The Battle of Okinawa (April 1 - June 21, 1945) was the last major battle of World War II and one of the bloodiest. It was fought between U.S. and Japanese forces on Okinawa. Best Book for Current Affairs & General Knowledge Preparation
Okinawa is the largest of the Ryukyus Islands and lies 350 miles from mainland Japan.
The Americans wanted control of Okinawa because it had four airfields and could support tactical and strategic air operations.
Capturing Okinawa was regarded as a vital precursor to a ground invasion of the Japanese home islands.
Code named Operation Iceberg,the invasion of Okinawa and other islands in the Ryukyus began on April 1, 1945.
The immense size of the invasion forces made it the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War.
It involved more than 1,500 ships of all types. Total American forces numbered approximately 548,000; of these, there were approximately 183,000 combat troops for the assault.
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.
Okinawans caught in the fighting suffered greatly, with an estimate as high as 150,000 civilians killed.
Of the Japanese defending the island, an estimated 110,000 died.
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