View source for Battle of Okinawa

{{Short description|Major 1945 battle of the Pacific War}}
{{for|the film|Battle of Okinawa (film){{!}}''Battle of Okinawa'' (film)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of Okinawa
| partof            = the [[Volcano and Ryukyu Islands campaign]] of the [[Pacific War]] ([[World War II]])
| image             = File:Ww2 158.jpg
| image_size        = 300
| caption           = 1st Marine Regiment during fighting at Wana Ridge during the Battle of Okinawa, May 1945
| date              = 1 April – 22 June 1945<ref>{{cite web|url=https://history.army.mil/brochures/ryukyus/ryukyus.htm|title=Ryukus|publisher=US Army Center of Military History|access-date=28 August 2020|archive-date=19 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919075025/https://history.army.mil/brochures/ryukyus/ryukyus.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><br />({{Age in years, months, weeks and days|month1=04|day1=01|year1=1945|month2=06|day2=22|year2=1945}})<ref>26 March marked the first landing on the Kerama Islands around Okinawa in the Ryukus by the 77th Division.</ref>
| place             = [[Okinawa Island]] and [[Okinawa Prefecture|Prefecture]], [[Ryukyu Islands]], Japan
| coordinates       = {{coord|26.5|128|type:isle_region:JP-46_source:dewiki|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| map_type          = Japan#Pacific Ocean
| map_size          = 300
| result            = Allied victory
| territory         = 
| combatant1        = '''Ground forces:'''<br />{{flag|United States|1912}}<br />'''Naval forces:'''<br />{{flag|United States|1912}}<br />{{flag|United Kingdom}}<br />{{flag|Australia}}<br />{{flagcountry|Dominion of New Zealand}}<br />{{flag|Canada|1921}}
| combatant2        = {{flagicon|Empire of Japan}} [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]
| commander1        = {{ubl|
|'''[[Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet|COMPACFLT]]:'''
|{{flagdeco|United States|1912}} [[Chester W. Nimitz]]
|'''[[Tenth United States Army|Tenth Army]]:'''
|{{nowrap|{{flagdeco|United States|1912}} [[Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.]]{{KIA|alt=yes}}}}
|{{flagdeco|United States|1912}} [[Roy Geiger]]
|{{flagdeco|United States|1912}} [[John R. Hodge]]
|'''[[United States Fifth Fleet|Fifth Fleet]]:'''
||{{flagdeco|United States|1912}} [[Raymond A. Spruance]]
|{{flagdeco|United States|1912}} [[Richmond K. Turner]]
|{{flagdeco|United Kingdom}} [[Bernard Rawlings (Royal Navy officer)|Bernard Rawlings]]
|{{flagdeco|United States|1912}} [[Marc Mitscher]]
}}
| commander2        = {{ubl|
|'''[[Western District Army]]:'''
|{{flagdeco|Empire of Japan|army}} [[Isamu Yokoyama]]
|'''[[Combined Fleet]]:'''
|{{flagdeco|Empire of Japan|naval}} [[Soemu Toyoda]]
|{{flagdeco|Empire of Japan|naval}} [[Minoru Ōta]]{{KIA|alt=yes}}
|'''[[Thirty-Second Army (Japan)|32nd Army]]:'''
|{{flagdeco|Empire of Japan|army}} [[Mitsuru Ushijima]]{{KIA|alt=yes}}
|{{flagdeco|Empire of Japan|army}} [[Isamu Chō]]{{KIA|alt=yes}}
|{{nowrap|{{flagdeco|Empire of Japan|army}} [[Hiromichi Yahara]]{{POW}}}}
|'''Special Attack Force:'''
|{{flagdeco|Empire of Japan|naval}} [[Seiichi Itō]]{{KIA|alt=yes}}
}}
| units1            = ''Ground units'':<br />{{flagdeco|United States|1912}} [[Tenth United States Army|'''''Tenth Army''''']]
* [[III Amphibious Corps (United States)|III Amphibious Corps]]
** [[1st Marine Division (United States)|1st Marine Division]]
** [[2nd Marine Division (United States)|2nd Marine Division]]
** [[6th Marine Division (United States)|6th Marine Division]]
* [[XXIV Corps (United States)|XXIV Corps]]
** [[7th Infantry Division (United States)|7th Infantry Division]]
** [[27th Infantry Division (United States)|27th Infantry Division]]
** [[77th Sustainment Brigade|77th Infantry Division]]
** [[96th Infantry Division (United States)|96th Infantry Division]]
''Naval units'':<br /> {{flagdeco|United States|1912}} [[United States Fifth Fleet|'''''Fifth Fleet''''']]
* Task Force 50
** [[Fast Carrier Task Force|Task Force 58]]
** {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[British Pacific Fleet|Task Force 57]]
* Joint Exp. Force
| units2            = ''Ground units'': <br /> {{flagicon|Empire of Japan|army}} [[Thirty-Second Army (Japan)|'''''32nd Army''''']]
* [[24th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|24th Infantry Division]]
* [[28th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|28th Infantry Division]]
* [[62nd Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|62nd Infantry Division]]
* 44th [[Mixed Brigades (Imperial Japanese Army)|Mixed Brigade]]
* 45th Mixed Brigade
* 59th Mixed Brigade
* 60th Mixed Brigade
* 27th Tank Regiment
''Naval units'':<br />
{{flagdeco|Empire of Japan|naval}} '''''[[Combined Fleet]]'''''
* [[2nd Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)|2nd Fleet]]
| strength1         = {{flagicon image|Naval_jack_of_the_United_States_(1912–1959).svg}} [[United States Navy]]
*7 [[fleet carrier]]s, 
*6 [[light carrier]]s, 
*18 [[escort carrier]]s, 
*8 [[fast battleship]]s, 
*10 old [[battleship]]s, 
*14 [[heavy cruiser]]s,
*17 [[light cruiser]]s,
*132 [[destroyer]]s, 
*45 [[destroyer escort]]s

{{flagicon|United Kingdom|naval}} [[Royal Navy]] 
*5 [[fleet carrier]]s
*6 [[escort carrier]]s 
*2 [[fast battleship]]s
*4 [[light cruiser]]s
*12 [[destroyer]]s
* 251 [[carrier based aircraft]]
{{flagicon|United Kingdom|naval}} [[Royal Australian Navy]] 
*4 [[destroyer]]s
{{flagicon|United Kingdom|naval}} [[Royal New Zealand Navy]] 
*2 [[light cruiser]]s
{{flagicon|United Kingdom|naval}} [[Royal Canadian Navy]] 
*1 [[HMS Uganda (66)|light cruiser]]

<ref name=Blumberg>{{cite web|url=https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-forgotten-fleet/ |access-date=26 September 2024 |title=The Forgotten Fleet – Warfare History Network |website= warfarehistorynetwork.com |date=2017}}</ref>

{{flagdeco|United States of America|1912}} Ground forces
~541,000 in Tenth Army <br />~183,000 combat troops<ref>{{harvnb|Sloan|2007|p=18}}</ref> rising to ~250,000<ref name=Keegan>{{cite book|last=Keegan|first=John|title=The Second World War|publisher=Penguin|year=2005|isbn= 978-0143195085}}</ref>{{rp|567}}
| strength2         = {{flagicon|Empire of Japan|naval}} [[Imperial Japanese Navy]]
*1 [[battleship]]
*1 [[light cruiser]]
*8 [[destroyer]]s
* 1815 aircraft (of which 1050 were ''kamikazes'') 
<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawa_naval_order_of_battle#/|access-date=26 September 2024 |title=Okinawa naval order of battle |website=wikipedia}}</ref>{{Circular reference|date=September 2025}}<ref name="USNIok" />

{{flagdeco|Empire of Japan|army}} [[Imperial Japanese Army Air Service]]
* 850 ''kamikazes'' 
<ref name="USNIok">{{cite web|url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1954/may/kamikazes-and-okinawa-campaign|access-date=27 September 2024 |website=United States Naval Institute.org |title=Kamikazes and Okinawa Campaign |date=May 1954 }}</ref>

{{flagdeco|Empire of Japan|army}} Ground forces 
* ~76,000+ Japanese soldiers
* ~40,000+ [[Ryukyuan people|Okinawan]] conscripts and ''[[boeitai]]''<ref>{{harvnb|Hastings|2008|p=370}}</ref>
| casualties1       = {{flagicon|United States|1912}} '''American personnel:'''<br />'''''Battle casualties:'''''<br />~50,000, including ~12,500 dead<ref>"The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won" p. 302</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/okinawa-costs-victory-last-battle#:~:text=The%20heroism%20of%20US%20Navy,to%20the%2036%20ships%20sunk. |access-date=23 June 2023 |title=Okinawa: The Costs of Victory in the Last Battle |website=The National WWII Museum|date=7 July 2022 }}</ref><br />'''Army:''' 19,929{{efn|3,672 killed in action, 16,027 wounded (of whom 995 died), 58 captured (of whom 37 died), 172 missing (of whom 14 were declared dead as of 31 December 1946).<ref>[https://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4013coll8/id/126/rec/9 Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths in World War II. Final Report, 7 December 1941-31 December 1946] p. 95 Retrieved 2/1/2024</ref> The number for wounded only includes those who were hospitalized. Tenth Army's after action report lists a somewhat higher total of 22,564, including 4,549 killed or died of wounds, 18,010 wounded or injured, and 95 missing.<ref>[https://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4013coll8/id/598 Tenth Army After Action Report, Ryukyus, vol. 1] 9-IV-1. Retrieved 2/1/2024</ref>}}<br />'''Navy:''' 10,007 at Okinawa,{{efn|3,803 killed, 219 died of wounds, 5,985 surviving wounded.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/HistoryOfTheMedicalDeptInWWIIV3 History of the Medical Department in World War II, vol. III] Appendix Table 14, see "Bombing and Landing on Okinawa." Retrieved 2/1/2024</ref>}} 1,294 on USS ''Franklin''{{efn|807 killed, 487 wounded.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/infernoepiclifed0000spri/page/316/mode/2up?q=killed Springer, "Inferno: The Epic Life and Death Struggle of the USS Franklin in World War II] p. 317. Retrieved 2/1/2024</ref> Richard B. Frank points out that the Navy's Medical History excludes losses suffered on ''Franklin'' from its total for Okinawa; they are instead recorded under "Bombardment of Kyushu Island and Japan." This largely accounts for the discrepancy with the more commonly cited total of 4,907.<ref>Frank, "Downfall" p. 402</ref>}}<br />'''Marines:''' 19,460{{efn|2,846 killed, 530 died of wounds, 67 missing, presumed dead, and 16,017 wounded. Due to the methodology of casualty accounting practices in World War II, a significant number of those who died of wounds were double counted as wounded in action.<ref>[https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/V/USMC-V-M.html#fn1 Frank and Shaw, "History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II, Appendix M]. Retrieved 2/1/2024</ref>}}<br />'''''Non-battle casualties''''': 26,211 to 33,096 (all causes){{sfn|Frank|1999|p=71}}<br /> 
{{flagdeco|United Kingdom|}} '''British personnel:'''<br />'''''Battle casualties:'''''<br>119 killed<br>83 wounded<br>228 aircraft lost<br>4 [[fleet carrier]]s damaged in kamikaze strikes
<ref name=Blumberg/>
'''Total casualties:''' ~76,000 to 84,000<br />'''[[Materiel]]:'''<br />375 tanks damaged, disabled, or destroyed<ref>[http://cdm16635.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16635coll14/id/56035 "Survey of Allied tank casualties in World War II"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717223049/http://cdm16635.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16635coll14/id/56035 |date=17 July 2019 }}, Technical Memorandum ORO-T-117, Department of the Army, Washington D.C.,Table 1.</ref> <br />13 destroyers sunk<br />15 amphibious ships sunk<br />8 other ships sunk<br />386 ships damaged<br />763 aircraft lost<ref name=Keegan/>{{rp|573}}<ref name=Appleman>{{citation-attribution|1={{cite book|last1=Appleman|first1=Roy|last2=Burns|first2=James|last3=Gugeler|first3=Russel|last4=Stevens|first4=John|year=1948|title=Okinawa: The Last Battle|publisher=[[United States Army Center of Military History]]|isbn=1410222063|url=http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/okinawa/index.htm|access-date=14 June 2010|archive-date=8 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101108040706/http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/okinawa/index.htm|url-status=dead}}}}</ref>{{rp|473}}
| casualties2       = {{flagicon|Empire of Japan}} '''Japanese personnel:'''<br />'''''Battle & non-battle casualties:'''''<br />94,136 soldiers and sailors dead (all causes){{efn|65,908 from outside Okinawa, 28,228 from Okinawa. Okinawa number includes civilians drafted into military units.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=iG5MAAAAMAAJ&q=65%2C908 Hirofumi Hayashi, "Okinawa-sen to minshu" (Japanese).] p. 5. Retrieved 2/1/2024</ref>}}<br />4,037 dead from ''Yamato'' task force<ref>Abe 1995, ''Tokko Yamato Kantai.''</ref><br />7,401 captured (by 30 June)<ref>Appleman p. 489</ref>{{efn|Excludes 3,339 laborers and 15 civilian combatants. By the end of November, this total increased to 16,346 across all categories.}}<br />'''Total casualties:''' ~105,000 to 110,000 <br />'''Materiel:'''<br /> [[Japanese battleship Yamato|1 battleship sunk]]<br />[[Japanese cruiser Yahagi (1942)|1 light cruiser sunk]]<br />5 destroyers sunk<br />9 other warships sunk<br />1,430 aircraft lost<ref name=Giangreco>{{cite book|last=Giangreco|first=D.|title=Hell to Pay Operation Downfall and the Invasion of Japan, 1945–47|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=2009|isbn=978-1591143161|page=91}}</ref><br />27 tanks destroyed<br />743–1,712 artillery pieces, anti-tank guns, mortars and anti-aircraft guns lost<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|91–92}}
| casualties3       = 40,000–150,000 civilians dead<ref name=mcg/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://nisei.hawaii.edu/object/io_1149316185200.html |title=11: Battle of Okinawa |publisher=Nisei.hawaii.edu |date=1 April 1945 |accessdate=19 July 2022 |archive-date=2 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160902212534/http://nisei.hawaii.edu/object/io_1149316185200.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{efn|Hayashi (cited above) lists, in addition to the 28,228 Okinawan military personnel – many of whom were poorly trained and equipped civilians – 55,246 other civilians who directly aided the military in some way and 38,754 others who died. Historian Masayasu Oshiro criticizes the last figure as low, writing that it excludes deaths from starvation and malaria. Oshiro believes 150,000 total Okinawan dead, including the 28,000 directly attached to the military, is a more accurate number.<ref>[https://www.ulethbridge.ca/lib/ematerials/bitstream/handle/123456789/488/IL%20unspoken%20memory.pdf?sequence=1 Kyle Ikeda, "Unspoken Memory and Vicarious Trauma" p. 12] Retrieved 2/1/2024</ref>}}<!-- also reverted, estimates vary and even remotely exact number will probably never be known -->
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Ryukyus}}
{{Campaignbox Pacific Ocean}}
}}

The {{nihongo|'''Battle of Okinawa'''|沖縄戦|Okinawa-sen|lead=yes}}, codenamed '''Operation Iceberg''',<ref name=Nichols>{{citation-attribution|1={{cite book|last1=Nichols|first1=Charles|last2=Shaw|first2=Henry|title=Okinawa: Victory in the Pacific|publisher=Government Printing Office|year=1955|asin=B00071UAT8|url=https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/OkinawaVictoryInThePacific.pdf|access-date=18 January 2021|archive-date=24 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324103755/https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/OkinawaVictoryInThePacific.pdf|url-status=live}}}}</ref>{{rp|17}} was a major battle of the [[Pacific War]] fought on the island of [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]] by the [[United States Army]] and [[United States Marine Corps]] forces against the [[Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War|Imperial Japanese Army]].<ref>Feifer 2001 pp. xi, 99–106</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-07 |title=Okinawa: The Costs of Victory in the Last Battle |url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/okinawa-costs-victory-last-battle |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=The National WWII Museum {{!}} New Orleans |language=en}}</ref> The initial invasion of Okinawa on 1 April 1945 was the largest [[Amphibious warfare|amphibious assault]] in the Pacific Theater of [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/okinawa/default.aspx |title=The United States Navy assembled an unprecedented armada in March and April 1945 |publisher=Militaryhistoryonline.com |access-date=6 May 2012 |archive-date=16 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031340/http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/okinawa/default.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historynet.com/magazines/world_war_2/3035101.html |title=The American invasion of Okinawa was the largest amphibious invasion of all time |publisher=Historynet.com |access-date=6 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328064555/http://www.historynet.com/magazines/world_war_2/3035101.html |archive-date=28 March 2008 }}</ref> The [[Kerama Islands]] surrounding Okinawa were preemptively captured on 26 March 1945 by the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] [[77th Sustainment Brigade|77th Infantry Division]]. The 82-day battle on Okinawa lasted from 1 April 1945 until 22 June 1945. After a long campaign of [[Leapfrogging (strategy)|island hopping]], the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] were planning to use [[Kadena Air Base]] on the island as a staging point for [[Operation Downfall]], the planned invasion of the [[Japanese archipelago|Japanese home islands]], 
{{convert|340|mi|km|abbr=on}} away.

