page_title: Battle of Okinawa
section_title: Southern Okinawa
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Okinawa / Land battle / Southern Okinawa
context_page_description: The Battle of Okinawa was a great battle of World War II. It took place on Okinawa Island in the Ryukyu Islands. The battle was between the military forces of the Empire of Japan and the Allies. It was the second biggest amphibious battle of World War II, after the Battle of Normandy. It was also one of the longest battles in history, from April to June 1945. The Allies won the battle and occupied Okinawa. Today, Okinawa is Japanese territory, but there are still American military bases there.
  The Battle of Okinawa is considered to be the last major battle of World War II. The Americans were planning Operation Downfall, the invasion of the four great islands of Japan. This never happened, since the Japanese surrendered after the American use of the atomic bomb in August 1945 and the Soviet Union declaring war on Japan.
  The battle has been called "Typhoon of Steel" in English, and "tetsu no ame," "tetsu no bōfū" by the people of Okinawa, which mean "rain of steel" and "violent wind of steel", because of the very heavy firing of guns and bombs at this battle.
  Some battles, such as the Battle of Iwo Jima, had no civilians present, but Okinawa had a large civilian population.
context_section_description: The U.S. Army 96th Infantry division and 7th Infantry Division went south across Okinawa. The 96th Infantry Division had violent fights with Japanese troops in fortified positions.
  They had 1,500 battle casualties, while killing or capturing about 4,500 Japanese.
  The next American goal was Kakazu Ridge. The Japanese soldiers hid in caves. There were many casualties on both sides.
  On the evening of 12 April, the 32nd Army attacked U.S. positions. The attackers retreated. A final attack on 14 April was again stopped.
  The launched a new attack on 19 April with 324 guns, the largest ever in the Pacific Ocean war. Then 650 Navy and Marine planes attacked with napalm, rockets, bombs, and machine guns.
  A tank attack  failed with the loss of 22 tanks. XXIV Corps lost 720 men KIA, WIA and MIA.
  On 4 May, the 32nd Army launched another attack. This time, Ushijima tried to land troops on the coasts behind American lines. Japanese artillery fired 13,000 rounds. The attack failed.
  Buckner launched another American attack on 11 May. By the end of May, monsoon rains turned hills and roads into mud.
  On 29 May, Maj. Gen. Pedro del Valle ordered Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines to capture Shuri Castle.
  The Japanese retreat moved nearly 30,000 men into its last defense line on the Kiyan Peninsula. The 4,000 Japanese sailors — including Admiral Minoru Ota — all committed suicide.
  On 18 June, Gen. Buckner was killed by enemy artillery fire. The last Japanese stopped fighting on 21 June, although some Japanese stayed hidden.
caption: A 6th Division Marine demolition crew watches explosive charges detonate and destroy a Japanese cave, May 1945.
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