The loss-making landings on Peleliu and Iwo Jima did not bode well from the Allied point of view for the forthcoming attack on Okinawa, which was already part of the Japanese motherland and which the Japanese would therefore certainly defend with particular fervour. Thus, a strong invasion force had to be assembled, which was even reinforced by units of the Royal Navy that had just arrived in the Pacific.
As in similar cases, the easy initial successes proved to be deceptive: the further the attackers penetrated into the island's interior, the more resistance hardened, especially since the fire support from the ship's artillery left much to be desired. Added to this were the incessant attacks by the dreaded kamikazes, who were prepared to pay the highest price for the defence of their homeland. The last enemy voyage of the "Yamato" also embodied this spirit of the samurai. The enormous losses of this battle finally moved the new US President Harry S. Truman to use the atomic bomb to end the war without further American blood sacrifices.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
García, Juan Vázquez
Title
Okinawa. Die letzten Samurai
Details
Paperback, numerous bw and colour illustrations, maps. 64 pp.
State
new
Heinz Nickel VDM Kasernenstr. 6-10 66482 Zweibrücken Deutschland