The United States created the [[Tenth United States Army|Tenth Army]], a cross-branch force consisting of the U.S. Army [[7th Infantry Division (United States)|7th]], [[27th Infantry Division (United States)|27th]], 77th and [[96th Sustainment Brigade (United States)|96th Infantry Divisions]] with the [[1st Marine Division|1st]], [[2nd Marine Division|2nd]], and [[6th Marine Division (United States)|6th Marine Divisions]], to seize the island. The Tenth Army was unique because it had its own [[Tactical Air Force, Tenth Army|Tactical Air Force]] (joint Army-Marine command) and was supported by combined naval and amphibious forces. Opposing the Allied forces on the ground was the Japanese Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima's [[Thirty-Second Army (Japan)|Thirty-Second Army]], a mixed force consisting of regular army troops, naval infantry and conscripted local Okinawans. There were about 100,000 Japanese troops on Okinawa at the onset of the invasion. The battle was the longest sustained carrier campaign of the Second World War.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wheelan |first=Joseph |title=Bloody Okinawa: The Last Great Battle of World War II |publisher=Hachette Books |year=2020 |isbn=978-0-306-90320-5 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=343 |language=en}}</ref><!--Needs more about the other forces, including on the Japanese side-->

The battle has been referred to as the "typhoon of steel" in English, known in Japanese as "''tetsu no bo&#772;fu&#772;''".<ref name="VeteransRH/R">{{cite web |url=http://www.americanveteranscenter.org/magazine/wwiichronicles/wwii-chronicles-issue-xxxix/okinawa-the-typhoon-of-steel/ |title=Okinawa: The Typhoon of Steel |publisher=American Veterans Center |date=1 April 1945 |access-date=12 October 2013 |archive-date=3 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503001230/http://www.americanveteranscenter.org/magazine/wwiichronicles/wwii-chronicles-issue-xxxix/okinawa-the-typhoon-of-steel/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=anniversaryRH>[http://www.stripes.com/news/at-60th-anniversary-battle-of-okinawa-survivors-recall-typhoon-of-steel-1.31175 At 60th anniversary, Battle of Okinawa survivors recall 'Typhoon of Steel' – News – Stripes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405172705/http://www.stripes.com/news/at-60th-anniversary-battle-of-okinawa-survivors-recall-typhoon-of-steel-1.31175 |date=5 April 2020 }}, Allen, David; ''Stars and Stripes''; 1 April 2005.</ref> The nicknames refer to the ferocity of the fighting, the intensity of Japanese [[Kamikaze#Final phase|''kamikaze'' attacks]] and the sheer numbers of Allied ships and armored vehicles that assaulted the island. The battle was the bloodiest and fiercest in the Pacific Ocean Theatre, with some 50,000 Allied and around 100,000 Japanese casualties,<ref name=Huber>{{cite web|url=http://www.cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Huber/Huber.asp#118|archive-url=https://www.webharvest.gov/peth04/20041016045157/http://www.cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Huber/Huber.asp#118|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 October 2004|title=Japan's battle of Okinawa, April–June 1945|last=Huber|first=Thomas|date=May 1990|website=Combined Arms Research Library}}</ref><ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|473–474}} also including local [[Ryukyuan people|Okinawans]] conscripted into the Japanese Army.<ref name=mcg/> According to local authorities, at least 149,425 Okinawan people were killed, died by [[forced suicide|coerced suicide]] or went missing.<ref name=Prefecture/>

In the naval operations surrounding the battle, both sides lost considerable numbers of ships and aircraft, including the Japanese battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Yamato||2}}. After the battle, Okinawa provided the victorious Allies with a fleet anchorage, troop staging areas, and airfields in close proximity to Japan as they planned to invade the Japanese home islands.

==Order of battle==
{{Main|Okinawa ground order of battle}}
{{See also|Okinawa naval order of battle}}

===Allied===
In all, the US Army had over 103,000 soldiers (of these, 38,000+ were non-divisional [[artillery]], combat support and HQ troops, with another 9,000 service troops),<ref name=Rottman>{{cite book|last=Rottman|first=Gordon|year=2002|title=Okinawa 1945: The Last Battle|url=https://archive.org/details/okinawalastbattl00rott|url-access=limited|publisher= Osprey Publishing|isbn=1841765465|page=[https://archive.org/details/okinawalastbattl00rott/page/n47 39]}}</ref>{{rp|39}} over 88,000 Marines and 18,000 Navy personnel (mostly [[Seabees]] and medical personnel).<ref name=Rottman/>{{rp|40}} At the start of the Battle of Okinawa, the [[US Tenth Army]] had 182,821 personnel under its command.<ref name=Rottman/>{{rp|40}} It was planned that [[Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.|Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.]] would report to [[Richmond K. Turner|Vice Admiral Richmond K. Turner]] until the amphibious phase was completed, after which he would report directly to [[Raymond A. Spruance|Admiral Raymond A. Spruance]]. Total aircraft provided by the US Navy, Marine and Army Air Force exceeded 3,000 over the course of the battle, including fighters, attack aircraft, scout planes, bombers and dive-bombers. The invasion was supported by a fleet consisting of 18 [[battleship]]s, 27 [[cruiser]]s, 177 [[destroyer]]s/[[destroyer escort]]s, 39 [[aircraft carrier]]s (11 [[fleet carrier]]s, 6 [[Light aircraft carrier|light carriers]] and 22 [[escort carrier]]s) and various support and troop [[transport ship]]s.<ref>The Great Courses. ''World War II: The Pacific Theater''.  Lecture 21.  Professor Craig Symonds</ref>

The British naval contingent accompanied 251 British naval aircraft and included a [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] fleet with [[Royal Australian Navy|Australian]], [[Royal New Zealand Navy|New Zealand]] and [[Royal Canadian Navy|Canadian]] ships and personnel.<ref name="HobbsUNI">{{cite web|last1=Hobbs|first1=David|title=The Royal Navy's Pacific Strike Force|url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/navalhistory/2013-01/royal-navys-pacific-strike-force|website=US Naval Institute|date=January 2013|access-date=26 April 2018|archive-date=22 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722131616/https://www.usni.org/magazines/navalhistory/2013-01/royal-navys-pacific-strike-force|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Japanese===
The Japanese land campaign (mainly defensive) was conducted by the 67,000-strong (77,000 according to some sources) [[regular army|regular]] [[Thirty-Second Army (Japan)|32nd Army]] and some 9,000 [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] troops at Oroku Naval Base (only a few hundred of whom had been trained and equipped for ground combat), supported by 39,000 [[Conscription|drafted]] local [[Ryukyuan people]] (including 24,000 hastily drafted [[Rear (military)|rear]] [[militia]] called ''[[Boeitai]]'' and 15,000 non-uniformed laborers). The Japanese had used ''[[kamikaze]]'' tactics since the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]], but now for the first time they became a major institutionalized aspect of the Japanese defensive strategy. Between the American landing on 1 April and 25 May, seven major ''kamikaze'' attacks were attempted, involving more than 1,500 planes.

The 32nd Army initially consisted of the [[9th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|9th]], [[24th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|24th]] and [[62nd Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|62nd Divisions]] and the 44th Independent Mixed Brigade. The 9th Division was moved to Taiwan before the invasion, resulting in shuffling of Japanese defensive plans. Primary resistance was to be led in the south by Lieutenant General [[Mitsuru Ushijima]], his [[chief of staff]], Lieutenant General [[Isamu Chō]] and his chief of operations, Colonel [[Hiromichi Yahara]]. Yahara advocated a defensive [[Military strategy|strategy]], whilst Chō advocated an [[Offensive (military)|offensive]] one.

In the north, Colonel Takehiko Udo was in command. The naval troops were led by [[Rear Admiral]] [[Minoru Ōta]]. They expected the Americans to land 6–10 [[division (military)|divisions]] against the Japanese garrison of two and a half divisions. The staff calculated that superior quality and numbers of weapons gave each US division five or six times the [[firepower]] of a Japanese division. To this, would be added the Americans' abundant naval and air firepower.

====Japanese use of children====
[[File:Childsoldier In Okinawa.jpg|thumb|upright|Tekketsu Kinnōtai child soldiers on Okinawa]]
On Okinawa, the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] mobilized 1,780 schoolboys aged 14–17 years into [[front line]] service as an ''Iron and Blood Imperial Corps'' ({{langx|ja|[[:ja:鉄血勤皇隊|鉄血勤皇隊]]|Tekketsu Kinnōtai}}),  while female [[Himeyuri students]] were organized into a nursing unit.<ref name=Huber/> This mobilization was conducted by an ordinance of the Ministry of the Army, not by law. The ordinances mobilized the students as volunteer soldiers for form's sake; in reality, the military authorities ordered schools to force almost all students to "volunteer" as soldiers; sometimes they counterfeited the necessary documents. About half of the ''Tekketsu Kinnōtai'' were killed, including in suicide bomb attacks against tanks and in [[Guerrilla warfare|guerrilla]] operations.

Among the 21 male and female secondary schools that made up these student corps, 2,000 students died on the battlefield. Even with the female students acting mainly as nurses to Japanese soldiers, they were still exposed to the harsh conditions of war.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.himeyuri.or.jp/EN/war.html|title=[Official] Himeyuri Peace Museum|website=www.himeyuri.or.jp|access-date=11 January 2023|archive-date=11 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111163642/https://www.himeyuri.or.jp/EN/war.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Naval battle==
{{Blockquote |quote=There was a hypnotic fascination to the sight so alien to our Western philosophy. We watched each plunging ''kamikaze'' with the detached horror of one witnessing a terrible spectacle rather than as the intended victim. We forgot self for the moment as we groped hopelessly for the thought of that other man up there.|source=Vice Admiral [[Charles R. Brown|C.R. Brown]], US Navy<ref name=Toland>{{cite book|last=Toland|first=John|title=The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire 1936–1945|publisher=Random House|year=1970|isbn=978-0804180955}}</ref>{{rp|711}}}}

The US Navy's [[Fast Carrier Task Force|Task Force 58]], deployed to the east of Okinawa with a picket group of 6 to 8 destroyers, kept 13 carriers (7 fleet carriers and 6 light carriers) on duty from 23 March to 27 April and a smaller number thereafter. Until 27 April, a minimum of 14 and up to 18 escort carriers were in the area at all times. Until 20 April, British Task Force 57, with 4 large and 6 escort carriers, remained off the [[Sakishima Islands]] to protect the southern flank.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|97}}

The protracted length of the campaign under stressful conditions forced Admiral [[Chester W. Nimitz]] to take the unprecedented step of relieving the principal naval commanders to rest and recuperate. Following the practice of changing the fleet designation with the change of commanders, US naval forces began the campaign as the [[United States Fifth Fleet|US 5th Fleet]] under Admiral Spruance, but ended it as the [[United States Third Fleet|3rd Fleet]] under Admiral Halsey.

Japanese air opposition had been relatively light during the first few days after the landings. However, on 6 April the expected air reaction began with an attack by some 400 Japanese planes from [[Kyushu]]. 

Similar air attacks continued through April.<ref name=af1953rpt>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/afhra-reel-k1023 |title=Japanese Air Sorties and Bomb Tonnage Against Okinawa |pages=536–538 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=February 3, 1953 |publisher=[[Air Force Historical Research Agency]]}}</ref> From 26 March to 30 April, 20 American ships were sunk and 157 damaged by enemy action. By 30 April the Japanese had lost more than 1,100 planes to Allied naval forces alone.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|102}}

Between 6 April and 22 June, the Japanese flew 1,465 ''[[kamikaze]]'' aircraft in large-scale attacks from Kyushu, 185 individual ''kamikaze'' [[sortie]]s from Kyushu, and 250 individual ''kamikaze'' sorties from [[Taiwan]], then called [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Formosa]]. While US intelligence estimated there were 89 planes on Formosa, the Japanese actually had about 700, dismantled or well camouflaged and dispersed into scattered villages and towns; the US [[Fifth Air Force]] disputed Navy claims of ''kamikaze'' coming from Formosa.<ref>Baldwin, Hanson W. ''Sea Fights and Shipwrecks'' Hanover House 1956 p. 309</ref>{{clarify|This is a bit confusing. "US Intelligence" is not shared by US Army Air Force which otherwise seems not involved? Needs tweaking IMO|date=June 2012}}

The ships lost were smaller vessels, particularly the destroyers of the [[radar picket]]s, as well as [[destroyer escort]]s and landing ships. While no major Allied warship was lost, several fleet carriers were severely damaged. Land-based [[Shin'yō-class suicide motorboat]]s were also used in the Japanese [[suicide attack]]s, although Ushijima had disbanded the majority of the suicide boat battalions before the battle because of expected low effectiveness against a superior enemy. The boat crews were re-formed into three additional infantry battalions.<ref>Christopher Chant, "The Encyclopedia of Codenames of World War II (Routledge Revivals)", p. 87</ref>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="225px">
File:Yamato battleship explosion.jpg|The super battleship {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Yamato||2}} explodes after persistent attacks from US aircraft.
File:USS Bunker Hill hit by two Kamikazes.jpg|American aircraft carrier {{USS|Bunker Hill|CV-17|6}} burns after being hit by two ''[[kamikaze]]'' planes within 30 seconds.
</gallery>

===Operation Ten-Go===
[[Operation Ten-Go]] (''Ten-gō sakusen'') was the attempted attack by a strike force of ten Japanese surface vessels, led by ''Yamato'' and commanded by [[Seiichi Itō|Admiral Seiichi Itō]]. This small task force had been ordered to fight through enemy naval forces, then beach ''Yamato'' and fight from shore, using her guns as [[coastal artillery]] and her crew as naval infantry. The ''Ten-Go'' force was spotted by submarines shortly after it left the Japanese home waters and was intercepted by US carrier aircraft.

Under attack from more than 300 aircraft over a two-hour span, the world's largest battleship sank on 7 April 1945 after a one-sided battle, long before she could reach Okinawa. (US [[torpedo bomber]]s were instructed to aim for only one side to prevent effective counter flooding by the battleship's crew, and to aim for the bow or the stern where armor was believed to be the thinnest.) Of ''Yamato''{{'}}s screening force, the light cruiser {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Yahagi|1942|2}} and four of the eight destroyers were also sunk. The Imperial Japanese Navy lost some 3,700 sailors, including Admiral Itō, at the cost of ten US aircraft and twelve airmen.

