When American forces landed in Okinawa, World War II was in its latter stages on the European front. Soldiers from the Allied and Soviet Union had liberated a large portion of Nazi-occupied Europe, and they were just weeks away from compelled Germany's unconditional surrender. However, in the Pacific theater, American forces were still methodically taking over each of Japan's home islands. They had just finished wiping out Japanese forces at the bloody Battle of Iwo Jima and were looking to make one last push before reaching Japan on the remote island of Okinawa. The Japanese High Command made their final stand in Okinawa, with its 466 square miles of lush flora, hills, and trees. If Okinawa was lost, Japan would be next. To prevent a successful Japanese invasion, the Americans realized they had to prevent the Japanese from using Okinawa's airbases as a launching pad.

While the Fifth Fleet was launching the greatest bombardment ever to support a troop landing and reduce Japanese positions, daylight on April 1 found American morale low. Both soldiers and high-ranking Army officials feared the beach landings would be a slaughter on par with D-Day. However, the Fifth Fleet's offensive onslaught was almost useless because there wasn't the predicted mass of awaiting Japanese troops, and landing troops might have literally swum to shore. While the Allies fought tooth and nail for their beachhead in northern France on D-Day, their advance inland was met with very little resistance as the Japanese army retreated from Okinawa. Within a matter of hours, the troops, tanks, ammo, and supplies came ashore in wave after wave. The forces quickly seized control of both the Kadena and Yontan airfields.

The Japanese 32nd Army, which had about 130,000 soldiers under Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima's command, was in charge of defending Okinawa. An untold number of citizen conscripts and unarmed Home Guards, known as Boeitai, were also part of the military force. As they advanced farther into enemy territory, American forces wondered if and when they would face opposition. They were completely unaware that the Japanese Imperial Army had placed them there. Mostly in Shuri, a hilly area of southern Okinawa where General Ushijima had put up a triangle of defensive positions known as the Shuri Defense Line, Japanese troops had been ordered not to fire on the American landing forces but instead watch and wait for them.

The American forces that traveled north to the Motobu Peninsula met fierce resistance and lost over a thousand men to injuries, but ultimately won a decisive fight in short order. Along the Shuri Line, however, they faced a different challenge: advancing through a line of fortified hills where Japanese reinforcements were dug in. On April 7, Japan dispatched its most powerful warship, the Yamato, to attack the Fifth Fleet and wipe out the trapped American forces at the Shuri Line. However, Allied submarines discovered the Yamato and tipped off the fleet, which unleashed a devastating air strike. Most of the crew perished when the ship was bombarded and sank. A number of severe battles were conducted after the Americans had cleared a series of outposts surrounding the Shuri Line. These included battles on Kakazu Ridge, Sugar Loaf Hill, Horseshoe Ridge, and Half Moon Hill. The hills and roads became watery graveyards for the unburied as a result of the torrential downpour. By the time the Americans captured Shuri Castle in late May, casualties on both sides had risen to unprecedented levels. The Japanese, albeit defeated, fled to the southern coast of Okinawa for one last stand.

The kamikaze suicide pilot was Japan’s most ruthless weapon. On April 4, the Japanese unleashed these well-trained pilots on the Fifth Fleet. Some dove their planes into ships at 500 miles per hour, causing catastrophic damage.

American sailors tried desperately to shoot the kamikaze planes down but were often sitting ducks against enemy pilots with nothing to lose. During the Battle of Okinawa, the Fifth Fleet suffered:

• 36 sunk ships

• 368 damaged ships

• 4,900 men were killed or drowned.

• 4,800 men wounded

• 763 lost aircraft

Located on top of a 400-foot-tall cliff, the Maeda Escarpment was also known as Hacksaw Ridge. On April 26, the Americans launched their assault on the ridge. The fighting was terrible on both sides. The Japanese defenders of the escarpment hid in a complex system of underground tunnels and shelters. They were so set on keeping the ridge that they whittled down American platoons to a handful of survivors. Much of the conflict involved brutal hand-to-hand combat. On May 6, the Americans were able to seize Hacksaw Ridge. While every American who fought at Okinawa displayed extraordinary bravery, Corporal Desmond T. Doss was particularly noteworthy for his actions at the escarpment. He was a medic in the army, but as a Seventh-Day Adventist, he couldn't bring himself to kill the enemy. Despite orders to withdraw, he stayed put on the cliff face. He bravely charged into the combat alone, despite being surrounded by opposing troops, and brought back 75 of his wounded teammates. Doss was awarded the Medal of Honor for his gallantry, which was dramatized in the 2016 film Hacksaw Ridge.

The populace of Okinawa and the majority of Japanese soldiers were under the impression that any Americans caught would be summarily executed. Many people, as a result, committed suicide. General Simon Bolivar Buckner started a propaganda war and dropped millions of leaflets on Japan, saying they were going to lose the war soon, to get them to surrender. While around 7,000 Japanese troops did choose to surrender, many more committed suicide. Others used grenades or leaped off cliffs to end their lives. General Ushijima and his Chief of Staff, General Cho, realized that further battle was pointless and committed ritual suicide on June 22, officially concluding the Battle of Okinawa.

In the Battle of Okinawa, soldiers and civilians on both sides were slaughtered. Over 49,000 Americans were wounded, and 12,520 were killed. The war was nearly over when General Buckner was slain on June 18. The Japanese suffered significantly higher losses, with an estimated 110,000 Japanese soldiers killed. Death toll estimates for Okinawa range from 40,000 to 150,000. Today, the Battle of Okinawa ranks among the worst conflicts in human history.

The Allied victory at Okinawa brought them closer to attacking Japan. But President Harry S. Truman wanted to end the war quickly, and he knew that over 2 million Japanese forces were waiting for battle-weary American soldiers, so on August 6, he dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. After Japan refused to promptly surrender, on August 9, Truman ordered Nagasaki to be bombed. Japan has reached its breaking point. Emperor Hirohito declared Japan's surrender on August 14, 1945, effectively ending World War II.