At Japan's Doorstep: Okinawa

Another in the Crusade in the Pacific series.

FDR (looking thinner in the face) reports on the Yalta conference. The video includes him actually talking.

The film talks briefly about Iwo Jima.

An invasion force is prepared.

U.S. carrier planes attacked both Japan itself and Okinawa.

This set of islands was assaulted first.

April 1st. Okinawa is invaded. This cap shows rockets being launched.

For the first few days, resistance was light.

The island was invaded on the 1st. by the 4th, it had been cut in two by U.S. forces.

Three days later, with more territory seized.

Then, wave after wave of kamikaze attacked the U.S. ships.

Kamikaze taking off from Kyushu.

More than 250 U.S. ships were sunk or damaged by the air attacks.

Then the video goes on to talk about FDR's death.

FDR's funeral.

The fighting in the northern part of the island was ferocious.

As of April 20th.

Another, small, island is seized.

The U.S. troops still had to take the southern portion of the island.

The Japanese line of defense.

A concentrated attack is made on Naha. The attack took weeks and was costly.

May 28th. Naha is captured.

Germany surrenders.

Again, tanks with flamethrowers are used.

By June 17th.

It talks about U.S. troops rescuing Okinawan civilians.

A POW camp for Japanese.

Then it talks about the final surrender of the Japanese on the island. The film never talks about the forced civilian suicides, however.

Nimitz then gives a speech.

---

Main Index
Japan main page
Japanese-American Internment Camps index page
Japan and World War II index page