WWII E159 - Into the Silence of Okinawa

Written By Robert Estrada

Episode Description

This episode begins with the thunder of Easter Sunday, 1945, when Marines and soldiers of the U.S. Tenth Army hit the beaches of Okinawa. After weeks of naval bombardment, they expected hell on the sand. Instead, they found silence. The Japanese had pulled back, choosing to fight from caves and ridges deep inland.

That calm didn’t last. Within days, night counterattacks and ambushes tested the Marines’ resolve. The 6th Division clawed through the Motobu Peninsula’s jagged hills while the 1st secured the plains below. Offshore, the fleet endured waves of kamikaze strikes, and the battleship Yamato made its final, suicidal run.

By late April, northern Okinawa was in American hands. The Marines had earned their victory ridge by ridge, cave by cave. But as they looked south toward Shuri’s fortified lines, they knew this was only the beginning. The battle for Okinawa, the last and bloodiest campaign of the Pacific, was still waiting.

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References

  • Alexander, Joseph H. The Final Campaign: Marines in the Victory on Okinawa. Washington, DC: History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 1994.

  • Appleman, Roy E., James M. Burns, Russell A. Gugeler, and John Stevens. Okinawa: The Last Battle. Washington, DC: Center of Military History, U.S. Army, 1948. Reprint, Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2000.

  • Astor, Gerald. Operation Iceberg: The Invasion and Conquest of Okinawa in World War II—An Oral History. New York: Donald I. Fine, 1995.

  • Carleton, Phillips D. The Conquest of Okinawa: An Account of the Sixth Marine Division. Washington, DC: Historical Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 1946.

  • David, Saul. Crucible of Hell: The Heroism and Tragedy of Okinawa, 1945. New York: Hachette Books, 2020.

  • Frank, Benis M., and Henry I. Shaw Jr. Victory and Occupation: History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II, Volume V. Washington, DC: Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 1968.

  • Gavitt, James S. The Okinawa Campaign: A Case Study. Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, 1991.

  • Nash, Douglas E., Sr. Battle of Okinawa: III MEF Staff Ride—Battle Book. Quantico, VA: History Division, U.S. Marine Corps, 2015.

  • Nichols, Charles S., Jr., and Henry I. Shaw Jr. Okinawa: Victory in the Pacific. Washington, DC: Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 1955.

  • Sledge, Eugene B. With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1981.

  • Sloan, Bill. The Ultimate Battle: Okinawa 1945—The Last Epic Struggle of World War II. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007.

  • Spurr, Russell. A Glorious Way to Die: The Kamikaze Mission of the Battleship Yamato, April 1945. New York: Newmarket Press, 1981. (Alt. reissue: New York: William Morrow Paperbacks, 2010.)

  • Stockman, James R. The First Marine Division on Okinawa, 1 April–30 June 1945. Washington, DC: Historical Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 1946.

  • Stockman, James R. The Sixth Marine Division. Washington, DC: Historical Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 1946.

  • Walton, Rodney Earl. Big Guns, Brave Men: Mobile Artillery Observers and the Battle for Okinawa. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2013.

  • Wheelan, Joseph. 2020. Bloody Okinawa: The Last Great Battle of World War II. Hachette Books.

Robert Estrada
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WWII E158 - Okinawa: The Last Barrier