Page 60 - History of War - Issue 01-14

THE US PACIFIC CAMPAIGN

insisted on fl eeing with the troops, even
though Ushijima had directed them to seek
shelter in another direction. US Commanders
felt compelled to open fi re on the column,
and the cruiser USS New Orleans began a
bombardment of the road with its eight-inch
guns. Some 15,000 civilians died along with
the retreating soldiers.
Buried alive
After the withdrawal, Ushijima’s force was
reduced to fewer than 30,000 men, but hard
battles still lay ahead, even if the end was in
sight. On 18 June, Buckner himself was killed
by shell splinters when watching an attack
by the 2nd Marine Division. Four days later,
General Ushi Jima and Lieutenant General Cho,
by then beleaguered in their command bunker,
made their preparations for ritual suicide by
self-disembowelment and beheading by their
aides. The body count of their soldiers came
Japanese prisoners of war captured to 107,539, but many others had been buried
in the Battle of Iwo Jima
Getty beforehand or sealed in destroyed caves.
Marine and Army formations had suffered
7,613 killed, 31,807 wounded and 26,211
divisions. It was a terrible battle. Only a “other injuries”, most of which consisted
to Buckner that another amphibious landing combination of conventional Sherman tanks and of psychological breakdown. Some 42,000
should be made on the south coast by the 2nd those converted to fl amethrowers could deal Okinawan civilians are said to have died, but the
Marine Division. Buckner rejected the idea. He with some of the cave defences. One small hill true fi gure may have been much higher. Apart
feared that the Marines would be trapped in a called Sugar Loaf took the Marines ten days of from those killed by naval gunfi re, many were
beach head and it would be hard to supply them. fi ghting, and cost them 2,662 casualties. Even buried alive in caves hit by artillery fi re from both
Nimitz did not argue, but made it clear that some of the toughest Marines faced nervous sides. In any case, it prompted the question of
the conquest of the island must be completed collapse, mainly due to the accuracy of the how many Japanese civilians would die in the
quickly, otherwise Buckner would be replaced. Japanese mortar and artillery fi re. Everyone invasion of the home islands that was already
That night, the Japanese pulled back from
their fi rst defence line, covered by a thick mist THE GREAT SORTIE WAS ONE OF
and bombardment by their own artillery. But
the next line on the Urasoe Mura Escarpment, THE MOST FUTILE GESTURES IN
with its cliffs, was not an easy prospect. MODERN WARFARE, COSTING THE LIVES
Replacements being blooded in battle often
froze when they saw a Japanese soldier for the OF SEVERAL THOUSAND SAILORS
fi rst time. Some even shouted for someone
else to shoot him, forgetting to use their own suffered from thudding headaches caused by being planned. The capture of Okinawa may not
weapon. The 307th Regiment of the 77th the noise of the guns and explosions. At night, have hastened the end of the war. Its prime
Division held off a Japanese counter-attack the Japanese would try to infi ltrate their lines, aim was to serve as a base for the invasion of
almost entirely with grenades. Men were so starshells or fl ares were fi red continuously Japan, but the suicidal nature of its defence
“tossing grenades as fast as they could pull into the sky, lighting up the nightmare terrain certainly concentrated minds in Washington on
the pins”, a platoon leader said. To keep them with a dead, greenish glow. Sentries needed to the next steps to consider.
supplied, a human chain behind passed fresh note the position of every corpse, because any Indeed, the number of casualties suffered by
crates of them forward. Japanese soldier creeping forward during the their troops during the Pacifi c War persuaded
night would freeze and lie still, feigning death. Allied leaders that a ground invasion of the
Feigning death On 21 May, just as the Americans broke Japanese mainland should be avoided. Instead,
At the end of the month, Buckner brought the through to an area where they could use their using captured airfi elds as a base, they decided
two Marine divisions down from the north of the tanks, the rains came, bogging down vehicles to subdue Japan with a concentrated aerial
island. Then, on 3 May, Ushijima made his one and grounding aircraft. For the infantry, carrying assault on its towns and cities – a strategy that
great mistake. Persuaded by the advice of his ammunition while slipping and sliding in the culminated in the US’ devastating atomic-bomb
chief of staff, Lieutenant General Cho Isamu, he mud was an utterly exhausting task. Living in attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August
launched a counter-attack. Cho, responsible for foxholes fi lled with water and with decomposing 1945. Japan surrendered just weeks later. w
the orders that had led to the massacres and bodies all around in shellholes was even worse.
rapes at Nanking in 1937, advocated an attack Corpses in the open and partially buried were
combined with amphibious landings behind US crawling with maggots. Under the cover of the
lines. The boatloads of soldiers were spotted rain, Ushijima’s forces began to pull back to
by US Navy boats, and a massacre ensued at fi nal defence positions across the southern tip
sea and on the beaches. Ushijima was mortifi ed of Okinawa. Ushijima knew that the Shuri Line This feature is extracted
and apologised to the one offi cer who had could not hold, and with a US tank breakthrough from The Second World War
opposed the plan. his forces risked encirclement. He left behind by Antony Beevor, published
On 8 May, when news of Germany’s surrender a strong rear guard but eventually, a battalion of by Weidenfeld & Nicolson,
reached the 1st Marine Division, the reaction the 5th Marine Regiment occupied the citadel priced £14.99 (trade
was “So what?” It was another war on another of Shuri. It found that it had only a Confederate paperback) and £7.99
planet, as far as they were concerned. They fl ag with it, so, to the embarrassment of some (eBook). © Antony Beevor
were tired and fi lthy, and everything around offi cers, the Stars and Bars was raised until it 2012. History Of War
them stank. “The sewage was appalling,” wrote could be replaced with the Stars and Stripes. readers may order copies for
William Manchester, a Sergeant on Okinawa. On 26 May, the clouds parted and aircraft the special price of £12.99
“It was one vast cesspool.” from the carriers spotted vehicles moving by calling 01903 828503
On 10 May, Buckner ordered a general south from Shuri. Local Okinawans, terrifi ed by and quoting ref RI050. UK
offensive against the Shuri Line with fi ve Japanese propaganda about the Americans, postage and packing free.
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