Okinawa: 80th anniversary of the bloody final invasion of the Pacific War

Okinawa: 80th anniversary of the bloody final invasion of the Pacific War

Eighty years ago, on April 1, a Sunday in 1945, seven troop divisions, four Army, three Marine, landed on the beaches of Okinawa, a remote tropical island the size of Prince George’s County. It was the largest amphibious invasion of the Pacific War, and its bloodiest battle, particularly for 450,000 civilians on the long narrow, hilly isle. A quarter of the inhabitants would die in the course of intense combat and heavy bombardment from hundreds…

When the US military landed and the Battle of Okinawa began, tragedies occurred immediately. In the Kerama Islands at the end of March 1945, and on the main island of Okinawa after April 1st. The Japanese military's demands that forbid people from becoming prisoners of war and force them to die dominated the hearts of the local people. "Mass suicide (forced mass death)" occurred all over the place, where people killed their families and acquaint…