Fleets & Casualties
Okinawa, the last obstacle to the Allied Invasion of the Japanese home islands. The defenders numbered about 100,000 people willing to fight to the death. The Allies brought about 1,300 warships and over 182,000 troops. Admiral Mitscher and Vice Admiral Willis Lee were both important American leaders.
The Allied Forces
-Three Marine divisions (the 1st, 2nd, and 6th)
-Four Infantry divisions of the 24th Army Corps (the 7th, 27th, 77th, and 96th) -40 aircraft carriers -18 battleships -200 destroyers -Hundreds of assorted support ships |
Japan
-One light cruiser
-Eight destroyers -2,000 to 3,000 airplanes -A few piloted suicide rocket bombs against ships -Nearly 2,000 kamikaze attacks -100,000 Japanese troops dug in for defense |
However, the capturing of Okinawa came at a high cost for both sides, with the highest American casuality count in the Pacific.
The Allied Forces
-50,000 casualities
|
Japan
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