Battle of Okinawa Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Battle of Okinawa - Research Paper Example a period of 80 days, the â€Å"Typhoon of Steele† as it was referred to, raged on as the Allied Forces made headway in the battle to make Japan surrender. The attack itself took place on April 1, 1945. The Americans had sent in two United States Marine and Army Divisions to land via amphibious vehicle on the island of Okinawa. The Japanese troops were thought to number at least 150,000 covering ground, air, and naval troops. 10th U.S. Army Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. was in command of the Allied troops that consisted of III Amphibious Corps and XXIV Army Corps. Even though the Allied Forces had sent a formidable troop assignment to the island, the Japanese still felt that the war was going to end with them as the victors. After all, the Japanese were fighting on their home territory, 350 miles from the Japanese homeland. However the Americans had other plans for this battle as they pulverized the island of Kyushu. The Japanese by this point knew that the battle was lost and yet they soldiered on. The Japanese soldiers fought based upon honour and military logic. But the bombings of the American planes coming from the Marianas Islands would soon conquer Japan. Truth be told, there was too much land coverage in Okinawa for the troops that were first sent to cover. Thanks to the Army, the new 6th Marine Division, the war became a winnable battle for the Americans. Eric Hammel, noted Pacific War historian recounted the battle as follows: Coming to put their defense arrangement to the test was the Tenth Army. The new 6th Marine Division (1st Provisional Marine Brigade plus the 29th Marines and attachments) would land over the northernmost beaches on the western side of Okinawa a little south of the islands midpoint. It was to strike across the island, then turn north to pacify a little more than half of Okinawa on its own. To the right, the 1st Marine Division was also to strike across the island, then become part of the Tenth Army reserve.

Where is Iwo Jima, and what is its significance Essay

Where is Iwo Jima, and what is its significance - Essay Example The little volcanic island of Iwo Jima is situated a little over 650 miles southeast of Japan, about halfway between Tokyo and the American airfields on Guam, Saipan and Tinian in the Mariana Islands. Guam, the biggest island, was a U.S. protectorate, before the Second World War, and the Navy had a communications station there. The neighboring Saipan and Tinian were Japanese colonies. American forces raided the Marianas in mid 1944 and instantly began construction of what came to be the world’s biggest aerodrome for the Super fortress bombers of the U.S. 20th Air Force. The Super fortress bombers were earlier stationed in mainland China, but providing them with enough fuel was a logistic nightmare (Rogers, 1). When Marines saw Iwo Jima for the first time, it was an ugly lump of volcanic sand and clay. It was different from any other island they had ever seen. They saw an ugly lump of volcanic sand and clay, which was treeless, craggy, and blistered with endless sand hummocks rather than palm trees and a white ribbon of beach, or the green cane fields of Saipan and Tinian. Mount Suribachi, at the southern tip, appeared like something out of an inferno; the plateau at the north was a series of hills and ridges. The beach was black instead of white, while the vegetation that grew sparsely was wilted, colorless and burned out (Bradley, 10). Luft adds that Suribachi Mountain was given this name because of its shape which looks like an upturned bowl. Joe Rosenthal captured the iconic photo of the raised Marine flag here on Feb. 23, 1945. Despite the last full-scale eruption occurring in 1727, looking into the center of the crater, steam can be seen rising from a vent while the smell of sulfur f ills every breath (38). Iwo Jima was the step to the Japanese heartland for the 70,000 Americans and to the end of a terrible war. However, for the 22,000 Japanese defenders, Iwo Jima