World War II – Okinawa Invasion

April 1, 1945

One of the bloodiest battles of the war. This 82-day-long battle began on Easter Sunday and April Fool’s day of 1945 ending in an Allied victory. It was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific. The Japanese lost 77,000 soldiers, while the U.S. lost 14,000. It is estimated that between 42,000-150,000 civilians also died in the battle out of a population of 300,000. U.S. Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., who called for the invasion, was killed in action. After surrendering, the Japanese General Mitsuru Ushijima committed suicide. The famous war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed by enemy fire during this battle.