1. OKINAWA—The Last Battle & The Fire Bombing of Japan
The Final Days
OKINAWA—The Last Battle
&
The Fire Bombing of Japan

2. Events in Time
US Forces under MacArthur recapture Corregidor and Manila-March 45’
9-10 March 50 Square miles of Tokyo explodes in flames as it is firebombed by B-29s and napalm
20 March Brits liberate Burma and Mandalay

3. Target Okinawa 350 miles south of Japan
Base for operations into China as well as the coming invasion of Japan
Truly Japanese soil and it will be a costly step towards victory

4. The Battle for Okinawa -ICEBERG

6. JAPANESE DEFENSES ON OKINAWA
General Mitsuru Ushijima centered his defense around the historical capital, Shuri Castle
This provided the Japanese with a heavy defense line that could be flanked only from the sea.
Well Dug in
Tanks and Artillery
Roughly 65,000 Japanese Troops was our initial estimate, we were way off
Most troops concentrated in the southern sector of the island
Pinpoint accuracy and home field advantage

8. April 1, 1945 “The Last Invasion”
US 10th Army invades Okinawa-180,000 men
Japanese Homeland—Ryukyu Islands
The largest sea-land-air battle in history
Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr.

11. Japanese Forces 130,000 strong 32nd Army
Shuri Castle (77TH DIV, 1ST BAT, 5TH MARINES)
Okinawa defenses would be the hardest that the US faced during the war
The Japanese Commanders knew defeat was imminent, but wanted to make US pay the HIGHEST POSSIBLE PRICE.

12. The Battle for the Sea The Kamikaze threat was immense
In the 2 month battle the Japanese flew 1,900 kamikaze missions, sinking dozens of Allied ships and killing more than 5,000 U.S. sailors.

13. Operation Ten-Go
The use of the now defeated Japanese navy as suicide bombers
The Yamoto and her escorts
Beach themselves fight then die with honor
Intercepted and destroyed

14. 87 DAYS TO JAPAN
March 26, 1945 at Hagushi Bay in west, not the south as expected
These men along with a landing force on April 1, headed north to cut the island in half
By the end of day 1 we had landed 60,000 men
These men met little resistance early

15. The battle for the northern sector of the island culminated in mid April with US Army and Marines fighting in twisted and jagged rock areas of the island
But by June 21 the Northern sector was secure

17. The Battle for The South
Centered around the Ancient Shuri Castle the battle here was brutal
7th and 96th Infantry Divisions battled dug in Japanese troops holding fortified positions on high ground
It became desperate hand-to-hand fighting in west-central Okinawa along Cactus Ridge, about five miles northwest of Shuri.
Taking 1,500 causalities and killing over 4,500 Japanese the fighting men realized they were only facing an outpost regiment

18. Kakazu Ridge Japanese well dug in and created free fire kill zones
Sent the Okinawans out at gunpoint to acquire water & supplies for them
The advanced stalled and Ushijima goes on the offensive
April 12th his 32 Army hits the US frontline on broad frontal assault

19. Japanese attack was heavy, sustained, and well organized.
The repeatedly hit our line and were repulsed
They believed that we could be taken by night attacks
In the end they fall back to a defensive strategy
Close air support and superior weapons won the day

20. 324 guns, the naval force, 650 aircraft hit the Kakazu Ridge the enemy goes underground and waits
As we ascended they came out and ripped us to pieces, we lose 22 tanks and the men are crushed
Using this victory Ushijima launches an attack of his own, his guns in the open are completely detroyed

21. “A WW1 BATTLEFIELD Monsoon rains and fighting conditions
The dead and decaying mixed with the rain to make a gory human soup

22. SHURI CASTLE 1st bat. 5th Marines assault the fortified position
The castle falls, but as with Iwo it is not the end
These men barely escape a friendly death

30. It gets worse before its over!!
Buckner’s Mistake
As we mop up the island its defenders turn
Multiple Banzi charges some numbering over 5000 men
Last ditch effort
Ushijima and his 2nd Cho commit suicide leaving his 3rd in command saying “"If you die there will be no one left who knows the truth about the battle of Okinawa. Bear the temporary shame but endure it. This is an order from your army Commander “

