User:Hungrydog55/sandbox/military/pacificfront/1945-04 Okinawa groundredo

naval

Location of Ryukyus and beach assignments in ************

Map of the Ryukyu Island chain showing its strategic location between Formosa and Kyushu, the southernmost of the Japanese Home Islands

Landings on Okinawa and neighboring islands

LCTs unloading supplies near the mouth of the Bishi Gawa river, 13 April 1945.

Destroyer William D. Porter sinks after a kamikaze attack off Okinawa, 10 June 1945. The commanding officer of LCS-122 was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on this and the following day.

For the April 1945 invasion of Okinawa (Allied codename: Operation Iceberg), the Allies assembled the most powerful naval force in history. Since the few remaining capital ships of the Imperial Japanese Combined Fleet had been sunk or otherwise put out of action at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Allies were effectively unopposed in terms of major surface vessels; a single mission consisting of the superbattleship Yamato and a few escorts was undertaken, but the task force did not get within 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) of the invasion area. The main Japanese naval opposition within the invasion area came from hundreds of Imperial Japanese Navy Shin'yō-class suicide motorboats and Maru-Ni Imperial Japanese Army attack boats.

Since the Japanese air arm had been equally decimated by this point in the war, the lack of trained and experienced pilots led them to deploy the kamikaze extensively in the waters off Okinawa.

US Navy combat ships:
11 fleet carriers, 6 light carriers, 22 escort carriers, 8 fast battleships, 10 old battleships, 2 large cruisers, 13 heavy cruisers, 13 light cruisers, 4 anti-aircraft light cruisers, 132 destroyers, 45 destroyer escorts

Amphibious assault vessels:
84 attack transports, 29 attack cargo ships, LCIs, LSMs, LSTs, LSVs, etc.

Auxiliaries:
52 submarine chasers, 23 fast minesweepers, 69 minesweepers, 11 minelayers, 49 oilers, etc.

Royal Navy combat ships:
5 fleet carriers, 2 battleships, 7 light cruisers, 14 destroyers

Losses
The smaller ships were least able to withstand damage from kamikaze attacks.

• Twelve to kamikaze

6 destroyers: Twiggs, Mannert L. Abele, Callaghan, William D. Porter, Pringle, Bush

1 fast transport: Dickerson

1 fast minesweeper: Emmons

1 minesweeper: Swallow

3 ammunition ships: Canada Victory, Logan Victory, Hobbs Victory

• Two to mines

1 destroyer: Halligan

1 minesweeper: Skylark

• One to collision

1 destroyer / seaplane tender: Thornton

Allied command structure

Naval commanders for Operation Iceberg

Adm. Chester W. Nimitz

Adm. Raymond A. Spruance

Vice Adm. Richmond Kelly Turner

Ground force commanders

Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner, USA (KIA)

Maj. Gen. Roy S. Geiger, USMC

Maj. Gen. John R. Hodge, USA

Naval

The roles of Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas (CINCPOA) and Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) were both exercised by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz from his headquarters at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Since the "Big Blue Fleet" was at this time under the command of Admiral Raymond Spruance aboard his flagship USS Indianapolis, the force was designated Fifth Fleet. (It had been Third Fleet until Spruance relieved Admiral William Halsey in January, as part of the "alternating command" system).

The ships and troops of Operation Iceberg were under direct operational command of Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner aboard amphibious command ship Eldorado.

Ground troops

Son of a Confederate army general, Lt. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. was one of four US lieutenant generals to die during World War II, but the only one to die by enemy action. On 18 June, Buckner was visiting a forward observation post when a Japanese artillery shell struck a coral outcropping, fragments of which struck Buckner in the chest. Command of Tenth Army passed to Marine Maj. Gen. Roy S. Geiger.

United States Tenth Army (Lt. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. (KIA))

III Amphibious Corps (Maj. Gen. Roy S. Geiger)

Left beaches: 6th Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr.)

Right beaches: 1st Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Pedro A. del Valle)

XXIV Army Corps (Maj. Gen. John R. Hodge)

Left beaches: 7th Infantry ("Bayonet") Division (Maj. Gen. A.V. Arnold)

Right beaches: 96th Infantry ("Deadeye") Division (Maj. Gen. J.L. Bradley)

Landed L+8: 27th Infantry ("New York") Division (Maj. Gen. G.W. Griner, Jr.)

