Okinawa 1945 | World War Photos

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: Japanese prisoners of war captured by Marines of the 6th Division in POW stockade at Okuku Okinawa

: 10th Army Soldiers Carry Wounded Native on Okinawa

: 96th Division Troops Flush Out Japanese Troops on Okinawa

: 6th Marine Division blasts Japanese Position on Okinawa

: Japanese Soldier Trying to Escape at Oroku Peninsula Okinawa

: US Infantrymen Move Inland from Okinawa Beachhead

: 7th Infantry Division soldiers of the US 10th Army swarm into Yonabaru on the coast of Okinawa

: Beach Crowded with US Landing Craft during Okinawa Invasion

: US 10th Army rifleman with the 32nd Infantry, 7th Division searches a Japanese prisoner who has just emerged from a cave on Okinawa

: Marines Display Japanese Souvenirs on Okinawa

: First Division Marine Advance to Dakeshi on Okinawa

: Wounded 5th Marines on Okinawa May 1945

: Japanese Planes Shot Down In Attack On Okinawa Invasion Fleet

: Marine Rifleman Looks over Ruins of Naha Okinawa

: Marine LVT Amtracs Landing On Okinawa Beach 1945

: Marine Pilots at Dash Rite Inn Bomb Shelter on Okinawa

: Japanese Shinyo class Suicide Motorboat on Okinawa

: Marine Tosses Phosphorus Greanade at Sniper on Okinawa

: USS LSM-322 in the far background off Okinawa Beachhead on April 1st as a Coast Guard manned LST in the foreground launches a LVT-4 amphibious tractor

: Japanese Ship Under Attack during Third Fleet Raid on Okinawa October 10, 1944

: Chaplain Leads Service for 184th Regiment on Okinawa

: Japanese Dummy Planes on Katena Airstrip on Okinawa

: US Navy LSTs Lined up at Reef in Okinawa

: Refugees Get Medical Treatment from US Troops on Okinawa

: Troops Operate Bulldozer on Okinawa Airfield

: 6th Division Marines Pull Wounded Japanese from Cave on Okinawa

: Marine 3rd Amphibious Corps in Action on Okinawa

: Planes Low Level Attack at Mouth of Bishi River pre invasion bombardment of Okinawa 1945

: 96th Division Troops Sleep after Capturing Big Apple Hill Okinawa

: Marines March into Sobe during Invasion of Okinawa

: Burning Okinoyamo Maru Okinawa

: Rocket attack from Navy LSM toward beach at Okinawa

: US Navy LST at Okinawa Beaches

: Tractor Jeep and M7 Priest Stuck in Mud on Okinawa 1945

: Marines Race for Foxholes as Shell Explodes on Okinawa

: Cabbage Booby Trapped with Type 97 grenade by Japanese on Okinawa

: Marines Carry Children Found in Caves on Okinawa

: 6th Marine Division Tanks Advance on Naha Okinawa

: Marine Infantry with Thompson and M1 Carbine Okinawa April 15 1945

: Japanese soldier surrenders to Marines in Cane Field Okinawa

: Marines board Transport for Invasion of Okinawa

: Marine Linemen Work on Communications on Okinawa

: Stinson L-5 Sentinel Carries Wounded Marine from Itoman near Okinawa Front

: Marines Wade Ashore to Support Beachhead on Okinawa

: Marines and LVT on the beach of Iheya Jima Off Okinawa 16 July 45

: Marines Evacuate Wounded Comrade Under Fire on Okinawa

: LVT Amtrac and first Marine Casualty on Okinawa

: 5th Marine Regiment Gunners Sleep in Foxhole on Okinawa

: Marines Manning .30 Caliber Browing Machine Gun on Okinawa

: Marine Third Amphibious Corps 155 mm “Long Tom” Gun Crew on Okinawa

: Marines Take Up Positions on Street in Naha Okinawa

: Marines Clear Japanese Cave with Flamethrower on Okinawa

: 27th Division Troops Clear Japanese Caves on Okinawa 1945

: 6th Marine Division Flame Throwing Tank in action Okinawa May 1945

: 22nd Marine Regiment Prepares for Advance on Naha Okinawa

: Japanese Soldiers POW Carry Wounded Comrade on Okinawa

: 7th Infantry Division Troops Mopping Up on Okinawa

: Marine Communication Crews Establish Phone Lines on Okinawa

: Troops Leaving Landing Craft during Invasion of Okinawa

: 1st Marine Division Fights Japanese On Okinawa

: Japanese Prisoners Get Soup Ration at Camp near Kadena Okinawa

: Food and Water Parachuted to Marines at Shuri Okinawa

: 6th Division Marines Resting in Suburbs of Naha Okinawa

: Marines Hunt Japanese Snipers amid Ruins of Naha Okinawa

: Wrecked Barrel of Camouflaged Japanese Gun Captured on Okinawa

: US Army 10th Infantry Outflank Important Shuri Castle Victory On Okinawa

: Marines Communication Platoon on Okinawa

: Aerial View of Leveled City of Naha Capital of Okinawa

: 6th Division Marine with Japanese soldier on Okinawa

: Soldiers Warming Rations on Portable Stove on Okinawa

: 1945 Okinawa Wrecked Japanese Truck

: General Stilwell and Col. Pachler on Okinawa 1945

: 77th Infantry Division Soldier Saving Okinawan Children Next to LVT Buffalo 1945

