West European Studies

Having captured Iwo Jima island, the American military set its sight on the capture of Okinawa. Situated just 340 miles from Kyushu, Okinawa was much closer to the home islands and the Americans were determined to push the battle deep into the Japanese territory. With a team of 180,000 soldiers under his command, U.S. land commander Lieutenant-General Simon B. Buckner was confident that Operation Iceberg would be a success. The Americans had estimated that the Japanese had a defense force comprising of about 65,000 soldiers. Lieutenant-General Mitsuru Ushijima however had more than 130,000 troops to face the attacking Americans (History Learning Site). The Battle of Okinawa would last 82 days during which 12,000 American soldiers, 90,000 Japanese, and 150 Okinawans would lose their lives. The U.S. attacked Okinawa because it held much strategic importance.

Okinawa is geographically much larger than U.S. previous conquest, Iwo Jima island. The island is roughly 60 miles long while its width ranges from 2 to 18 miles (History Learning Site). The island would thus offer room for U.S. military resources which would be used to launch attacks on the Japanese main islands. U.S. Navy ships and military aircraft could also make stops on the island for refuelling, repairs and servicing. Unlike Iwo Jima which was dry and lacked water supply, Okinawa was wet and water could be obtained easily. Although the heavy rainfall made life and combat difficult for the American troops, water supply for the troops was guaranteed. That Okinawa was located about 340 miles away from Kyushu islands made it particularly good for launching bomb attacks on the home islands. In fact, Okinawa was the closest the Americans had come to the heartland of Japan. The Battle of Okinawa became the most costly battle fought in the Pacific during the war.

In addition to its geographical area and location, the Americans were also attracted by the four airfields built by the Japanese on the island. The Japanese had used the island as a launch-base for numerous attacks against the Americans and it was logical that Americans would want to take control of the same. This would not only weaken Japanese defense, but would also bring the Americans to the home islands. The airfields and the terrain made Okinawa a good staging area for U.S. bombers targeting the Japanese home islands and it would intensify the impact of U.S.  bombardment campaign (Fitz-Simons 1996). In all, the capture of Okinawa would set the stage for an aggressive attack of the home islands and the final conquest of Japan, and the Far East by the Americans.

Although the United States paid a heavy cost to capture Okinawa, the U.S. military exploited the strategic advantages offered by Okinawa Island to weaken the Japanese further. The strategic importance of the island did not diminish wih the end of the war. Okinawa has served as the staging area for the American military during the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Desert ShieldDesert Storm, and most recently in support of operations in East Timor. According to Wilhelm (2003 4), the U.S. retains up to 30,000 military personnel in Okinawa where the U.S. Marine Corps, Air Force, Navy, and the Army have personel.