===British Pacific Fleet===
The [[British Pacific Fleet]], taking part as Task Force 57, was assigned the task of neutralizing the Japanese airfields in the Sakishima Islands, which it did successfully from 26 March to 10 April. On 10 April its attention was shifted to airfields in northern Formosa. The force withdrew to [[San Pedro Bay (Philippines)|San Pedro Bay]] on 23 April. On 1 May, the British Pacific Fleet returned to action, subduing the airfields as before, this time with [[naval bombardment]] as well as aircraft (they only used aircraft during their first mission of destroying airfields in the Sakishima Islands).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Navy |first=corporateName=Royal Australian |title=The British Pacific Fleet |url=https://seapower.navy.gov.au/history/feature-histories/british-pacific-fleet#:~:text=By%2026%20March%20the%20fleet,Japanese%20airfields%20of%20the%20group. |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=seapower.navy.gov.au |language=en}}</ref>  Several ''kamikaze'' attacks caused significant damage, but as the Royal Navy carriers had armored [[flight deck]]s, they experienced only a brief interruption to their force's operations.<ref>{{harvnb|Hastings|2008|p=401}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Hobbs|2012|pp=175–176}}</ref><gallery mode="packed" heights="225px">
File:HMS Implacable AWM 019037.jpg|[[Royal Navy]] Fleet Air Arm [[Grumman TBF Avenger|Avengers]], [[Supermarine Seafire|Seafires]] and [[Fairey Firefly|Fireflies]] on {{HMS|Implacable|R86|6}} warm up their engines before taking off.
File:HMS Formidable (67) on fire 1945.jpg|{{HMS|Formidable|67|6}} on fire after a ''[[kamikaze]]'' attack on May 4. The ship was out of action for fifty minutes.
</gallery>

==Land battle==
[[File:New Mexico class battleship bombarding Okinawa.jpg|thumb|right|The battleship {{USS|Idaho|BB-42|6}} shelling Okinawa on 1 April 1945]]The land battle took place over about 81 days beginning on 1 April 1945. The first Americans ashore were soldiers of the [[77th Sustainment Brigade|77th Infantry Division]] who landed in the [[Kerama Islands]], {{convert|15|mi|km|abbr=on}} west of Okinawa on 26 March. Subsidiary landings followed, and the Kerama group was secured over the next five days. In these preliminary operations, the 77th Infantry Division suffered 27 dead and 81 wounded, while the Japanese dead and captured numbered over 650. On March 28, 1945, 394 civilians on [[Tokashiki, Okinawa|Tokashiki island]] were forced by Japanese soldiers to kill themselves after the landing of US troops.<ref>{{cite interview |last=Shigeaki |first=Kinjo |interviewer=Michael Bradley |title=The Most Haunting Interview You'll Ever Read: When Japanese Islanders Were Ordered to Commit Mass Suicide |date=13 June 2014 |publisher=History News Network |url=https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/the-most-haunting-interview-youll-ever-read-when-j |access-date= 20 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Hastings|2008}}</ref> The operation provided a protected anchorage for the fleet and eliminated the threat from suicide boats.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|50–60}}

On 31 March, Marines of the [[United States Marine Corps Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion|Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion]] landed without opposition on [[Keise Shima]], four islets just {{convert|8|mi|km|abbr=on}} west of the Okinawan capital of [[Naha]]. A group of [[155 mm gun M1|{{convert|155|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} "Long Tom"]] artillery pieces went ashore on the islets to cover operations on Okinawa.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|57}}

===Northern Okinawa===
[[File:Marines land on Okinawa shores.jpg|thumb|[[United States Marine Corps|US Marine]] reinforcements wade ashore to support the [[beachhead]] on Okinawa, 1 April 1945.]]

The main landing was made by the [[XXIV Corps (United States)|XXIV Corps]] and the [[III Amphibious Corps]] on the [[Hagushi]] beaches on the western coast of Okinawa on 1 April. The [[2nd Marine Division]] conducted a [[demonstration (military)|demonstration]] off the Minatoga beaches on the southeastern coast to deceive the Japanese about American intentions and delay movement of [[Military reserve|reserves]] from there.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|68–74}}

Tenth Army swept across the south-central part of the island with relative ease, capturing the [[Kadena Air Base|Kadena]] and the [[Yomitan]] airbases within hours of the landing.<ref name=Nichols/>{{rp|67–69}}<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|74–75}} In light of the weak opposition, General Buckner decided to proceed immediately with Phase II of his plan, the seizure of northern Okinawa. The [[6th Marine Division (United States)|6th Marine Division]] headed up the [[Ishikawa Isthmus]] and by 7 April had sealed off the [[Motobu Peninsula]].<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|138–141}}

Six days later on 13 April, the 2nd Battalion, [[22nd Marine Regiment (United States)|22nd Marine Regiment]], reached [[Cape Hedo|Hedo Point]] at the northernmost tip of the island. By this point, the bulk of the Japanese forces in the north (codenamed ''Udo Force'') were cornered on the Motobu Peninsula. The terrain was mountainous and wooded, with the Japanese defenses concentrated on [[Mount Yae]]dake, a twisted mass of rocky ridges and ravines on the center of the peninsula. There was heavy fighting before the Marines finally cleared Yaedake on 18 April.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|141–148}} However, this was not the end of ground combat in northern Okinawa. On 24 May, the Japanese mounted Operation Gi-gou: a company of ''[[Giretsu Kuteitai]]'' commandos were airlifted in a suicide attack on Yomitan. They destroyed {{convert|70000|USgal|L}} of fuel and nine planes before being killed by the defenders, who lost two men.

Meanwhile, the 77th Infantry Division assaulted [[Iejima|Ie Shima]], a small island off the western end of the peninsula, on 16 April. In addition to conventional hazards, the 77th Infantry Division encountered ''kamikaze'' attacks and even local women armed with spears. There was heavy fighting before the area was declared secured on 21 April and became another airbase for operations against Japan.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|149–183}}

===Southern Okinawa===
[[File:OkinawaMarinesDeadJapanese.jpg|thumb|US Marines pass a dead Japanese soldier in a destroyed village, April 1945.]]
[[File:Americans on Okinawa hear of victory in Europe.jpg|thumb|American soldiers of the [[77th Infantry Division (United States)|77th Infantry Division]] listen impassively to radio reports of [[Victory in Europe Day]] on 8 May 1945.]]
[[File:111-SC-337972 - One rifleman reloads, and another fires in the 96th Infantry Division's advance to capture Big Apple Hill, scene of intense fighting on Okinawa.jpg|thumb|Soldiers of the 96th Infantry Division attack Japanese positions on Big Apple Ridge.]]
[[File:Invasionof okinawa 2.jpg|thumb|left|US Operations in Southern Okinawa]]
While the 6th Marine Division cleared northern Okinawa, the US Army [[96th Sustainment Brigade (United States)|96th]] and [[7th Infantry Division (United States)|7th Infantry Divisions]] wheeled south across the narrow isthmus of Okinawa. The 96th Infantry Division began to encounter fierce resistance in west-central Okinawa from Japanese troops holding fortified positions east of Highway No. 1 and about {{convert|5|mi|km|abbr=on|0}} northwest of [[Shuri, Okinawa|Shuri]], from what came to be known as [[Cactus Ridge]].<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|104–105}} The 7th Infantry Division encountered similarly fierce Japanese opposition from a rocky pinnacle located about {{convert|1000|yd|m|abbr=on}} southwest of Arakachi (later dubbed "[[The Pinnacle, Battle of Okinawa|The Pinnacle]]"). By the night of 8 April, American troops had cleared these and several other strongly fortified positions. They suffered over 1,500 battle casualties in the process while killing or capturing about 4,500 Japanese. Yet the battle had only begun, for it was realized that "these were merely outposts," guarding the Shuri Line.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|105–108}}

The next American objective was [[Kakazu Ridge]] ({{Coord|26.259|N|127.737|E|display=inline}})(see [[:ja:嘉数の戦い]]), two hills with a connecting saddle that formed part of Shuri's outer defenses. The Japanese had prepared their positions well and fought tenaciously. The Japanese soldiers hid in fortified caves. American forces often lost personnel before clearing the Japanese out from each cave or other hiding place. The Japanese sent out Okinawans at gunpoint to obtain water and supplies for them, which led to civilian casualties. The American advance was inexorable but resulted in a high number of casualties on both sides.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|110–125}} Meanwhile, American forces also faced heavy resistance at the Maeda Ridge, also known as Hacksaw Ridge (see [[:ja:前田の戦い]]).

As the American assault against Kakazu Ridge stalled, Lieutenant General Ushijima—influenced by General Chō—decided to take the offensive. On the evening of 12 April, the 32nd Army attacked American positions across the entire front. The Japanese attack was heavy, sustained, and well organized. After fierce [[close combat]], the attackers retreated, only to repeat their offensive the following night. A final assault on 14 April was again repulsed. The effort led the 32nd Army's staff to conclude that the Americans were vulnerable to night [[infiltration tactics]] but that their superior firepower made any offensive Japanese troop concentrations extremely dangerous, and they reverted to their defensive strategy.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|130–137}}

The [[27th Infantry Division (United States)|27th Infantry Division]], which had landed on 9 April, took over on the right, along the west coast of Okinawa. General [[John R. Hodge]] now had three divisions in the line, with the 96th in the middle and the 7th to the east, with each division holding a front of only about {{convert|1.5|mi|km|abbr=on}}. Hodge launched a new offensive on 19 April with a barrage of 324 guns, the largest ever in the [[Pacific Ocean theater of World War II|Pacific Ocean Theater]]. Battleships, cruisers, and destroyers joined the bombardment, which was followed by 650 Navy and Marine planes attacking the Japanese positions with [[napalm]], rockets, bombs, and machine guns. The Japanese defenses were sited on [[reverse slope defence|reverse slopes]], where the defenders waited out the artillery barrage and aerial attack in relative safety, emerging from the caves to rain [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]] rounds and grenades upon the Americans advancing up the forward slope.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|184–194}}

A tank assault to achieve [[breakthrough (military)|breakthrough]] by [[Flanking maneuver|outflanking]] Kakazu Ridge failed to link up with its infantry support attempting to cross the ridge and therefore failed with the loss of 22 tanks. Although [[flame tank]]s cleared many cave defenses, there was no breakthrough, and the XXIV Corps suffered 720 casualties. The losses might have been greater except for the fact that the Japanese had practically all of their infantry reserves tied up farther south, held there by another [[feint]] off the Minatoga beaches by the 2nd Marine Division that coincided with the attack.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|196–207}}

At the end of April, after Army forces had pushed through the Machinato defensive line,<ref>West Point Atlas of American Wars</ref> the [[1st Marine Division (United States)|1st Marine Division]] relieved the 27th Infantry Division and the 77th Infantry Division relieved the 96th. When the 6th Marine Division arrived, the III Amphibious Corps took over the right flank and Tenth Army assumed control of the battle.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|265}}

[[File:US Flag raised over Shuri castle on Okinawa.jpg|thumb|upright|Lt. Col. [[Richard P. Ross Jr.]], commander of [[3rd Battalion, 1st Marines]] braves sniper fire to place the United States' colors over the parapets of [[Shuri Castle]] on 30 May. This flag was first raised over [[Operation Cartwheel|Cape Gloucester]] and then [[Battle of Peleliu|Peleliu]].]]
[[File:OkinawaJapanesePOW.jpg|thumb|upright|A Japanese prisoner of war sits behind barbed wire after he and 306 others were captured within the last 24 hours of the battle by 6th Marine Division.]]

On 4 May, the 32nd Army launched another [[counter-offensive]]. This time, Ushijima attempted to make amphibious assaults on the coasts behind American lines. To support his offensive, the Japanese artillery moved into the open. By doing so, they were able to fire 13,000 rounds in support, but effective American [[counter-battery fire]] destroyed dozens of Japanese artillery pieces. The attack failed.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|283–302}}

Buckner launched another American attack on 11 May. Ten days of fierce fighting followed. On 13 May, troops of the 96th Infantry Division and [[763rd Tank Battalion (United States)|763rd Tank Battalion]] captured Conical Hill ({{Coord|26.21|N|127.75|E|display=inline}}). Rising {{convert|476|ft|m|abbr=on}} above the [[Yonabaru, Okinawa|Yonabaru]] coastal plain, this feature was the eastern anchor of the main Japanese defenses and was defended by about 1,000 Japanese. Meanwhile, on the opposite coast, the 1st and 6th Marine Divisions fought for "Sugar Loaf Hill" ({{Coord|26.222|N|127.696|E|display=inline}}). The capture of these two key positions exposed the Japanese around Shuri on both sides. Buckner hoped to envelop Shuri and trap the main Japanese defending force.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|311–359}}

By the end of May, monsoon rains which had turned contested hills and roads into a morass exacerbated both the [[Military tactics|tactical]] and medical situations. The ground advance began to resemble a [[World War I]] battlefield, as troops became mired in mud, and flooded roads greatly inhibited evacuation of wounded to the rear. Troops lived on a field sodden by rain, part garbage dump and part graveyard. Unburied Japanese and American bodies decayed, sank in the mud and became part of a noxious stew. Anyone sliding down the greasy slopes could easily find their pockets full of maggots at the end of the journey.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|364–370}}

From 24 to 27 May the 6th Marine Division cautiously occupied the ruins of Naha, the largest city on the island, finding it largely deserted.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|372–377}}

On 26 May aerial observers saw large troop movements just below Shuri. On 28 May Marine patrols found recently abandoned positions west of Shuri. By 30 May the consensus among Army and Marine intelligence was that the majority of Japanese forces had withdrawn from the Shuri Line.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|391–392}} On 29 May the [[1st Battalion 5th Marines|1st Battalion]], [[5th Marine Regiment (United States)|5th Marines]] (1/5 Marines) occupied high ground {{convert|700|yd}} east of [[Shuri Castle]] and reported that the castle appeared undefended. At 10:15 Company A, 1/5 Marines occupied the castle.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|395–496}}

Shuri Castle had been shelled by the battleship {{USS|Mississippi|BB-41|6}} for three days before this advance.<ref name="wonder-okinawa.jp">{{cite web|url=http://www.wonder-okinawa.jp/001/002-e/004_03.html |title=The Ordeals of Shuri Castle |publisher=Wonder-okinawa.jp |date=15 August 1945 |access-date=5 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704145457/http://www.wonder-okinawa.jp/001/002-e/004_03.html |archive-date=4 July 2009 }}</ref> The 32nd Army withdrew to the south and thus the Marines had an easy task of securing Shuri Castle.<ref name="wonder-okinawa.jp"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/wapa/indepth/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003135-00/sec5a.htm |title=The Final Campaign: Marines in the Victory on Okinawa (Assault on Shuri) |publisher=Nps.gov |access-date=5 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100415060912/http://www.nps.gov/archive/wapa/indepth/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003135-00/sec5a.htm |archive-date=15 April 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The castle, however, was outside the 1st Marine Division's assigned zone, and only frantic efforts by the commander and staff of the 77th Infantry Division prevented an American [[airstrike]] and artillery bombardment which would have resulted in many [[friendly fire]] casualties.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|396}}

On 29 May a [[Modern display of the Confederate battle flag#Military use|Confederate flag]] was raised over Shuri Castle,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/okinawa-confederate-flag/ |title=Okinawa Confederate Flag |publisher=Abbeville Institute Press |date=6 April 2018 |access-date=14 June 2023 }}</ref> before being removed and replaced by a US flag three days later on orders of General Buckner; himself the son of a Confederate General.<ref>{{harvnb|Coski|2005|p=91}}</ref>

The Japanese retreat, although harassed by artillery fire, was conducted with great skill at night and aided by the monsoon storms. The 32nd Army was able to move nearly 30,000 personnel into its last defense line on the Kiyan Peninsula, which ultimately led to the greatest slaughter on Okinawa in the latter stages of the battle, including the deaths of thousands of civilians. In addition, there were 9,000 IJN troops supported by 1,100 militia, with approximately 4,000 holed up at the underground headquarters on the hillside overlooking the Okinawa Naval Base in the Oroku Peninsula, east of the airfield.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|392–394}}

On 4 June, elements of the 6th Marine Division launched an amphibious assault on the peninsula. The 4,000 Japanese sailors, including Admiral Ōta, all committed suicide within the [[Tunnel warfare|hand-built tunnels]] of the underground naval headquarters on 13 June.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|427–434}} By 17 June, the remnants of Ushijima's shattered 32nd Army were pushed into a small pocket in the far south of the island to the southeast of [[Itoman]].<ref name="Appleman" />{{rp|455–4661}}

On 18 June, General Buckner was killed by Japanese artillery fire while monitoring the progress of his troops from a forward observation post. Buckner was replaced by [[Roy Geiger|Major General Roy Geiger]]. Upon assuming command, Geiger became the only US Marine to command a numbered army of the US Army in combat; he was relieved five days later by General [[Joseph Stilwell]]. On 19 June, Brigadier General [[Claudius Miller Easley]], the commander of the 96th Infantry Division, was killed by Japanese machine-gun fire, also while checking on the progress of his troops at the front.<ref name="Appleman" />{{rp|461}}

The last remnants of Japanese resistance ended on 21 June, although some Japanese continued hiding, including the future governor of [[Okinawa Prefecture]], [[Masahide Ōta]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.japanfocus.org/-Norimatsu-Satoko/3415 |title='The World is beginning to know Okinawa': Ota Masahide reflects on his life from the Battle of Okinawa to the Struggle for Okinawa |publisher=Japanfocus.org |access-date=6 May 2012 |archive-date=14 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114100647/http://www.japanfocus.org/-Norimatsu-Satoko/3415 |url-status=live }}</ref> Ushijima and Chō committed suicide by ''[[seppuku]]'' in their command headquarters on Hill 89 in the closing hours of the battle.<ref name="Appleman" />{{rp|468–471}} Colonel Yahara had asked Ushijima for permission to commit suicide, but the general refused his request, saying: "If you die there will be no one left who knows the truth about the battle of Okinawa. Bear the temporary shame but endure it. This is an order from your army commander."<ref name="Toland" />{{rp|723}} Yahara was the most senior officer to have survived the battle on the island, and he later authored a book titled ''The Battle for Okinawa''. On 22 June Tenth Army held a flag-raising ceremony to mark the end of organized resistance on Okinawa. On 23 June a mopping-up operation commenced, which concluded on 30 June.<ref name="Appleman" />{{rp|471–473}}

On 15 August 1945, Admiral [[Matome Ugaki]] was killed while part of a kamikaze raid on [[Iheya Island|Iheyajima]] island. The official surrender ceremony was held on 7 September, near the Kadena Airfield.
{{clear left}}

==Casualties==
[[File:Standing in the grassy sod bordering row upon row of white crosses in an American cemetery, two dungaree-clad Coast... - NARA - 513229.tif|thumb|left|upright|Two [[United States Coast Guard|US Coast Guardsmen]] pay homage to their comrade killed in the Ryukyu Islands.]]