: aerial view of during D Day April 1945 Okinawa

: Marine Flame Thrower at Cave Okinawa

: US Marines Closing in at old tomb Okinawa

: Group of Japanese Soldiers to Surrender on Okinawa 1945

: Okinawa Invasion LVT

: LVT Buffalo 96th infantry division Chatan Okinawa 1945

: Wreck Okinawa 1945 4

: Okinawa Invasion fleet

: Japanese Prisoner Pow On Okinawa 1945

: Battleship fires at Japanese Plane 1 April 1945 Okinawa

: Okinawa Invasion beachhead

: 7th Air Force Soldiers Make Home in Cave on Okinawa 1945

: Battleship USS West Virginia BB-48 bombarding Okinawa

: Marines Lvt Amtracs Amphibious Tractors On Okinawa 1945

: 1945 Okinawa1st Div. Marine firing tommy gun

: Battleship Fires on Japanese Suicide Plane off Okinawa pacific

: Marines 155mm Howitzer fire Okinawa

: US Soldiers in Dugout Call Station on Okinawa 1945

: 10th Army Troops Move into Yonabaru on Okinawa

: Fleet Ready to Invade Okinawa

: Marines Hit the beach from LVT 1945 Okinawa

: 834th Anti Aircraft Artillery 37mm Halftrack and Thompson Gunner Okinawa

: Wreck Okinawa 1945 3

: 7th infantry division landing on Okinawa in LVT Amtrac

: Okinawa Invasion 1 April 1945

: Amphibious approach Okinawa beach 1945

: 75mm Recoiless Rifle in Action Okinawa 1945

: 27th Division Troops Clear Japanese Caves on Okinawa

: US Marine Gun Crew in Firefight near Naha Okinawa

: Naval gunfire support Okinawa 1945

: Aerial view invasion in Kerama Retto Battle of Okinawa 1945

: Captured Japanese AA Gun Okinawa pacific

: 7th Infantry Rifleman on Okinawa pacific

: Okinawa dummy Japanese plane

: USS LSM(R)-197 Firing Rockets at Okinawa

: Wreck Okinawa 1945

: Okinawa April 1945

: Helicopter Landing On Okinawa Pacific

: DUKW Amphibious Truck Loaded With Supplies Okinawa 1945

: Marines on Okinawa

: LVT Amtrac amphibious lands 96th infantry division troops Okinawa 1945

: Ie Shima beach jeeps and LST 1945

: Wreck Okinawa 1945 2

: Okinawa Invasion aerial view

: Wounded Marines on Okinawa 1945

: aerial view of beachhead Okinawa

: 1st Aid Station Set Up for 24th Army Corps on Okinawa

: USS West Virginia BB-48 Covers Troops in LVT B111 Heading for Okinawa

: Destroyed Japanese ships Okinawa 1945

: Soldiers Advance on Japanese Cave on Okinawa

: Troops on Captured Japanese 150 mm gun Type 89 Cannon on Okinawa

: Gen. Shepherd and Gen. Buckner Watch Battle on Okinawa

: Okinawa Invasion 1945

: LVT Buffalo Being Lowered into Water off Okinawa’s Orange Beach 1945

: Troops Establishing Beachhead on Okinawa 1945

: 96th infantry division LVT Amtrac against seawall Okinawa 1945

: Marines Hunt Japanese Sniper Shuri Castle Okinawa 1945

: Okinawa Invasion landing forces

: 1878th Aviation Engineers Use Bulldozers to Build Road on Okinawa June 1945

Battle of Okinawa: 1 April 1945 – 22 June 1945.
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War Two. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945. After a long campaign of island hopping, the Allies were approaching Japan, and planned to use Okinawa, a large island only 550 km away from mainland Japan, as a base for air operations on the planned invasion of Japanese mainland (coded Operation Downfall). Four divisions of the US 10th Army (7th, 27th, 77th, and 96th) and two USMC Divisions (1st and 6th) fought on the island. Their invasion was supported by naval, amphibious, and tactical air forces.
The battle has been referred to as the “typhoon of steel” in English, and tetsu no ame (“rain of steel”) or tetsu no bōfū (“violent wind of steel”) in Japanese. The nicknames refer to the ferocity of the fighting, the intensity of kamikaze attacks from the Japanese defenders, and to the sheer numbers of Allied ships and armored vehicles that assaulted the island. The battle resulted in the highest number of casualties in the Pacific Theater during World War 2. Based on Okinawan government sources, mainland Japan lost 77 166 soldiers, who were either killed or committed suicide, and the Allies suffered 14 009 deaths (with an estimated total of more than 65 000 casualties of all kinds). Simultaneously, 42 000 – 150 000 local civilians were killed or committed suicide, a significant proportion of the local population. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki together with the Soviet invasion of Manchuria caused Japan to surrender less than two months after the end of the fighting on Okinawa.