The Battle of Okinawa was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific theater of World War II. For 82 days in 1945, American and Japanese forces battled for control of the island, with the U.S. achieving victory at a substantial price.
After the defeat at Iwo Jima, the IJA was pushed back to Okinawa where they fought the Americans and lost. This defeat lead to the go ahead for Operation: Downfall. As part of the opening attack of Operation: Olympic heavy bombers took off from Okinawa to bomb targets on Kyushu to assist the landing forces.[1]
Now Sergeant Mike Sullivan fought on Okinawa despite having already won a Purple Heart with two oak-leaf clusters. He had picked up a submachine gun on Iwo Jima which he found more useful in close-quarter fighting than an M-1. Sullivan survived and went on to the invasion of Japan proper.[2]
The stiff resistance the Japanese gave the Americans during the Battle of Okinawa greatly impressed Reinhard Heydrich, who hoped that the drain on U.S. resources would benefit his German Freedom Front. The kamikaze tactics used by the Japanese also inspired him to employ similar tactics in his resistance against the Allies.
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