WW2 Chapter 71 - Battle of Okinawa (April 1 - June 22, 1945)



Island of Okinawa

On April 1, 1945, the Allies launched a major amphibious landing on the island of Okinawa, 325 miles southwest of the Japanese mainland. The battle was carried out by two divisions of U.S. marines and four divisions of the U.S. army, including Franklin's 7th Infantry Division. Most of the men were seasoned veterans from other Pacific battles against the Japanese.

The Japanese military knew that, if the island was captured, the Allies would use it as a base for a full-scale invasion of the Japanese mainland. They were therefore determined to defeat the Americans at all costs, even while recognizing that their own defeat in the war was now becoming inevitable.

During the next 82 days, the Battle of Okinawa would become the bloodiest battle of the Pacific Campaign. The U.S. suffered over 50,000 casualties, including over 12,000 deaths. In addition, the Allies lost 768 aircraft and 27 ships, mainly from enemy kamikaze attacks. About 107,000 Japanese troops and up to 150,000 civilians also lost their lives.

Okinawa News, April 21

In addition to the large number of casualties, about 26,000 of the men experienced serious mental breakdown due to the strenuous battle conditions. For almost three months, the troops had to endure constant bombardment from enemy artillery and mortars, and, due to monsoons and muddy conditions, thousands of bodies littered the island which could not be removed or buried.

Although the island of Okinawa was actually part of Japan, the Japanese considered its civilians an inferior people. The Japanese committed numerous atrocities against them, including using them as human shields and forcing mass suicides. The civilian atrocities further affected the mental condition of the U.S. troops.

The severity of this battle (along with Iwo Jima) would become a major factor in the U.S. deciding to use the atomic bomb to end the war six weeks later. An invasion of mainland Japan would have otherwise been inevitable, and would have likely been far costlier (for both sides).



Okinawa News, April 9

During this time, Franklin's family followed the news from Okinawa closely, especially any information about his 7th Infantry Division. For the first 11 days, they may not have been sure whether he had joined in this new offensive. According to Franklin's most recent letter, dated March 30, he had been dismissed from the hospital and had been waiting to be transported back to his unit.

On April 11, Nancy received a letter from Franklin dated April 2, which would have confirmed that he was still in Indonesia at that time. However, because he was still waiting for orders to be redeployed, his family probably waited anxiously for each new letter. For some reason, however, the orders would never come.

During this battle, Franklin probably felt badly for not being able to rejoin his unit on Okinawa. However, in later years, he acknowledged that his illnesses may have actually saved his life, as many of those in his unit had been killed during this battle.