The Battle of Okinawa was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-okinawa-the-bloodiest-battle-of-the-pacific-war.htm|title=Battle of Okinawa: The Bloodiest Battle of the Pacific War|date=12 June 2006|newspaper=HistoryNet|access-date=5 April 2010|archive-date=27 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527211902/http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-okinawa-the-bloodiest-battle-of-the-pacific-war.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/14/magazine/the-bloodiest-battle-of-all.html|work=The New York Times|title=The Bloodiest Battle Of All|first=William|last=Manchester|date=14 June 1987|access-date=31 March 2010|archive-date=7 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091207104512/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/14/magazine/the-bloodiest-battle-of-all.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The most complete tally of deaths during the battle is at the [[Cornerstone of Peace]] monument at the [[Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum]], which identifies the names of each individual who died at Okinawa in World War&nbsp;II. As of 2023, the monument lists 242,046 names, including 149,634 Okinawans, 77,823 Imperial Japanese soldiers, 14,010 Americans,<ref name="Prefecture">{{cite web |title=Number of names Inscribed／沖縄県 |url=http://www.pref.okinawa.jp/site/kodomo/heiwadanjo/heiwa/7812.html |access-date=2 March 2023 |publisher=[[Okinawa Prefecture]]}}</ref> and smaller numbers of people from [[South Korea]] (381), the United Kingdom (82), North Korea (82) and Taiwan (34).<ref name=Prefecture/>

The numbers correspond to recorded deaths during the Battle of Okinawa from the time of the American landings in the Kerama Islands on 26 March 1945 to the signing of the [[Surrender of Japan|Japanese surrender]] on 2 September 1945, in addition to all Okinawan casualties in the Pacific War in the 15 years from the [[Manchurian Incident]], along with those who died in Okinawa from war-related events in the year before the battle and the year after the surrender.<ref name="Inscription">{{cite web |url=http://www3.pref.okinawa.jp/site/view/contview.jsp?cateid=11&id=7797&page=1 |title=The Cornerstone of Peace – names to be inscribed |publisher=[[Okinawa Prefecture]] |access-date=4 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927153842/http://www3.pref.okinawa.jp/site/view/contview.jsp?cateid=11&id=7797&page=1 |archive-date=27 September 2011 }}</ref> 234,183 names were inscribed by the time of unveiling, and new names are added as necessary.<ref name="Book">{{cite book |editor-last=Weiner |editor-first=Michael  |title=Japan's minorities: the illusion of homogeneity |pages =169ff |publisher=Routledge |year=1997 |isbn=0-415-13008-5}}</ref><ref name="Ota">{{cite web |url=http://www.jpri.org/publications/workingpapers/wp65.html |title=Recollecting the War in Okinawa |publisher=[[Japan Policy Research Institute]] |access-date=4 February 2011 |archive-date=7 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807225620/http://www.jpri.org/publications/workingpapers/wp65.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070624a1.html |title=Okinawa marks 62nd anniversary of WWII battle |work=[[Japan Times]] |date=24 June 2007 |access-date=14 September 2007 |archive-date=29 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929124636/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070624a1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 40,000 of the Okinawan civilians killed had been drafted or impressed by the Japanese army and are often counted as combat deaths.

===Military losses===

====American====
[[File:SC 207308 - Two wounded men make their way to a medical aid station on Okinawa.jpg|thumb|Two wounded American soldiers make their way to a medical aid station on Okinawa, 20 April 1945.]]
[[File:Attack on bloody ridge.jpg|thumb|Two US [[M4 Sherman]] tanks knocked out by Japanese artillery at Bloody Ridge, 20 April 1945]]

The Americans suffered some 48,000 casualties, not including some 33,000 non-battle casualties (psychiatric, injuries, illnesses), of whom over 12,000 were killed or missing. Killed in action were 4,907 Navy, 4,675 Army, and 2,938 Marine Corps personnel; while 13,708 marines were wounded.<ref>https://www.med.navy.mil/Media/News/Article/3728759/april-1-1945-remembered-battle-for-okinawa-a-lasting-memory/#:~:text=The%20Battle%20of%20Okinawa%20lasted,12%2C520%20were%20killed%20or%20missing</ref></ref> when excluding naval losses at sea and losses on the surrounding islands (such as Ie Shima), 6,316 killed and over 30,000 wounded occurred on Okinawa proper.{{Sfn|Frank|1999|p=71}} Other authors such as [[John Keegan]] have come up with higher numbers.<ref name=Times>{{cite book|last=Keegan|first=John|title=The Times Atlas of the Second World War|publisher=Times Books|year=1989|isbn=978-0723003175|page=169}}</ref> The battle caused more than twice the number of American casualties than both the [[Guadalcanal campaign|Guadalcanal Campaign]] and [[Battle of Iwo Jima]] combined, with the Japanese kamikaze effort causing the [[United States Navy|American Navy]] to suffer more casualties than any previous engagement in the Atlantic or Pacific.<ref>Feifer 2001 p. xi</ref>

The most famous American casualty was Lieutenant General Buckner, whose decision to attack the Japanese defenses head-on, although extremely costly in American lives, was ultimately successful. Four days from the closing of the campaign, Buckner was killed by Japanese artillery fire, which blew lethal slivers of coral into his body, while inspecting his troops at the front line. He was the highest-ranking US officer to be killed by enemy fire during the Second World War. The day after Buckner was killed, Brigadier General Easley was killed by Japanese machine-gun fire. War correspondent [[Ernie Pyle]] was also killed by Japanese machine-gun fire on Ie Shima, a small island just off of northwestern Okinawa.<ref>Reid, Chip. [http://www.nbcnews.com/id/5130777 "Ernie Pyle, trail-blazing war correspondent{{snd}}Brought home the tragedy of D-Day and the rest of WWII"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817024901/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/5130777 |date=17 August 2018 }}, NBC News, 7 June 2004. Retrieved 26 April 2006.</ref>

[[File:Last picture of LtGen. Buckner at Okinawa.jpg|thumb|The last picture of US Army Lt. Gen. [[Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr.]] (right), taken on 18 June 1945. Later in the day, he was killed by Japanese artillery fire.]]
[[File:EasleysLastpicture.jpg|thumb|upright|The last picture of US Army Brig. Gen. [[Claudius Miller Easley]], taken on 19 June 1945. He was later killed by Japanese machine-gun fire.]]

Aircraft losses over the three-month period were 768 US planes, including those bombing the Kyushu airfields launching ''kamikaze''s. Combat losses were 458, and the other 310 were operational accidents. At sea, 368 Allied ships—including 120 amphibious craft—were damaged while another 36—including 15 amphibious ships and 12 destroyers—were sunk during the Okinawa campaign. The US Navy's dead exceeded its wounded, with 4,907 killed and 4,874 wounded, primarily from ''kamikaze'' attacks.<ref name=ACtC>{{cite web |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ACTC/actc-24.html |title=The Amphibians Came to Conquer |publisher=Ibiblio.org |access-date=12 October 2013 |archive-date=23 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623072524/http://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ACTC/actc-24.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

American personnel casualties included thousands of cases of mental breakdown. According to the account of the battle presented in ''[[Marine Corps Gazette]]'':

{{blockquote|text=More mental health issues arose from the Battle of Okinawa than any other battle in the Pacific during World War II. The constant bombardment from artillery and mortars coupled with the high casualty rates led to a great deal of personnel coming down with [[Combat stress reaction|combat fatigue]]. Additionally, the rains caused mud that prevented tanks from moving and tracks from pulling out the dead, forcing Marines (who pride themselves on burying their dead in a proper and honorable manner) to leave their comrades where they lay. This, coupled with thousands of bodies both friend and foe littering the entire island, created a scent you could nearly taste. [[Morale]] was dangerously low by May and the state of discipline on a moral basis had a new low barometer for acceptable behavior. The ruthless atrocities by the Japanese throughout the war had already brought on an altered behavior (deemed so by traditional standards) by many Americans resulting in [[American mutilation of Japanese war dead|the desecration of Japanese remains]], but the Japanese tactic of using the Okinawan people as [[human shield]]s brought about a new aspect of terror and torment to the psychological capacity of the Americans.<ref name=mcg>{{cite web |first=SSgt Rudy R. Jr. |last=Frame |url=http://www.mca-marines.org/gazette/article/okinawa-final-great-battle-world-war-ii |title=Okinawa: The Final Great Battle of World War II &#124; Marine Corps Gazette |publisher=Mca-marines.org |access-date=December 4, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214163259/http://www.mca-marines.org/gazette/article/okinawa-final-great-battle-world-war-ii |archive-date=December 14, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}

Medal of Honor recipients from Okinawa are:
<br />
'''Marine Corps'''
* [[Richard E. Bush]] – 16 April
* [[Henry A. Courtney Jr.]] – 14–15 May ({{abbrlink|posth.|Posthumous award}})
* [[James L. Day]] – 14–17 May
* [[John P. Fardy]] – 7 May (posth.)
* [[William A. Foster]] – 2 May (posth.)
* [[Harold Gonsalves]] – 15 April (posth.)
* [[Dale M. Hansen]] – 7 May (posth.)
* [[Louis J. Hauge Jr.]] – 14 May (posth.)
* [[Elbert L. Kinser]] – 4 May (posth.)
* [[Robert M. McTureous Jr.]] – 7 June (posth.)
* [[Albert E. Schwab]] – 7 May (posth.)
'''Army'''
* [[Beauford T. Anderson]] – 13 April
* [[Clarence B. Craft]] – 31 May
* [[Desmond Doss]] – 29 April – 21 May
* [[Martin O. May]] – 19–21 April (posth.)
* [[Seymour W. Terry]] – 11 May (posth.)
* [[John W. Meagher]] – 19 June
* [[Edward J. Moskala]] – 9 April (posth.)
* [[Joseph E. Muller]] – 15–16 May (posth.)
* [[Alejandro R. Ruiz]] – 28 April
'''Navy'''
* [[Robert Eugene Bush]] – 2 May
* [[William D. Halyburton Jr.]] – 10 May (posth.)
* [[Fred F. Lester]] – 8 June (posth.)
* [[Richard M. McCool Jr.]] – 10–11 June

====Allied naval vessels sunk or damaged at Okinawa====
The following table lists the Allied naval vessels that received damage or were sunk in the Battle of Okinawa between 19 March – 30 July 1945. The table lists a total of 147 damaged ships, five of which were damaged by enemy suicide boats and another five by mines. During the naval battle, which started before the amphibious landings on Okinawa on 1 April, {{USS|Franklin|CV-13|6}} suffered over 800 killed and missing and {{USS|Bunker Hill|CV-17|6}} suffered 396 killed and missing. These were the [[List of sunken aircraft carriers#United States|first and third largest loss of life]] on damaged or sunken American aircraft carriers during World War II. USS ''Franklin'' (hit by two bombs in a level bombing attack by a [[Yokosuka D4Y|D4Y ''Suisei'' (Judy)]] on 19 March 1945) and USS ''Bunker Hill'' were the only two aircraft carriers that sustained very severe damage from Japanese attacks and as a result were the only aircraft carriers in the {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier|4}} that did not experience any active service after the end of World War II. One source estimated that total Japanese sorties during the entire Okinawa campaign exceeded 3,700, with a large percentage being ''kamikaze'' attacks, and that the attackers damaged slightly more than 200 Allied vessels, with 4,900 naval officers and seamen killed and roughly 4,824 wounded or missing.<ref>Toll, Ian, ''Twilight of the Gods'', (2020) Norton and Co., New York, New York, p. 593</ref> USS ''Thorton'' was damaged as the result of a collision with another US ship.

The Japanese air attacks were so intense that Fifth Fleet commander Admiral Spruance's flagships were struck two separate times ({{USS|Indianapolis|CA-35|6}} was hit in March and had to retire for repairs which forced him to transfer to {{USS|New Mexico|BB-40|6}} which was also hit in May). [[Fast Carrier Task Force]] commander Vice Admiral [[Marc Mitscher]] and his chief of staff Commodore [[Arleigh Burke]] were yards away from getting killed or wounded by ''kamikazes'' on his flagship USS ''Bunker Hill'', which killed three of Mitscher's staff officers and eleven of his enlisted staff members and also destroyed his flag cabin along with all of his uniforms, personal papers, and possessions. Just three days later Mitscher's new flagship {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|6}} was also struck by a ''kamikaze'' forcing him to have to change his flagship yet again. Both fleet carriers were knocked out for the rest of the war.<ref>{{cite DANFS |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-048/h-048-1.html |title=H-048-1: Kamikaze Attacks on U.S. Flagships off Okinawa |access-date=30 August 2023}}</ref>

{{legend-inline|lightpink|text={{asterisk}}}} sunk or had to be scuttled due to irreparable damage. Of those sunk, the majority were relatively smaller ships; these included destroyers of around 300–450 feet. A few small cargo ships were also sunk, several containing munitions which caught fire.

