The Battle of Okinawa was one of the bloodiest and costliest of World War II in the Pacific. The United States needed a base to stage an invasion of mainland Japan. The island of Okinawa was the ...

Under the cover of a naval bombardment of more than 100,000 shells, the American military began landing on Okinawa at 8:30 am. It was the beginning of a merciless battle that was later described ...

On April 1, 1945, U.S. troops landed on Okinawa during their push toward mainland Japan, beginning a battle that lasted until late June and killed about 12,000 Americans and more than 188,000 ...

During the Battle of Okinawa, civilians were caught between 2 major military forces, each determined to fight to the end. More than 120,000 civilians were killed. After the battle, Okinawa served ...