WWII E158 - Okinawa: The Last Barrier
Episode Description
By 1945, Okinawa stood as the last barrier before the homeland, vital to both Japanese defense and American invasion plans. The Japanese abandoned beach defenses and instead transformed ridges, caves, and limestone plateaus into layered strongholds, preparing to bleed the invaders inland. The United States assembled the Tenth Army—Marines and soldiers trained through exhaustive rehearsals—to launch the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific.
The episode closes on L-Day, April 1, 1945, as four divisions landed across Hagushi beaches, beginning the climactic battle that would test Okinawa’s terrain, its people, and both armies to the limit.
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References
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Astor, Gerald. Operation Iceberg: The Invasion and Conquest of Okinawa in World War II—An Oral History. New York: Donald I. Fine, 1995.
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Nash, Douglas E., Sr. Battle of Okinawa: III MEF Staff Ride—Battle Book. Quantico, VA: History Division, U.S. Marine Corps, 2015.
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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.)
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Walton, Rodney Earl. Big Guns, Brave Men: Mobile Artillery Observers and the Battle for Okinawa. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2013.