{{legend-inline|wheat|text={{number sign}}}} scrapped or decommissioned as a result of damage.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|+ Allied Naval vessels sunk or damaged by Japanese forces at Okinawa, primarily kamikazes, 19 March – 30 July 1945<ref><!-- All information is public domain from --> United States Navy, with casualties taken from individual action reports <!-- table format and structure is heavily borrowed from--> Morison, Samuel, Eliot, ''Victory in the Pacific, 1945'', (Copyright 1960), Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, Appendix II pp. 390–392</ref>
|-
! style="text-align:center; width:55px;" |Day
! style="text-align:center;" |Ship
! style="text-align:center;" |Type
! style="text-align:center;" |Cause
! style="text-align:center;" |Killed
! style="text-align:center;" |Wounded
|-
| 19 Mar 45
| [[USS Wasp (CV-18)|USS ''Wasp'']]
| Carrier
| Air attack, bomb through flight, & hangar decks
| 102
| 269
|-
| 19 Mar 45
| [[USS Franklin (CV-13)|USS ''Franklin'']]
| Carrier
| Air attack
| 807
| 487
|-
| 20 Mar 45
| [[USS Enterprise (CV-6)|USS ''Enterprise'']]<ref>http://www.cv6.org/ship/logs/pod19450321.htm . Retrieved 14 March 2024.</ref><ref>http://www.cv6.org/1945/1945.htm . Retrieved 14 March 2024.</ref>
| Carrier
| Air attack, two near misses from bombs, at the same time of near misses immediately hit by two 5-inch AA shells from U.S. ships
| 9
| 28
|-
| 20 Mar 45
| [[USS Halsey Powell|USS ''Hasley Powell'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze
| 12
| 29
|-
| 24 Mar 45
| [[USS Nevada (BB-36)|USS ''Nevada'']]
| Battleship
| Air attack, kamikaze hit and knocked out 14-inch guns in turret number 3
| 11
| 49
|-
| 26 Mar 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Halligan (DD-584)|USS ''Haligan'']]
| Destroyer
| Mine, 3 miles SE of [[Maye Shima]], exploded two forward magazines, bow blown off<ref>Morison, ''Victory'', pp. 115–116</ref>
| 153
| 39
|-
| 26 Mar 45
| [[USS Kimberly (DD-521)|USS ''Kimberly'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze
| 4
| 57
|-
| 27 Mar 45
| [[USS Murray (DD-576)|USS ''Murray'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, bomb
| 1
| 116
|-
| 27 Mar 45
| [[USS O'Brien (DD-725)|USS ''O'Brian'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, [[Aichi D3A|Val]] kamikaze with bomb
| 50
| 76
|-
| 28 Mar 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Skylark (AM-63)|USS ''Skylark'']]
| Small Minesweeper
| Mine, struck mines twice off [[Hagushi]] beaches
| 5
| 25
|-
| 28 Mar 45
| [[USS LSM(R)-188|USS ''LSM(R)-188'']]
| Landing Ship
| Air attack, kamikaze
| 15
| 32
|-
| 29 Mar 45
| [[USS Wyandot (AKA-92)|USS ''Wyandot'']]
| Attack Cargo Ship
| Mine, possibly bomb
| 0
| 1
|-
| 31 Mar 45
| [[USS Indianapolis (CA-35)|USS ''Indianapolis'']]{{Efn|flagship of Admiral Raymond Spruance}}
| Cruiser
| Air attack, kamikaze with bomb through fuel tanks and propeller shafts
| 9
| 20
|-
| 1 Apr 45
| [[USS Adams (DM-27)|USS ''Adams'']]
| Destroyer Minelayer
| Air attack, kamikaze with bombs to [[Stern|fantail]]
| 0
| 0
|-
| 1 Apr 45
|   [[USS Alpine|USS ''Alpine'']]
| Attack Transport
| Air attack, bomb and kamikaze
| 16
| 27
|-
| 1 Apr 45
| [[USS Hinsdale (APA-120)|USS ''Hinsdale'']]
| Attack Transport
| Air attack, kamikaze with bombs at waterline
| 16
| 39
|-
| 1 Apr 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS LST-884|USS ''LST-884'']]
| Tank Landing Ship
| Air attack, kamikaze, scuttled 6 May
| 24
| 21
|-
| 1 Apr 45
| [[HMS Ulster (R83)|HMS ''Ulster'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, near miss bomb, badly damaged
| 2
| 1
|-
| 1 Apr 45
| [[USS West Virginia (BB-48)|USS ''West Virginia'']]<ref>https://www.usswestvirginia.org/stories/story.php?id=57 . Retrieved 14 March 2024.</ref>
| Battleship
| Air attack, kamikaze
| 4
| 23
|-
| 2 Apr 45
| [[USS New York (BB-34)|USS ''New York'']]
| Battleship
| Air attack, kamikaze destroyed search plane on catapult
| 0
| 2
|-
| 2 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Dickerson (DD-157)|USS ''Dickerson'']]
| Destroyer Transport
| Air attack, kamikaze Nick crashed bridge, towed, scuttled<ref>Morison, ''Victory'', p. 176</ref>
| 54
| 23
|-
| 2 Apr 45
| [[USS Goodhue (APA-107)|USS ''Goodhue'']]
| Attack Transport
| Air attack, kamikaze aimed at bridge glanced mainmast, hit cargo boom, gun tubs, over side<ref name="Morison, Victory, pg. 177">Morison, ''Victory'', p. 177</ref>
| 24
| 119
|-
| 2 Apr 45
| [[USS Henrico (APA-45)|USS ''Henrico'']]
| Attack Transport
| Air attack, kamikaze w/bombs hit bridge
| 49
| 125
|-
| 2 Apr 45
| [[USS Achernar|USS ''Achernar'']]
| Attack Cargo Ship
| Air attack, kamikaze w/bomb hit starboard
| 5
| 41
|-
| 3 Apr 45
| [[USS Wake Island|USS ''Wake Island'']]
| Escort Carrier
| Air attack, kamikaze blew below waterline
| 0
| 0
|-
| 3 Apr 45
| [[USS Prichett (DD-561)|USS ''Pritchett'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, 500 lb bomb
| 0
| 0
|-
| 3 Apr 45
| [[USS Foreman (DE-633)|USS ''Foreman'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, bomb passed through her bottom, exploded below
| 0
| 3
|-
| 3 Apr 45
| USS LST-599
| Tank Landing Ship
| Air attack, kamikaze through main deck, fires<ref name="Morison, Victory, pg. 177" />
| 0
| 21
|-
| 3 Apr 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # USS ''LCT-876''
| Landing Craft Tank
| Air attack
| 0
| 2
|-
| 4 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* USS ''LCI(G)-82''<ref>Morison, ''Victory'', p. 218</ref>
| Landing Craft, Infantry
| Suicide boat
| 8
| 11
|-
| 5 Apr 45
| [[USS Nevada (BB-36)|USS ''Nevada'']]
| Battleship
| Air attack 25 Mar and 5 April coastal battery
| 2
| 16
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Bush (DD-529)|USS ''Bush'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, three kamikaze hits, two between stacks, blew forward engine room, broke in half<ref name="M186-91">Morison, ''Victory'', pp. 186–191</ref>
| 94
| 32
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Colhoun (DD-801)|USS ''Colhoun'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, four kamikaze hits, bombs blew forward, & aft fire rooms at waterline<ref name="M186-91" />
| 35
| 21
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| [[USS Howorth (DD-592)|USS ''Howorth'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze struck superstructure, fires put out<ref>{{cite web|url=http://destroyerhistory.org/fletcherclass/usshoworth/|title=Destroyer History, USS ''Howorth''|publisher=Destroyer History Foundation|website=Destroyer History|access-date=30 June 2021|archive-date=28 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628002847/https://destroyerhistory.org/fletcherclass/usshoworth/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 9
| 14
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| [[USS Hyman|USS ''Hyman'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze Hampton hit torpedo tubes twixt stacks<ref>Morison, ''Victory'', p. 192</ref>
| 10
| 40
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Leutze (DD-481)|USS ''Leutze'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze blew at fantail, bad flooding<ref>Morison, ''Victory'', p. 184</ref>
| 7
| 34
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Morris (DD-417)|USS ''Morris'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kate kamikaze portside
| 0
| 5
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| [[USS Mullany (DD-528)|USS ''Mullany'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze hit depth charges
| 13
| 45
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Newcomb (DD-586)|USS ''Newcomb'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, multiple kamikazes
| 40
| 24
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| [[USS Haynsworth|USS ''Haynsworth'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze
| 7
| 25
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Witter (DE-636)|USS ''Witter'']]
| Destroyer Escort
| Starboard waterline kamikaze
| 0
| 5
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| [[USS Fieberling|USS ''Fieberling'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze near miss
| 6
| 6
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Emmons (DD-457)|USS ''Emmons'']]
| Destroyer Minesweeper
| Air attack, five kamikaze hits, scuttled 7 April
| 64
| 71
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| [[USS Rodman (DD-456)|USS ''Rodman'']]
| Destroyer Minesweeper
| Air attack, four kamikaze hits
| 16
| 20
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| [[USS Defense (AM-317)|USS ''Defense'']]
| Small Minesweeper
| Air attack, two kamikaze strikes
| 0
| 9
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS LST-447|USS ''LST-447'']]
| Landing Ship
| Air attack, kamikaze hit close above waterline, bomb blew
| 5
| 17
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[SS Hobbs Victory|SS ''Hobbs Victory'']]
| Cargo
| Air attack, kamikaze struck port, flames ignited ammunition
| 15
| 3
|-
| 6 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[SS Logan Victory|SS ''Logan Victory'']]
| Cargo
| Air attack, kamikaze struck superstructure, flames ignited ammunition
| 16
| 11
|-
| 7 Apr 45
| [[USS Hancock (CV-19)|USS ''Hancock'']]
| Carrier
| Air attack, cartwheeling kamikaze
| 72
| 82
|-
| 7 Apr 45
| [[USS Maryland (BB-46)|USS ''Maryland'']]
| Battleship
| Air attack, kamikaze hit starboard
| 16
| 37
|-
| 7 Apr 45
| [[USS Bennett|USS ''Bennett'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze hit engine room
| 3
| 18
|-
| 7 Apr 45
| [[USS Wesson|USS ''Wesson'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze starboard
| 8
| 23
|-
| 7 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS PGM-18|USS ''PGM-18'']]
| Small Gunboat
| Mine, powerful explosion
| 14
| 14
|-
| 7 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* ''YMS-103''
| Small [[YMS-1-class minesweeper|Minesweeper]]
| Mine, struck two mines, blowing off her bow and [[Stem (ship)|stem]] rescuing PGM-18<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fold3.com/image/1/295794569 |title=Loss report of PGM-18 |publisher=www.fold3.com |access-date=9 April 2020 |archive-date=29 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629022426/https://www.fold3.com/image/1/295794569 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fold3.com/image/1/295831144 |title=Loss report of YMS-103 |publisher=www.fold3.com |access-date=9 April 2020 |archive-date=28 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628194747/https://www.fold3.com/image/1/295831144 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| 5
| 0
|-
| 8 Apr 45
| [[USS Gregory (DD-802)|USS ''Gregory'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, port kamikaze amidships near waterline
| 0
| 2
|-
| 8 Apr 45
|  USS ''YMS-92''
| Small Sweeper
| Air attack
| 0
| 0
|-
| 9 Apr 45
| [[USS Charles J. Badger (DD-657)|USS ''Charles J. Badger'']]
| Destroyer
| Suicide boat threw depth charge or mine<ref>Toll, Ian, ''Twilight'', p. 597</ref>
| 0
| 0
|-
| 9 Apr 45
| [[USS Sterett (DD-407)|USS ''Sterett'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze hit starboard at waterline
| 0
| 9
|-
| 9 Apr 45
| [[USS Hopping (DE-155/APD-51)|USS ''Hopping'']]
| Destroyer Transport
| Coastal Battery, damaging hits off [[Buckner Bay]]
| 2
| 18
|-
| 11 Apr 45
| [[USS Enterprise (CV-6)|USS ''Enterprise'']]
| Carrier
| Air attack, two kamikazes hit at the waterline near her hull
| 1
| 18
|-
| 11 Apr 45
| [[USS Kidd (DD-661)|USS ''Kidd'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze
| 38
| 55
|-
| 11 Apr 45
| [[USS Missouri (BB-63)|USS ''Missouri'']]
| Battleship
| Air attack, kamikaze
| 0
| 0
|-
| 12 Apr 45
| [[USS Idaho (BB-42)|USS ''Idaho'']]
| Battleship
| Air attack, kamikaze hit port side anti-torpedo bulge
| 0
| 0
|-
| 12 Apr 45
| [[USS Tennessee (BB-43)|USS ''Tennessee'']]
| Battleship
| Air attack, kamikaze hit signal bridge
| 25
| 104
|-
| 12 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Mannert L. Abele|USS ''Mannert L. Abele'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze
| 79
| 35
|-
| 12 Apr 45
| [[USS Purdy|USS ''Purdy'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, splashed kamikaze bomb skidded in
| 13
| 27
|-
| 12 Apr 45
| [[USS Cassin Young|USS ''Cassin Young'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze hit foremast
| 1
| 59
|-
| 12 Apr 45
| [[USS Zellars|USS ''Zellars'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze crashed port, bomb blew
| 29
| 37
|-
| 12 Apr 45
| [[USS Rall|USS ''Rall'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze starboard aft, bomb blew
| 21
| 38
|-
| 12 Apr 45
| [[USS Whitehurst (DE-634)|USS ''Whitehurst'']]
| Destroyer Escort
| Air attack, kamikaze with bomb crashed into pilot house
| 37
| 37
|-
| 12 Apr 45
| [[USS Lindsey|USS ''Lindsey'']]
| Destroyer Minelayer
| Air attack, two kamikaze Val strikes
| 56
| 51
|-
| 12 Apr 45
| [[USS LSM(R)-189|USS ''LSM(R)-189'']]
| Landing Ship
| Air attack, kamikaze
| 0
| 4
|-
| 12 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* USS ''LCS(L)-33''
| Landing Craft
| Air attack, kamikaze Val amidships
| 4
| 29
|-
| 12 Apr 45
|  USS ''LCS(L)-57''
| Landing Craft
| Air attack, three kamikaze strikes
| 2
| 6
|-
| 14 Apr 45
| [[USS Sigsbee|USS ''Sigsbee'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze damaged port engine
| 4
| 74
|-
| 16 Apr 45
| [[USS Intrepid (CV-11)|USS ''Intrepid'']]
| Carrier
| Air attack, kamikaze crashed deck, fires put out
| 10
| 87
|-
| 16 Apr 45
| [[USS Bryant|USS ''Bryant'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze to bridge, with explosion
| 34
| 33
|-
| 16 Apr 45
| [[USS Laffey (DD-724)|USS ''Laffey'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, multiple kamikaze hits
| 31
| 72
|-
| 16 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Pringle (DD-477)|USS ''Pringle'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze Val hit abaft stack No. 1, explosion, broke in half
| 65
| 110
|-
| 16 Apr 45
| [[USS Bowers (DE-637)|USS ''Bowers'']]
| Destroyer Escort
| Air attack, kamikaze to bridge, bomb hit pilot house
| 48
| 56
|-
| 16 Apr 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Harding (DD-625)|USS ''Harding'']]
| Destroyer Minesweeper
| Air attack, kamikaze struck side near bridge
| 22
| 10
|-
| 16 Apr 45
| [[USS Hobson (DD-464)|USS ''Hobson'']]
| Destroyer Minesweeper
| Air attack, near miss kamikaze's bomb veered in
| 4
| 8
|-
| 16 Apr 45
|  USS ''LCS(L)-116''
| Landing Craft
| Air attack, kamikaze hit aft gun mount
| 12
| 12
|-
| 16 Apr 45
| [[USS Missouri (BB-63)|USS ''Missouri'']]
| Battleship
| Air attack, kamikaze hit stern crane
| 0
| 2
|-
| 18 Apr 45
| USS ''LSM-28''
| Landing Ship
| Air attack
| 0
| 0
|-
| 22 Apr 45
| [[USS Isherwood (DD-520)|USS ''Isherwood'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze w/bomb crashed gun mount
| 42
| 41
|-
| 22 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Swallow (AM-65)|USS ''Swallow'']]
| Small Sweeper
| Air attack, bad kamikaze hit flooded her, 3 mins sunk
| 2
| 9
|-
| 22 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[Landing Craft Support#Operations|USS ''LCS(L)-15'']]
| Landing Craft
| Air attack
| 15
| 11
|-
| 27 Apr 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Hutchins (DD-476)|USS ''Hutchins'']]
| Destroyer
| Suicide boat explosive blew close
| 0
| 0
|-
| 27 Apr 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Rathburne (DD-113)|USS ''Rathburne'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze hit port bow waterline
| 0
| 0
|-
| 27 Apr 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[SS Canada Victory|SS ''Canada Victory'']]
| Cargo
| Air attack, kamikaze hit stern, lit ammo, sunk in ten minutes
| 12
| 27
|-
| 28 Apr 45
| [[USS Pinkney|USS ''Pinkney'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze hit aft of superstructure, lit ammo
| 35
| 12
|-
| 28 Apr 45
| [[USS Comfort (AH-6)|USS ''Comfort'']]
| Hospital Ship
| Air attack, kamikaze through three decks to surgery
| 30
| 48
|-
| 29 Apr 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Haggard (DD-555)|USS ''Haggard'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze went through hull, blew engine room
| 11
| 40
|-
| 29 Apr 45
| [[USS Hazelwood (DD-531)|USS ''Hazelwood'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze zero hit port bridge
| 46
| 26
|-
| 29 Apr 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # USS ''LCS(L)-37''
| Landing Craft
| Suicide boat
| 0
| 4
|-
| 30 Apr 45
| [[USS Terror (CM-5)|USS ''Terror'']]
| Minelayer
| Air attack, kamikaze blew through main deck
| 48
| 123
|-
| 3 May 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Little (DD-803)|USS ''Little'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, five kamikaze strikes
| 30
| 79
|-
| 3 May 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Aaron Ward (DM-34)|USS ''Aaron Ward'']]
| Destroyer Minelayer
| Air attack; three kamikaze hits and bomb frags
| 45
| 49
|-
| 3 May 45
| [[USS Macomb (DD-458)|USS ''Macomb'']]
| Destroyer Minelayer
| Air attack, kamikaze
| 7
| 14
|-
| 3 May 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS LSM(R)-195|USS ''LSM(R)-195'']]
| Landing Ship
| Air attack, kamikaze hit rockets, sunk
| 8
| 16
|-
| 4 May 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Sangamon (CVE-26)|USS ''Sangamon'']]
| Escort Carrier
| Air attack, kamikaze & bomb blew through flight deck
| 46
| 116
|-
| 4 May 45
| [[USS Birmingham (CL-62)|USS ''Birmingham'']]
| Light Cruiser
| Air attack, kamikaze hit forward
| 51
| 81
|-
| 4 May 45
| [[USS Ingraham (DD-694)|USS ''Ingraham'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze above port waterline, bomb blew
| 14
| 37
|-
| 4 May 45
| [[HMS Formidable (67)|HMS ''Formidable'']]
| Carrier
| Air attack, kamikaze & bomb blew through flight deck
| 8
| 55
|-
| 4 May 45
| [[USS Hopkins (DD-249)|USS ''Hopkins'']]
| Destroyer Minesweeper
| Air attack, glancing blow by burning kamikaze
| 0
| 1
|-
| 4 May 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Luce (DD-522)|USS ''Luce'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, first kamikaze bomb hit, second kamikaze struck aft
| 149
| 94
|-
| 4 May 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Morrison (DD-560)|USS ''Morrison'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, first kamikaze hit bridge, then three more hits
| 159
| 102
|-
| 4 May 45
| [[USS Shea|USS ''Shea'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, [[Ohka]] kamikaze through starboard bridge
| 27
| 91
|-
| 4 May 45
| [[USS Carina (AK-74)|USS ''Carina'']]
| Cargo Ship
| Suicide boat ramming caused explosion
| 0
| 6
|-
| 4 May 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS LSM(R)-190|USS ''LSM(R)-190'']]
| Landing Ship
| Air attack, kamikaze set off her rockets
| 13
| 18
|-
| 4 May 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS LSM(R)-194|USS ''LSM(R)-194'']]
| Landing Ship
| Air attack
| 13
| 23
|-
| 9 May 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS England (DE-635)|USS ''England'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze dive bomber
| 35
| 27
|-
| 9 May 45
| [[HMS Formidable (67)|HMS ''Formidable'']]
| Carrier
| Air attack, kamikaze
| 1
| 4
|-
| 9 May 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Oberrender|USS ''Oberrender'']]
| Destroyer Escort
| Air attack, kamikaze hit starboard gun mount, bomb through main deck
| 8
| 53
|-
| 11 May 45
| [[USS Bunker Hill (CV-17)|USS ''Bunker Hill'']]{{Efn|flagship of Vice Admiral 
Marc Mitscher}}
| Carrier
| Air attack, three kamikaze hits with bombs through flight deck
| 396
| 264
|-
| 11 May 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Hugh W. Hadley|USS ''Hugh W. Hadley'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, aft bomb, an [[Ohka]], and two more kamikazes struck
| 28
| 67
|-
| 11 May 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Evans (DD-552)|USS ''Evans'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, struck by four kamikazes, fires put out
| 30
| 29
|-
| 11 May 45
|  USS ''LCS(L)-88''
| Landing Craft
| Air attack 
| 7
| 9
|-
| 12 May 45
| [[USS New Mexico (BB-40)|USS ''New Mexico'']]{{Efn|flagship of Admiral Raymond Spruance}}
| Battleship
| Air attack, kamikaze hit, bomb
| 54
| 119
|-
| 13 May 45
| [[USS Bache (DD-470)|USS ''Bache'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze hit, bomb exploded amidships just above main deck
| 41
| 32
|-
| 13 May 45
| [[USS Bright|USS ''Bright'']]
| Destroyer Escort
| Air attack, kamikaze zero hit fantail, bomb exploded
| 0
| 2
|-
| 14 May 45
| [[USS Enterprise (CV-6)|USS ''Enterprise'']]{{Efn|flagship of Vice Admiral 
Marc Mitscher}}
| Carrier
| Air attack, two kamikazes, struck port, & under starboard bow
| 14
| 68
|-
| 17 May 45
| [[USS Douglas H. Fox|USS ''Douglas H. Fox'']]
| Destroyer
| Two kamikaze strikes, one to forward gun mounts, one to fantail
| 9
| 35
|-
| 18 May 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Longshaw (DD-559)|USS ''Longshaw'']]
| Destroyer
| Coastal Battery, four hits, one ignited magazine, blew off bow back to bridge<ref>Morison, ''Victory'', p. 147</ref>
| 86
| 97
|-
| 18 May 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* USS ''LST-808''
| Landing Ship Tank
| Air attack
| 11
| 11
|-
| 20 May 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Chase (DE-158)|USS ''Chase'']]
| Destroyer Escort
| Air attack, splashed kamikaze skidded in, bombs opened hull, with flooding
| 0
| 35
|-
| 20 May 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Thatcher (DD-514)|USS ''Thatcher'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze Oscar struck aft of bridge, large hole
| 14
| 53
|-
| 20 May 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS John C. Butler|USS ''John C. Butler'']]
| Destroyer Escort
| Air attack, kamikaze hit to mast and antennas
| 0
| 0
|-
| 25 May 45
| [[USS Stormes|USS ''Stormes'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, crashed aft torpedo mount, bomb blew large hole, flooded aft
| 21
| 6
|-
| 25 May 45
| [[USS O'Neill|USS ''O'Neill'']]
| Destroyer Escort
| Air attack, kamikaze
| 0
| 16
|-
| 25 May 45
| [[USS Butler (DD-636)|USS ''Butler'']]
| Destroyer Minesweeper
| Air attack, kamikaze bombs exploded under keel
| 0
| 15
|-
| 25 May 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Spectacle (AM-305)|USS ''Spectacle'']]
| Small Minesweeper
| Air attack, kamikaze crashed port gun tub causing fires
| 29
| 6
|-
| 25 May 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Barry (DD-248)|USS ''Barry'']]
| Destroyer Transport
| Air attack, kamikaze badly crashed starboard side, fires, abandoned
| 0
| 30
|-
| 25 May 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Bates|USS ''Bates'']]
| Destroyer Escort
| Air attack, two kamikaze hits, fires, abandoned, towed, later sank
| 21
| 35
|-
| 25 May 45
| [[USS Roper (DD-147)|USS ''Roper'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze hit off Hanagushi, Okinawa
| 1
| 10
|-
| 25 May 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* ''LSM-135''
| Landing Ship
| Air attack, kamikaze caused fires, beached, abandoned
| 11
| 10
|-
| 25 May 45
| [[USS Inca (IX-229)|SS ''William B. Allison'']] (aka USS ''Inca'')
<ref name="William B. Allison">{{cite web|website=Maritime Quest Article on William B. Allison|title=Daily Event for May 24, 2008, William B. Allison|url=http://www.maritimequest.com/daily_event_archive/2008/05_may/24_ss_william_b_allison.htm|publisher=Maritime Quest|access-date=10 June 2021|archive-date=24 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200020/http://www.maritimequest.com/daily_event_archive/2008/05_may/24_ss_william_b_allison.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
| Cargo Ship, Liberty Ship
| Air attack, Aerial Torpedo off [[Nakagusuku Wan]] 
| 8
| 2
|-
| 27 May 45
| [[USS Braine (DD-630)|USS ''Braine'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, two kamikazes, first hit bridge, and second hit amidships
| 66
| 78
|-
| 27 May 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS Forrest|USS ''Forrest'']]
| Destroyer Minesweeper
| Air attack, kamikaze crashed starboard side waterline
| 5
| 13
|-
| 27 May 45
| [[USS Rednour (APD-102)|USS ''Rednour'']]
| Transport
| Air attack, two kamikazes hits, one made ten foot hole in main deck
| 3
| 13
|-
| 27 May 45
| [[USS Loy (DE-160)|USS ''Loy'']]
| Destroyer Escort
| Air attack, kamikaze near miss sprayed fragments
| 3
| 15
|-
| 27 May 45
| ''LCS(L)-119''
| Landing Craft
| Air attack
| 12
| 6
|-
| 28 May 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Drexler (DD-741)|USS ''Drexler'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, first kamikaze Frances hit topside, second Francis with bombs crashed into superstructure
| 158
| 51
|-
| 28 May 45
| [[USS Loy (DE-160)|USS ''Sandoval'']]
| Attack Transport
| Air attack, kamikaze hit portside of wheelhouse
| 8
| 26
|-
| 28 May 45
| [[SS Brown Victory|SS ''Brown Victory'']]
| Cargo
| Air attack, kamikaze hit
| 4
| 16
|-
| 28 May 45
| [[SS Josiah Snelling|SS ''Josiah Snelling'']]<ref>https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/n/naval-armed-guard-service-in-world-war-ii/action-at-okinawa.html . Retrieved 11 March 2024.</ref>
| Cargo
| Air attack, kamikaze hit
| 0
| 11
|-
| 28 May 45
| [[SS Mary A. Livermore|SS ''Mary A. Livermore'']]
| Cargo
| Air attack, kamikaze hit on starboard
| 10
| 4
|-
| 29 May 45
| [[USS Shubrick (DD-639)|USS ''Shubrick'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze bomb hit starboard causing hole, exploding depth charge
| 32
| 28
|-
| 3 June 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS LCI-90|USS ''LCI-90'']]
| Landing Craft Infantry
| Air attack, kamikaze
| 1
| 7
|-
| 5 Jun 45
| [[USS Louisville (CA-28)|USS ''Louisville'']]
| Cruiser
| Air attack, kamikaze hit quad 40mm AA gun mount and number 1 smoke stack
| 8
| 45
|-
| 5 Jun 45
| [[USS Mississippi (BB-41)|USS ''Mississippi'']]<ref>https://www.newspapers.com/article/clarion-ledger-blow-by-blow-account-of/22619240/ . Retrieved 14 March 2024.</ref>
| Battleship
| Air attack, kamikaze hit
| 1
| 2
|-
|-
| 6 June 45
| style="background:wheat;" | # [[USS J. William Ditter|USS ''J. William Ditter'']]
| Destroyer Minelayer
| Air attack, first kamikaze glanced, second hit port near main deck
| 10
| 27
|-
| 6 Jun 45
| [[USS Harry F. Bauer|USS ''Harry F. Bauer'']]
| Destroyer Minelayer
| Air attack, kamikaze hit [[superstructure]]
| 0
| 0
|-
| 7 June 45
| [[USS Natoma Bay|USS ''Natoma Bay'']]
| Escort carrier
| Air attack, kamikaze hit flight deck
| 1
| 4
|-
| 10 Jun 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS William D. Porter (DD-579)|USS ''William D. Porter'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, splashed kamikaze Val's bomb exploded close underwater
| 0
| 61
|-
| 11 Jun 45
|  USS ''LCS(L)-122''
| Landing Craft
| Air attack kamikaze hit conning tower base, bomb fragments caused fires<ref>Morison, ''Victory'', p. 275</ref>
| 11
| 29
|-
| 16 Jun 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Twiggs (DD-591)|USS ''Twiggs'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, splashed kamikaze and bomb blew in hull plating, with structural damage
| 126
| 34
|-
| 21 Jun 45
| [[USS Halloran|USS ''Halloran'']]
| Destroyer Escort
| Air attack, splashed kamikaze's bomb struck
| 3
| 24
|-
| 21 Jun 45
| [[USS Curtiss (AV-4)|USS ''Curtiss'']]
| Seaplane Tender
| Air attack, kamikaze and bomb ripped two holes in hull and blew
| 41
| 28
|-
| 21 Jun 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* USS ''LSM-59''
| Landing Ship
| Air attack, kamikaze strike while towing USS ''Barry'', sank in four minutes
| 2
| 8
|-
| 22 Jun 45
|  USS ''LSM-213''
| Landing Ship
| Air attack, kamikaze strike at Kimmu Wan, hull damage<ref name="M279">Morrison, ''Victory'', p. 279</ref>
| 3
| 10
|-
| 22 Jun 45
|  USS ''LST-534''
| Landing Ship Tank
| Air attack, while offloading on Nagagusuku Wan, kamikaze hit bow doors, tank deck<ref name="M279" />
| 3
| 35
|-
| 29 Jul 45
| style="background:lightpink" |* [[USS Callaghan (DD-792)|USS ''Callaghan'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, bi-plane kamikaze hit, its bomb blew aft engine room, sunk
| 47
| 73
|-
| 30 Jul 45
| [[USS Cassin Young|USS ''Cassin Young'']]
| Destroyer
| Air attack, kamikaze hit forward, earlier hit 12 April
| 22
| 45
|- class=sortbottom
!scope=row colspan=4 | Total
| 4582
| 6043
|}

