Utsunomiya

Battle of Utsunomiya
Part of Japanese War
Date 1948 Location Utsunomiya, South Japan Result Defeat of North Japanese forces
Belligerents
North Japan Soviet Union	South Japan United States

Utsunomiya is the capital and the most populous city of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.

Utsunomiya in Joe Steele

Utsunomiya became part of the US puppet state South Japan after World War II. It was the site of a pitched battle between the invading North Japanese Army and the United States Army. The U.S. Army able to stop North Japan's momentum, and begin pushing them back eventually to Sendai north of the old demilitarized zone along the Agano River.

Sgt. Mike Sullivan's company was part of the American forces stopping the North Japanese advance at Utsunomiya.

Literary Note

In the short story it was U.S. Marines that stopped the advance rather than the Army. Also, the invading North Japanese were driven off Honshu to Hokkaido.