The Battle of Okinawa

Fighting in a battle that lasts eighty-two long days is something that not many of us could do. But the men who participated in the Battle of Okinawa somehow brought themselves to it. The battle, also referred to as Operation Iceberg, took place in the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa. It began on April 1, 1945 and didn’t come to a conclusion until June 22, 1945. The battle was very intense, the Allies brought huge numbers of men and armored vehicles when they began their assaulted on the Island. The battle resulted in some of the highest causalities for a single battle during World War II. The army of Japan lost around 100,000 troops while the Allied forces lost nearly 50,000. Also 100,000 civilians on the island were killed, injured, or committed suicide. The main objective of the invasion was to take full control of the island. The Allies wanted it because it is only 340 miles off the coast of Japan. If the Allies took control, which they did, they could use the island as their base for attacking the Japanese mainland. The battle was very important because it allowed the U.S. to drop the two atomic bombs which would lead to the war coming to a close. Even though many lives were lost on the islands of Okinawa, the victory proved to be critical for the Allied forces.