====Japanese losses====
The US military estimates that 110,071 Japanese soldiers were killed during the battle. This total includes conscripted Okinawan civilians.

[[File:Japanese POWs, Okinawa cph.3c32796.jpg|thumb|A group of Japanese prisoners taken in June 1945]]

A total of 7,401 Japanese regulars and 3,400 Okinawan conscripts surrendered or were captured during the battle of Okinawa. Additional Japanese and renegade Okinawans were captured or surrendered over the next few months, bringing the total to 16,346.<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|489}} This was the first battle in the Pacific War in which thousands of Japanese soldiers surrendered or were captured. Many of the prisoners were native Okinawans who had been pressed into service shortly before the battle and were less imbued with the Imperial Japanese Army's no-surrender doctrine.<ref name=Huber/> When the American forces occupied the island, many Japanese soldiers put on Okinawan clothing to avoid capture, and some Okinawans would come to the Americans' aid by offering to identify these mainland Japanese.

The Japanese lost 16 combat vessels, including the super battleship ''Yamato''. Early claims of Japanese aircraft losses put the total at 7,800,<ref name=Appleman/>{{rp|474}} however later examination of Japanese records revealed that Japanese aircraft losses at Okinawa were far below often-repeated US estimates for the campaign.<ref name=Giangreco/> The number of conventional and kamikaze aircraft actually lost or expended by the 3rd, 5th, and 10th Air Fleets, combined with about 500 lost or expended by the Imperial Army at Okinawa, was roughly 1,430.<ref name=Giangreco/> The Allies destroyed 27 Japanese tanks and 743 artillery pieces (including mortars, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns), some of them eliminated by the naval and air bombardments but most knocked out by American counter-battery fire.

