This Month in Virtus History - April 1945

Battle of Okinawa

The Battle of Okinawa, also known as Operation Iceberg, was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater of WWII.  The 82 day long battle started on April 1, 1945 and lasted through June 1945.  The battle has been referred to as the "Typhoon of Steel" in English, and tetsu no ame ("rain of steel") in Japanese. The nicknames refer to the ferocity of the fighting, the intensity of gunfire involved, and sheer numbers of Allied ships and armored vehicles that assaulted the island. The battle has one of the highest number of casualties of any World War Two engagement: the Japanese lost over 100,000 troops, and the Allies (mostly United States) suffered more than 50,000 casualties, with over 12,000 killed in action.  Several Army Divisions, three Marine Divisions as well as naval, amphibious, and tactical air forces participated in this battle