
This battle was one of the major wars in the Pacific. The Japanese felt this was either a do or die situation because if Americans claimed victory, they were going to be closer to Japan. This only gave the Japanese a firm defense, and they launched the suicidal kamikaze attacks. These attacks did a lot of damage to Americans, but didn't bring them to defeat. In the end it was an Allied victory, and the battle had turned into one of the bloodiest.
Interesting Facts
Kamikaze Plane Attacks
Out of the 193 kamikaze plane attacks launched at the Allies, only 169 were destroyed.
Generals
Japanese were lead by, Lieutenant-General Ushijima (left), and the Allies were lead by, Lieutenant-General Simon Bolivar Buckner (right).
Destruction
Americans lost 36 ships, 368 ships were destroyed, and 763 aircrafts were destroyed. The Japanese lost 16 ships, and over 4,000 aircrafts were destoryed.