===Civilian losses, suicides, and atrocities===
[[File:Marine-observation-plane-okinawa.gif|thumb|left|A US Marine Corps [[Stinson L-5 Sentinel|Stinson Sentinel]] observation plane flies over the razed [[Naha, Okinawa|Naha]], capital of Okinawa, in May 1945.]]
{{main|Minoru Ōta#Telegraph to the Navy Vice Admiral}}
Some of the other islands that saw major battles in World War II, such as [[Battle of Iwo Jima|Iwo Jima]], were uninhabited or had been evacuated. Okinawa, by contrast, had a large indigenous civilian population; US Army records from the planning phase of the operation made the assumption that Okinawa was home to about 300,000 civilians. The official US Tenth Army count for the 82-day campaign is a total of 142,058 recovered enemy bodies (including those civilians [[Impressment|pressed into service]] by the Imperial Japanese Army), with the deduction made that about 42,000 were non-uniformed civilians who had been killed in the crossfire. Okinawa Prefecture's estimate is over 100,000 losses.<ref name="museum"/>

During the battle, American forces found it difficult to distinguish civilians from soldiers. It became common for them to shoot at Okinawan houses, as one infantryman wrote:
<blockquote>
There was some return fire from a few of the houses, but the others were probably occupied by civilians—and we didn't care. It was a terrible thing not to distinguish between the enemy and women and children. Americans always had great compassion, especially for children. Now we fired indiscriminately.<ref>Feifer 2001 p. 374</ref>
</blockquote>

[[File:Marine Corporal Earl Brunitt (left) and Private Genare Nuzzi share a foxhole and a couple of ponchos on Okinawa with... - NARA - 532551.tif|thumb|upright|Two US Marines share a [[Defensive fighting position|foxhole]] with an Okinawan war orphan in April 1945.]]
In its history of the war, the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum<ref name=museum>{{cite web |url=http://www.peace-museum.pref.okinawa.jp/english/index.html |title=The Basic Concept of the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum |publisher=Peace-museum.pref.okinawa.jp |date=1 April 2000 |access-date=12 October 2013 |archive-date=21 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221174202/http://www.peace-museum.pref.okinawa.jp/english/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> presents Okinawa as being caught between Japan and the United States. During the battle, the Imperial Japanese Army showed indifference to Okinawans' safety, and its soldiers used civilians as human shields or outright killed them. The Japanese military also confiscated food from the Okinawans and executed those who hid it, leading to mass starvation, and forced civilians out of their shelters. Japanese soldiers also killed about 1,000 people who spoke in the [[Okinawan language]] to suppress spying.<ref>{{cite web|first=James |last=Brooke |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/20/news/oki.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060114010134/http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/20/news/oki.php |archive-date=14 January 2006 |title=1945 suicide order still a trauma on Okinawa |access-date=12 October 2013}}</ref> The museum writes that "some were blown apart by [artillery] shells, some finding themselves in a hopeless situation were driven to suicide, some died of starvation, some succumbed to [[malaria]], while others fell victim to the retreating Japanese troops."<ref name=museum/>

With the impending Japanese defeat, civilians often committed [[mass suicide]], urged on by the Japanese soldiers who told locals that victorious American soldiers would go on a rampage of killing and raping. ''[[Ryūkyū Shimpō]]'', one of the two major Okinawan newspapers, wrote in 2007: "There are many Okinawans who have testified that the Japanese Army directed them to commit suicide. There are also people who have testified that they were handed grenades by Japanese soldiers" to blow themselves up.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/world/asia/01japan.html|title=Japan's Textbooks Reflect Revised History|journal=The New York Times|first=Norimitsu|last=Onishi|date=1 April 2007|access-date=31 March 2010|archive-date=20 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720140946/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/world/asia/01japan.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Thousands of civilians, having been induced by [[Japanese propaganda during World War II|Japanese propaganda]] to believe that American soldiers were [[barbarian]]s who committed horrible atrocities, killed their families and themselves to avoid capture at the hands of the Americans. Some of them threw themselves and their family members from the southern cliffs where the Peace Museum now resides.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/EDITORIAL-Cornerstone-of-Peace-A-Legacy-of-3029891.php |title=Editorial – Cornerstone of Peace: A Legacy of Bloodshed |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=24 June 1995 |access-date=10 December 2013 |archive-date=12 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412141648/https://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/EDITORIAL-Cornerstone-of-Peace-A-Legacy-of-3029891.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

Okinawans "were often surprised at the comparatively humane treatment they received from the American enemy".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RMDt86cokDUC&pg=PA16|title=The American Occupation of Japan and Okinawa: Literature and Memory|first=Michael S.|last=Molasky|page=16|isbn=978-0415191944|year=1999|publisher=Routledge|access-date=18 January 2021|archive-date=23 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123145057/https://books.google.com/books?id=RMDt86cokDUC&pg=PA16|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6xMuWmEsAcMC&pg=PA21|title=Southern Exposure: Modern Japanese Literature from Okinawa|first1=Michael S.|last1=Molasky|first2=Steve|last2=Rabson|page=22|isbn=978-0824823009|year=2000|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|access-date=18 January 2021|archive-date=23 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123145059/https://books.google.com/books?id=6xMuWmEsAcMC&pg=PA21|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Islands of Discontent: Okinawan Responses to Japanese and American Power'' by [[Mark Selden]] states that the Americans "did not pursue a policy of torture, rape, and murder of civilians as Japanese military officials had warned".<ref>{{Cite book |title=Islands of Discontent: Okinawan Responses to Japanese and American Power |first1=Susan D |last1=Sheehan |first2=Laura |last2=Hein |first3=Mark |last3=Selden |date=9 April 2003 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ec4dAAAAQBAJ |page=18 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |isbn=978-1461637929 |access-date=1 June 2022 |archive-date=23 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123150635/https://books.google.com/books?id=ec4dAAAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> American [[Military Intelligence Corps (United States Army)|Military Intelligence Corps]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.njahs.org/misnorcal/campaigns/campaigns_centralpacific.htm#okinawa |title=Military Intelligence Service Research Center: Okinawa |publisher=Njahs.org |access-date=12 October 2013 |archive-date=6 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606174159/https://www.njahs.org/misnorcal/campaigns/campaigns_centralpacific.htm#okinawa |url-status=live }}</ref> combat translators such as [[Teruto Tsubota]] managed to convince many civilians not to kill themselves.<ref>[http://www.stripes.com/news/defiant-soldier-saved-lives-of-hundreds-of-civilians-during-okinawa-battle-1.31173 Defiant soldier saved lives of hundreds of civilians during Okinawa battle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127171750/http://www.stripes.com/news/defiant-soldier-saved-lives-of-hundreds-of-civilians-during-okinawa-battle-1.31173 |date=27 January 2012 }}, ''[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]]'', 1 April 2005.</ref> Survivors of the mass suicides blamed also the indoctrination of their education system of the time, in which the Okinawans were taught to become "more Japanese than the Japanese" and were expected to prove it.<ref>{{cite web |first=Toru |last=Saito |url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201306210078 |title=Pressure to prove loyalty paved way for mass suicides in Battle of Okinawa – AJW by The Asahi Shimbun |work=Asahi Shimbun |access-date=11 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213141737/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201306210078 |archive-date=13 December 2013 }}</ref>

[[File:Overcoming the last resistance.jpg|thumb|Overcoming the civilian resistance on Okinawa was aided by US propaganda [[Pamphlet|leaflets]], one of which is being read by a prisoner awaiting transport.]]

Witnesses and historians claim that American and Japanese soldiers raped Okinawan women during the battle. Rape by Japanese troops reportedly "became common" in June, after it became clear that the Imperial Japanese Army had been defeated.<ref name="Huber" /><ref name="Appleman" />{{rp|462}} Marine Corps officials in Okinawa and Washington have said that they knew of no rapes by American personnel in Okinawa at the end of the war.<ref name="times-3dead">{{cite news|last=Sims|first=Calvin|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/01/world/3-dead-marines-and-a-secret-of-wartime-okinawa.html|title=3 Dead Marines and a Secret of Wartime Okinawa|work=The New York Times|date=1 June 2000|access-date=5 April 2010|archive-date=26 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181126052635/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/01/world/3-dead-marines-and-a-secret-of-wartime-okinawa.html|url-status=live}}</ref> There are, however, numerous credible testimony accounts which note that a large number of [[Rape during the occupation of Japan#Battle of Okinawa|rapes were committed by American forces]] during the battle. This includes stories of rape after trading sexual favors or even marrying Americans,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Tanaka|first1=Yuki|title=Japan's Comfort Women: Sexual Slavery and Prostitution During World War II|date=2003|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0203302753}}</ref> such as the alleged incident in the village of Katsuyama, where civilians said they had formed a vigilante group to [[1945 Katsuyama killing incident|ambush and kill three black American soldiers]] whom they claimed would frequently rape the local girls there.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Lisa Takeuchi Cullen |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,170085-2,00.html |title=Okinawa Nights |magazine=Time |date=13 August 2001 |access-date=5 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310173835/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0%2C8599%2C170085-2%2C00.html |archive-date=10 March 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====MEXT textbook controversy====
{{See also|Japanese history textbook controversies}}
There is ongoing disagreement between Okinawa's local government and Japan's national government over the role of the Japanese military in civilian mass suicides during the battle. In March 2007, the national [[Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology]] (MEXT) advised textbook publishers to reword descriptions that the embattled Imperial Japanese Army forced civilians to kill themselves in the war to avoid being taken prisoner. MEXT preferred descriptions that just say that civilians received hand grenades from the Japanese military. This move sparked widespread protests among Okinawans. In June 2007, the [[Okinawa Prefectural Assembly]] adopted a resolution stating, "We strongly call on the (national) government to retract the instruction and to immediately restore the description in the textbooks so the truth of the Battle of Okinawa will be handed down correctly and a tragic war will never happen again."<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070623a1.html Okinawa slams history text rewrite] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120604185354/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070623a1.html |date=4 June 2012 }}, ''Japan Times'', 23 June 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gheddo |first=Piero |url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Okinawa-against-Tokyo%E2%80%99s-attempts-to-rewrite-history-9666.html |title=Japan: Okinawa against Tokyo's attempts to rewrite history – Asia News |publisher=Asianews.it |access-date=4 December 2013 |archive-date=20 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620172535/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Okinawa-against-Tokyo%E2%80%99s-attempts-to-rewrite-history-9666.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 29 September 2007, about 110,000 people held the biggest political rally in the history of Okinawa to demand that MEXT retract its order to textbook publishers regarding revising the account of the civilian suicides. The resolution states, "It is an undeniable fact that the 'multiple suicides' would not have occurred without the involvement of the Japanese military and any deletion of or [[Historical revisionism|revision]] to (the descriptions) is a denial and distortion of the many testimonies by those people who survived the incidents."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070930a2.html |title=110,000 protest history text revision order |publisher=Search.japantimes.co.jp |date=30 September 2007 |access-date=12 October 2013 |archive-date=29 June 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629080542/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070930a2.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In December 2007, MEXT partially admitted the role of the Japanese military in civilian mass suicides.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/26/asia/japan.php Japan to amend textbook accounts of Okinawa suicides] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219115749/http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/26/asia/japan.php |date=19 December 2008 }} ''[[International Herald Tribune|Herald Tribune]]'', 26 December 2007.</ref> The ministry's Textbook Authorization Council allowed the publishers to reinstate the reference that civilians "were forced into mass suicides by the Japanese military", on condition it is placed in sufficient context. The council report states, "It can be said that from the viewpoint of the Okinawa residents, they were forced into the mass suicides."<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20071227a1.html Texts reinstate army's role in mass suicides: Okinawa prevails in history row] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120629080541/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20071227a1.html |date=29 June 2012 }} ''[[Japan Times]]'', 27 December 2007.</ref> That was not enough for the survivors who said it is important for children today to know what really happened.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7098876.stm Okinawa's war time wounds reopened]  BBC News, 17 November 2007.</ref>

The Nobel Prize-winning author [[Kenzaburō Ōe]] wrote a booklet that states that the mass suicide order was given by the military during the battle.<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070912a3.html Witness: Military ordered mass suicides] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120629080540/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070912a3.html |date=29 June 2012 }}, ''Japan Times'', 12 September 2007.</ref> He was sued by revisionists, including a wartime commander during the battle, who disputed this and wanted to stop publication of the booklet. At a court hearing, Ōe testified "Mass suicides were forced on Okinawa islanders under Japan's hierarchical social structure that ran through the state of Japan, the Japanese armed forces and local garrisons."<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20071110a3.html Oe testifies military behind Okinawa mass suicides] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112142909/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20071110a3.html |date=12 November 2007}}, ''Japan Times'', 10 November 2007.</ref> In March 2008, the [[Osaka Prefecture]] Court ruled in favor of Ōe, stating, "It can be said the military was deeply involved in the mass suicides." The court recognized the military's involvement in the mass suicides and [[murder-suicide]]s, citing the testimony about the distribution of grenades for suicide by soldiers and the fact that mass suicides were not recorded on islands where the military was not stationed.<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080329a1.html Court sides with Oe over mass suicides] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120629080540/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080329a1.html |date=29 June 2012 }}, ''Japan Times'', 29 March 2008.</ref>

In 2012, Korean-Japanese director Pak Su-nam announced her work on the documentary ''Nuchigafu'' (Okinawan for "only if one is alive") collecting living survivors' accounts to show "the truth of history to many people", alleging that "there were two types of orders for 'honorable deaths'—one for residents to kill each other and the other for the military to kill all residents".<ref>Nayoki Himeno, [http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201205240011 Director humanizes tragedy of Okinawan mass suicides] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528075230/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201205240011 |date=28 May 2013}}, ''The Asashi Shimbun'', 24 May 2012.</ref> In March 2013, Japanese textbook publisher Shimizu Shoin was permitted by MEXT to publish the statements that "Orders from Japanese soldiers led to Okinawans committing group suicide" and "The [Japanese] army caused many tragedies in Okinawa, killing local civilians and forcing them to commit mass suicide."<ref>[https://archive.today/20130413130816/http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130327p2a00m0na014000c.html New high school texts say Japanese Imperial Army ordered WWII Okinawa suicides], ''The Mainichi'', 29 March 2013.</ref>

==Aftermath==
[[File:Kenneth Glueck USMC-110629-M-IV598-032.jpg|thumb|The [[Cornerstone of Peace]] Memorial with names of all military and civilians from all countries who died in the Battle of Okinawa]]
[[File:V-J Day Celebration, Okinawa, August 1945 (15900085425).jpg|thumb|Marines celebrate [[Victory over Japan Day]] on Okinawa, August 1945]]

Military historian and journalist [[Hanson W. Baldwin]] stated about scale and ferocity of the battle, especially for American forces, that:<ref>Feifer 2001 p. vii</ref>{{blockquote|The battle for Okinawa can be described only in the grim superlatives of war. In size, scope and ferocity, it dwarfed the [[Battle of Britain]]. Never before had there been, probably never again will there be, such a vicious sprawling struggle of planes against planes, of ships against planes. Never before, in so short a space, had the Navy lost so many ships; never before in land fighting had so much American blood been shed in so short a time in so small an area: probably never before in any three months of the war had the enemy suffered so hugely, and the final toll of American casualties was the highest experienced in any campaign against the Japanese. There have been larger land battles, more protracted air campaigns, but Okinawa was the largest combined operation, a “no quarter” struggle fought on, under and over the sea and land.}}According to historian [[George Feifer]], Okinawa was the "site of the largest land-sea-air battle in history" and that the battle was the "last major one before the start of the [[Atomic Age|atomic age]]".<ref>Feifer 2001 pp. xi</ref> At least 90% of the buildings on the island were destroyed, along with countless historical documents, artifacts, and cultural treasures, and the tropical landscape was turned into "a vast field of mud, lead, decay and maggots".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nyc-shorinryu.com/okinawa.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819073836/http://www.nyc-shorinryu.com/okinawa.html|url-status=dead|title=Okinawan History and Karate-do|archive-date=19 August 2011}}</ref> The military value of Okinawa was significant, as Okinawa provided a fleet anchorage, troop staging areas, and airfields in proximity to Japan. The US cleared the surrounding waters of mines in [[Operation Zebra]], occupied Okinawa, and set up the [[United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands]], a form of military government, after the battle.<ref>{{cite book| title=Military Government in the Ryukyu Islands, 1945–1950| isbn=1410218791| last1=Fisch| first1=Arnold G.| year= 2004| publisher=University Press of the Pacific}}</ref> In 2011, one official of the prefectural government told David Hearst of ''[[The Guardian]]'':

{{blockquote|text=You have the [[Battle of Britain]], in which your airmen protected the British people. We had the Battle of Okinawa, in which the exact opposite happened. The Japanese army not only starved the Okinawans but used them as human shields. That dark history is still present today&nbsp;– and Japan and the US should study it before they decide what to do with next.<ref>{{cite web |author=David Hearst in Okinawa |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/07/okinawa-japan-military-tension |title=Second battle of Okinawa looms as China's naval ambition grows |work=The Guardian |date=7 March 2011 |access-date=December 4, 2013 |archive-date=1 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801003102/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/07/okinawa-japan-military-tension |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

===Effect on the wider war===
Because the next major event following the Battle of Okinawa was the total surrender of Japan, the effect of this battle is more difficult to consider. Because [[Surrender of Japan|Japan surrendered]] when it did, the anticipated series of battles and the invasion of the Japanese homeland never occurred, and all military strategies on both sides which presupposed this apparently-inevitable next development were immediately rendered moot.