34. Kamikazes who will sink 21 American warships and badly damage 66 others
Fighting is so intense that few will survivor without wounds
Americans lost 7,373 men killed and 32,056 wounded on land
At sea, the Americans lost 5,000 killed and 4,600 wounded

37. Japanese lost 107,000 killed and 7,400 men taken prisoner
Another 20,000 dead as a result of American tactics whereby Japanese troops were incinerated where they fought.
Many Okinawan citizens indoctrinated with Japanese views of Americans chose suicide over “LIBERATION”

38. A Citizens end
Okinawan civilian losses in the campaign were in excess of 140,000; in addition, it is estimated that more than a third of the surviving civilian population was wounded.
Many commit suicide: There are many Okinawans who have testified that the Japanese Army directed them to commit suicide. There are also people who have testified that they were handed grenades by Japanese soldiers (to blow themselves up)

40. Results of Okinawa
The island was a rotten wound, but with harbors and size it was perfect
The fierce determination of its defenders left no doubt the use of the A-bomb would be necessary
US KIA-7,373 and 32,056 WIA on land, at sea 5,000 KIA---4,600 WIA
JAPANESE-107,000 KIA—7,400 POW: As many as 150,000 civilian deaths
As many as 20,000 more KIA for the Japanese many incinerated to nothing

41. DEATH OF FDR

42. FDR DIES AND IS SUCCEDED BY HARRY S. TRUMAN
APRIL 12, 1945
FDR DIES AND IS SUCCEDED BY HARRY S. TRUMAN

43. OKINAWA IS SECURED BY JUNE 22, 1945
OPERATION DOWNFALL
FULL SCALE INVASION OF THE JAPANESE MAINLAND
7,000,000 US TROOPS IN YEAR 1
13,000,000 BY YEAR 2-3
CASUALTIES ESTIMATED IN THE MILLIONS FOR US FORCES
IS THERE ANOTHER WAY?

44. Downfall, Olympic, & Coronet

45. Military leaders did not know was that by the end of July the Japanese had been saving all aircraft, fuel and pilots in reserve, and had been feverishly building new planes for the decisive battle for their homeland
Hidden in mines, railway tunnels, under viaducts and in basements of department stores, work was being done to construct new planes.

46. The Japanese defenders would be the hard-core of the home army.
All along the invasion beaches, American troops would face coastal batteries, anti-landing obstacles and a network of heavily fortified pillboxes, bunkers, and underground fortresses.
Some of the Japanese troops would be in American uniform, English-speaking Japanese officers were assigned to break in on American radio traffic to call off artillery fire, to order retreats and to further confuse troops.
Prairie Dog Warfare was a battle for yards, feet and sometimes inches.  It was a brutal, deadly and dangerous form of combat aimed at an underground, heavily fortified, non-retreating enemy.

47. In addition to the use of poison gas and bacteriological warfare (which the Japanese had experimented with), Japan mobilized its citizenry.
One Hundred Million Will Die for the Emperor and Nation
Twenty-eight million Japanese had become a part of the National Volunteer Combat Force.  They were armed with ancient rifles, lunge mines, satchel charges, Molotov cocktails and one-shot black powder mortars.  Others were armed with swords, long bows, axes and bamboo spears.

48. At the early stage of the invasion, 1,000 Japanese and American soldiers would be dying every hour and it would only get worse. The island and its people would in the end all have to die for us to succeed.

50. The night hell fell from the sky
B-29S & THE FIREBOMBING OF JAPAN
Curtis LeMay
Firebomb every city in Japan
NAPALM
Standard Oil and Du Pont

54. 10,000 ft NO GUNS NO GUNNERS2X AS LOADED “A REIGN OF FIRE”
"Slaughter bombing"
**SEE HANDOUT**
Population of Tokyo dropped to half as panic stricken civilians fled

62. POTSDAM CONFERENCE-17 JULY -2 AUGUST 45
STALIN, ATLEE, AND TRUMAN
ULTIMATIUM TO JAPAN
UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER OF FACE TOTAL DESTRUCTION

64. By June 28 resistance in the Philippines has ended
5 July Philippines officially liberated
The night of July 10---us b-29s begin a launch of 1000 bomber raids on Japan
14 July US NAVAL forces begin to bombard Japans home islands
The ends is near and the only question is how will it end???

65. The Manhattan Project
Will this end the war???
Will it destroy us all??
What will be the costs??
Will Warfare ever be the same???