On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, 1.5 million men gathered aboard 1,500 Allied ships off the coast of the Japanese island of Okinawa. The men were there to launch the largest amphibious assault on the Pacific Theater. War planners expected an 80 percent casualty rate. The first American officer ashore was then-Major Art Shaw (1920-2020), a unit commander in the U.S. Army’s 361st Field Artillery Battalion of the 96th Infantry Division,...
On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, 1,500 Allied ships and 1.5 million men gathered off the coast of the Japanese island of Okinawa and launched the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific War. They expected an 80% casualty rate. The first American officer ashore was Major Art Shaw, a unit commander in the U.S. Army's 361 Artillery Battalion of the 96th Division, often called the Deadeyes. For the next three months, Major Shaw and his men served at...
"On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, more than 184,000 US troops began landing on the only Japanese home soil invaded during the Pacific war. Just 350 miles from mainland Japan, Okinawa was to serve as a forward base for Japan's invasion in the fall of 1945. Nearly 140,000 Japanese and auxiliary soldiers fought with suicidal tenacity from hollowed-out, fortified hills and ridges. Under constant fire and in the rain and mud, the Americans battered the...
The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned. By early 1945, American forces had been fighting their way across the Pacific for over two and a half years. General Douglas MacArthur's drive in the Southwest Pacific had reached the Philippines, while Admiral Chester Nimitz's drive across the Central Pacific had advanced to the island of Iwo Jima. The next objective was...
The United States Marine Corps played a leading role in the war against Japan from Pearl Harbor in December 1941 until VJ Day on September 2, 1945. Living up to its motto the "First to Fight," the 1st Marine Division landed on the Japanese-occupied island of Guadalcanal in the south Pacific on August 7, 1942 and fought its way up the central Solomon Island to Cape Gloucester in the territory of New Guinea. In October 1942, the Marine Corps captured...
Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 My first memory is of a dog biting me, on the arm, not hard, but just enough to jar me into consciousness. His name is Shiro, which means white or castle or generation in Japanese, depending on how it is written. I was three years old and he was just above my height. I believe we understood each other. #2 The Battle of Okinawa was the most deadly battle in history,...
Contains 86 photos and 42 maps and charts. The story of part played by the United States Marines in the largest amphibious assault of the entire Pacific War during World War II. The battle lasted an exhausting and bloody 82 days from early April until mid-June 1945. The legendarily tough defence of the Japanese soldiers and citizens was matched by the American troops in the last major campaign that had led all the way from Pearl Harbor to the Home...