Some military historians believe that the Okinawa campaign led directly to the [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]], as a means of avoiding the [[Operation Downfall|planned ground invasion of the Japanese mainland]]. This view is explained by [[Victor Davis Hanson]] in his book ''Ripples of Battle'':

{{blockquote|text=...&nbsp;because the Japanese on Okinawa&nbsp;... were so fierce in their defense (even when cut off and without supplies), and because casualties were so appalling, many American strategists looked for an alternative means to subdue mainland Japan, other than a direct invasion. This means presented itself, with the advent of atomic bombs, which worked admirably in convincing the Japanese to sue for peace [unconditionally], without American casualties.|sign=|source=}}

Meanwhile, many parties continue to [[Debate over the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|debate]] the broader question of "why Japan surrendered", attributing the surrender to a number of possible reasons including: the atomic bombings,<ref>{{cite book|last=Maddox|first=Robert James|year=2004|title=Weapons for Victory: The Hiroshima Decision|page=xvii|publisher=University of Missouri Press|isbn=978-0826215628}}</ref>{{sfn|Frank|1999|p=331}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Gaddis|first=John Lewis|author-link=John Lewis Gaddis|year=2005|title=The Cold War|page=50|quote=[Hiroshima and Nagasaki] brought about the Japanese surrender.|publisher=Allen Lane|isbn=978-0713999129}}</ref> the [[Soviet invasion of Manchuria]],<ref>[http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-declare-war-on-japan-invade-manchuria "Soviets declare war on Japan; invade Manchuria".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200903175327/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-declare-war-on-japan-invade-manchuria |date=3 September 2020 }} History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 6 July 2014.</ref><ref>[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CSSexxwDzgs "Did Nuclear Weapons Cause Japan to Surrender?".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924023841/https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CSSexxwDzgs |date=24 September 2021 }} [[Ward Wilson|Wilson, Ward]]. YouTube. Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, 16 January 2013. Web. 6 July 2014.</ref> and Japan's depleted resources.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hasegawa|first=Tsuyoshi|author-link=Tsuyoshi Hasegawa|year=2005|title=Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan|publisher=Belknap Press of Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0674022416|url=https://archive.org/details/racingenemy00tsuy}}</ref>{{page needed|date=June 2016}}<ref>[http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2011/08/07/why_did_japan_surrender/ "Why did Japan surrender?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726154745/https://www.bostonglobe.com/ |date=26 July 2020 }}. ''Boston Globe''. 7 August 2011.</ref>

===Memorial===
In 1995, the Okinawa government erected a memorial monument named the Cornerstone of Peace in Mabuni, the site of the last fighting in southeastern Okinawa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pref.okinawa.jp/summit/a_la/peace/ishiji/index2.htm |title=The Cornerstone of Peace |language=ja |publisher=Pref.okinawa.jp |access-date=6 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606184144/http://www.pref.okinawa.jp/summit/a_la/peace/ishiji/index2.htm |archive-date=6 June 2012 }}</ref> The memorial lists all the known names of those who died in the battle, civilian and military, Japanese and foreign. As of 2024, the monument lists 242,225 names.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arabnews.jp/en/japan/article_124858/|title=Activists in Tokyo call for 'liberation of Ryukyu' on the Okinawa anniversary|website=Arab News Japan|accessdate=31 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/06/23/japan/battle-of-okinawa-79-years/|title=Okinawa marks 79 years since end of fierce ground battle|date=23 June 2024|website=The Japan Times|access-date=31 July 2024}}</ref>

===Modern US base===
Significant US forces remain garrisoned on Okinawa as the [[United States Forces Japan]], which the Japanese government sees as an important guarantee of regional stability,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38891210 |title=Press rewind: Trump, Tokyo and a welcome back to the 1980s |date=9 February 2017 |work=BBC News |access-date=10 February 2017 |archive-date=22 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180922225135/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38891210 |url-status=live }}</ref> and Kadena remains the largest US air base in Asia. Local residents have long protested against the size and presence of the base.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/06/world/asia/in-okinawa-talk-of-break-from-japan-turns-serious.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/06/world/asia/in-okinawa-talk-of-break-from-japan-turns-serious.html |archive-date=1 January 2022 |url-access=limited |work=The New York Times |first=Martin |last=Fackler |title=In Okinawa, Talk of Break From Japan Turns Serious |date=5 July 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[Himeyuri students]]
* [[Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots]]
* [[History of the Ryukyus]]
* [[Josef R. Sheetz]]
* [[Rape during the occupation of Japan]] {{clear}}
* [[Suicide in Japan]]
* [[Okinawa Memorial Day]]
* [[Naval Base Okinawa]]
* [[Marine Corps Air Station Futenma]]
* [[Camp Hansen]]
* [[Torii Station]]
* [[Camp Schwab]]
* [[Camp Foster]]
* [[Camp Kinser]]
* [[Giretsu Kuteitai]]
* [[Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== Sources ===
: {{ACMH}}
* {{cite book|last=Alexander|first=Joseph|title=The Final Campaign: Marines in the Victory on Okinawa|publisher=U.S. Marine Corps History Division|year=1995|url=https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/The%20Final%20Campaign%20Marines%20in%20the%20Victory%20of%20Okinawa%20%20PCN%2019000313500.pdf?ver=2018-10-30-100555-327|isbn=|access-date=18 January 2021|archive-date=22 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122232229/https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/The%20Final%20Campaign%20Marines%20in%20the%20Victory%20of%20Okinawa%20%20PCN%2019000313500.pdf?ver=2018-10-30-100555-327|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|last1=Appleman|first1=Roy|last2=Burns|first2=James|last3=Gugeler|first3=Russel|last4=Stevens|first4=John|year=1948|title=Okinawa: The Last Battle|publisher=[[United States Army Center of Military History]]|isbn=1410222063|url=http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/okinawa/index.htm|access-date=14 June 2010|archive-date=8 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101108040706/http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/okinawa/index.htm|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite book |title = Ryukyus |first = Arnold G. Jr. |last = Fisch |url = http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/ryukyus/ryukyus.htm |publisher = [[United States Army Center of Military History]] |id = CMH Pub 72-35 |series = World War II Campaign Brochures |year = 2004 |location = Washington, DC |isbn = 0160480329 |access-date = 14 June 2010 |archive-date = 5 January 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120105220527/http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/ryukyus/ryukyus.htm |url-status = dead }}
* {{cite book |last = Hobbs |first = David |title = The British Pacific Fleet: The Royal Navy's Most Powerful Strike Force |year = 2012 |publisher=Seaforth Publishing |isbn = 978-1783469222 }}
* {{cite book |last=Morison |first=Samuel Eliot |author-link=Samuel Eliot Morison |orig-date=1960 |year=2002 |title = Victory in the Pacific, 1945, vol. 14 of |series= [[History of United States Naval Operations in World War II]] |publisher=University of Illinois Press |location=Champaign |isbn = 0252070658  |oclc= 1036894412}}
* {{cite book|last=Nash|first=Douglas|title=Battle of Okinawa III MEF Staff Ride Battle Book|publisher=U.S. Marine Corps History Division|year=2015|url=https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/Okinawa%20Staff%20Ride%20Pub%20Proof%205%20for%20Web.pdf?ver=2018-10-30-091114-553|isbn=|access-date=18 January 2021|archive-date=24 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324234438/https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/Okinawa%20Staff%20Ride%20Pub%20Proof%205%20for%20Web.pdf?ver=2018-10-30-091114-553|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|last1=Nichols|first1=Charles|last2=Shaw|first2=Henry|title=Okinawa: Victory in the Pacific|publisher=Government Printing Office|year=1955|asin=B00071UAT8|url=https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/OkinawaVictoryInThePacific.pdf|access-date=18 January 2021|archive-date=24 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324103755/https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/OkinawaVictoryInThePacific.pdf|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |last=Astor |first=Gerald |year=1996 |title=Operation Iceberg: The Invasion and Conquest of Okinawa in World War II |publisher=Dell |isbn=0440221781 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/operationiceberg0000asto }}
* {{cite book|last1=Buckner|first1=Simon|last2=Stilwell|first2=Joseph|title=Seven Stars: The Okinawa Battle Diaries of Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. and Joseph Stilwell|editor=Nicholas Evan Sarantakes|publisher=|year=2004|isbn=}}
* {{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zs0VJTbNwfAC&pg=PA80 |title=The Confederate Battle Flag: America's Most Embattled Emblem |date=2005 |first=John M. |last=Coski |access-date=March 8, 2016 |location=United States of America |publisher=First Harvard University Press |isbn=0674019830}}
* {{cite book |last=Feifer |first=George |year=2001 |title = The Battle of Okinawa: The Blood and the Bomb |publisher = The Lyons Press |isbn = 1585742155 }}
* {{cite book |last = Frank |first = Richard B. |author-link = Richard B. Frank |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cJXtAAAAMAAJ |year = 1999 |title = Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire |publisher = Random House |isbn = 978-0679414247 }}
* {{cite book |last=Hallas |first=James H. |year=2006 |title=Killing Ground on Okinawa: The Battle for Sugar Loaf Hill |publisher=Potomac Books |isbn = 1597970638 }}
* {{cite book |last=Hastings |first=Max |orig-date=2007 |date=2008 |title=Retribution – The Battle for Japan, 1944–45 |url=https://archive.org/details/retributionbattl00hast |url-access=registration |publisher=Alfred A. Knopf |location=New York |isbn=978-0307263513 }}
* {{cite book |last=Lacey |first=Laura Homan |year=2005 |title=Stay Off The Skyline: The Sixth Marine Division on Okinawa&nbsp;– An Oral History |publisher=Potomac Books |isbn=1574889524 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/stayoffskylinesi00lace }}
* {{cite book |last=Manchester |first=William |year=1980 |title = Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War |publisher = Little, Brown and Co. |location = Boston; Toronto |isbn = 0316545015 }}
* {{cite book |last=Rottman |first=Gordon |year=2002 |title = Okinawa 1945: The last Battle |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn = 1841765465 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Sledge |first1=E. B. |last2=Fussell |first2=Paul |year=1990 |title=With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa |publisher = Oxford University Press |isbn = 0195067142 |title-link=With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa }}, famous Marine memoir
* {{cite book |last=Sloan |first=Bill |year=2007 |title = The Ultimate Battle: Okinawa 1945 – The Last Epic Struggle of World War II |publisher = Simon & Schuster |isbn = 978-0743292467 }}
* {{cite book |last=Toll |first=Ian W. |author-link=Ian W. Toll |title=[[Twilight of the Gods: War in the Western Pacific, 1944–1945]] |location=New York |publisher=W.W. Norton |date=2020}}
* {{cite book |last=Yahara |first=Hiromichi |year=2001 |title = The Battle for Okinawa |publisher = John Wiley & Sons |isbn = 0471180807 }} – Firsthand account of the battle by a surviving Japanese officer.
* {{cite book|last=Zaloga|first=Steven|title=Japanese Tanks 1939–45|publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=2007|isbn=978-1846030918}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Battle of Okinawa}}
* {{cite web |last = Dyer |first = George Carroll |year = 1956 |url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ACTC/index.html |title = The Amphibians Came to Conquer: The Story of Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner |publisher = United States Government Printing Office |access-date = 5 May 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110521010748/http://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ACTC/index.html |archive-date = 21 May 2011|url-status = live |df = mdy }}
* {{cite web |last = Huber |first = Thomas M. |date = May 1990 |url = http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Huber/Huber.asp |title = Japan's Battle of Okinawa, April–June 1945 |work = Leavenworth Papers |publisher = United States Army [[Command and General Staff College]] |access-date = 20 November 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061216035903/http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Huber/Huber.asp |archive-date=16 December 2006 |url-status = dead |df = mdy }}
* {{Internet Archive film clip|id=gov.archives.li.127-g-1930|description="footage from the National Archives.By Sgt. Rhodes"}}
* {{Internet Archive film clip|id=1945-04-09_Landings_On_Okinawa|description="Landings On Okinawa, 1945/04/09 (1945)"}}
* {{Internet Archive film clip|id=1945-05-03_Argentine_Admitted_To_World_Parley|description="Argentine Admitted To World Parley, 1945/05/03 (1945)"}}
* {{Internet Archive film clip|id=1945-07-05_Final_Days_of_Struggle_in_Okinawa|description="Final Days of Struggle in Okinawa, 1945/07/05 (1945)"}}
* [http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/okinawa/ US military on the Battle of Okinawa] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090926225835/http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/okinawa/ |date=26 September 2009 }}
* [https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Navy-c24.html New Zealand account with reference to Operation Iceberg]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120606184144/http://www.pref.okinawa.jp/summit/a_la/peace/ishiji/index2.htm Cornerstone of Peace]
* [http://www.peace-museum.pref.okinawa.jp/english/index.html Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120623222533/http://peacelearning.jp/ The Peace Learning Archive in OKINAWA]
* [http://www.naval-history.net/WW2Memoir-Indomitable-Whiteing4.htm A photographic record of aircraft carrier HMS ''Indomitable'', 1944–45, including Operation Iceberg, the attack on the Sakashimas]
* [http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/41302/wwii-battle-of-okinawa WWII: Battle of Okinawa] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100510133143/http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/41302/wwii-battle-of-okinawa |date=10 May 2010 }} – slideshow by ''[[Life magazine]]''
* [http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP4=all&CISOFIELD4=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOBOX4=iceberg&c=all&CISOROOT=%2Fp4013coll8 Operation Iceberg Operational Documents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826202539/http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP4=all&CISOFIELD4=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOBOX4=iceberg&c=all&CISOROOT=%2Fp4013coll8 |date=26 August 2009 }} Combined Arms Research Library, Fort Leavenworth, KS
* [http://content.library.ccsu.edu/u?/VHP,5460 Oral history interview with Mike Busha, a member of the 6th Marine Division during the Battle of Okinawa] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121214145238/http://content.library.ccsu.edu/u?/VHP,5460 |date=14 December 2012 }} from the Veterans History Project at Central Connecticut State University
* [http://content.library.ccsu.edu/u?/VHP,5592 Oral history interview with Albert D'Amico, a Navy Veteran who was aboard LST 278 during the landing at Okinawa] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121212050351/http://content.library.ccsu.edu/u?/VHP,5592 |date=12 December 2012 }} from the Veterans History Project at Central Connecticut State University
* [http://www.c-span.org/video/?66766-1/book-discussion-okinawa-last-battle-world-war-ii ''Booknotes'' interview with Robert Leckie on ''Okinawa: The Last Battle of World War II'', September 3, 1995.]

{{World War II}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okinawa 1945}}
[[Category:Battle of Okinawa| ]]
[[Category:1945 in Japan]]
[[Category:Anti-Ryukyuan sentiment]]
[[Category:Amphibious operations involving the United States]]
[[Category:Amphibious operations of World War II]]
[[Category:April 1945 in Asia]]
[[Category:Battles of World War II involving Australia]]
[[Category:Battles of World War II involving Japan]]
[[Category:Battles of World War II involving New Zealand]]
[[Category:Battles of World War II involving the United States]]
[[Category:Human shield incidents in World War II]]
[[Category:Invasions by the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Invasions by the United States]]
[[Category:Invasions of Japan]]
[[Category:Itoman, Okinawa]]
[[Category:Japan campaign]]
[[Category:Japan–United Kingdom military relations]]
[[Category:Japanese war crimes]]
[[Category:June 1945 in Asia]]
[[Category:May 1945 in Asia]]
[[Category:Military history of Okinawa Prefecture]]
[[Category:Murder–suicides in Japan]]
[[Category:Naval battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving Canada]]
[[Category:Rape in Japan]]
[[Category:Sexual violence in Asia during World War II]]
[[Category:United States Armed Forces in Okinawa Prefecture]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps in World War II]]
[[Category:United States military scandals in Japan]]
[[Category:United States war crimes in World War II]]
[[Category:World War II invasions]]
[[Category:World War II operations and battles of the Pacific theatre]]