Tactical Air Force, Tenth Army (Maj. Gen. Francis P. Mulcahy, USMC; Maj. Gen. Louis E. Woods, USMC)

Allied amphibious forces

Joint Expeditionary Force (Task Force 51)

Amphibious command ships

USS Eldorado

USS Mount McKinley

Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner in amphibious command ship Eldorado

Western Islands Attack Group (Task Group 51.1)

Attack transport LaGrange

Landing craft repair ship Egeria

Tugboat Yuma

Attack transport Hendry

Rear Admiral Ingolf N. Kiland in amphibious command ship Mount McKinley

Embarking 77th Infantry ("Statue of Liberty") Division and
one Marine BLT (Maj. Gen. Andrew D. Bruce, USA)

Transport Group "Fox"

Commodore T.B. Brittain

Transport Division 49

4 attack transports: Chilton, LaGrange, Tazewell, St. Mary's

2 attack cargos: Oberon, Torrance

Transport Division 50

4 attack transports: Henrico, Pitt, Natrona, Drew

1 attack cargo: Tate

1 evacuation transport: Rixey

Transport Division 51

5 attack transports: Goodhue, Eastland, Telfair, Mountrail, Montrose

2 attack cargos: Wyandot, Suffolk

Reconnaissance section

2 destroyer transports: Scribner, Kinzer

Western Islands Tractor Flotilla: 18 LSTs

Western Islands Reserve Tractor Group: 10 LSTs

Western Islands LSM Group: 11 LSMs

Western Islands Control Unit: 7 submarine chasers (3 steel hull, 4 wooden hull)

Western Islands Support Craft Flotilla

Mortar support divisions 6, 7, 8

RCM and Rocket Division 3

Gunboat Support Divisions 1, 3, 4, 5

LSM(R) Group

Western Islands Hydrographic Survey Group: 4 submarine chasers (steel hull)

Western Island Service & Salvage Unit

1 salvage vessel: Clamp

1 landing craft repair ship: Egeria

2 fleet tugs: Yuma, Tekesta

2 LCI(L)s

1 LCT

Screen

Captain Frederick Moosbrugger in amphibious command ship Biscayne

8 destroyers

8 Fletcher-class (5 × 5-in. main battery): Picking, Sproston, Wickes, William D. Porter (sunk by kamikaze 10 Jun) Isherwood, Kimberly, Luce, Charles J. Badger

6 destroyer escorts

3 John C. Butler-class (2 × 5-in. main battery): Richard W. Suesens, Abercrombie, Oberrender

3 Cannon-class (3 × 3-in. main battery): Riddle, Swearer, Stern

3 destroyer transports: Humphreys, Herbert, Dickerson (scuttled 4 Apr following kamikaze attack on 2 Apr)

Demonstration Group "Charlie" (Task Group 51.2)

Rear Admiral Jerauld Wright

Embarking Demonstration Landing Force (2nd Marine Division), Major General Thomas E. Watson, USMC

Transport Squadron 15

5 attack transports: Bayfield, Mellette, Hendry, Sibley, Berrien

3 attack cargos: Shoshone, Theenim, Southampton

1 evacuation transport: Pinkney

Northern Attack Force (Task Force 53)

Lawrence F. Reifsnider as a commander

Catskill-class vehicle landing ship at Subic Bay, 1945

Steel-hulled sub chaser

Rear Admiral Lawrence F. Reifsnider in amphibious command ship Panamint
Embarking III Amphibious Corps (Maj. Gen. Roy S. Geiger, USMC)

Transport Group "Able" (Task Group 53.1)

Commodore H.B. Knowles

Embarking 6th Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., USMC)

Transport Division 34

6 attack transports: Cambria, Marvin H. McIntyre, Adair, Gage, Noble, Gilliam

2 attack cargos: Sheliak, Hydrus

Transport Division 35

5 attack transports: Clay, Leon, George Clymer, Arthur Middleton, Catron

2 attack cargos: Caswell, Devosa

Transport Division 36

5 attack transports: Monrovia, Wayne, Sumter, Menifee, Fuller

3 attack cargos: Aquarius, Circe, Casa Grande

1 vehicle landing ship: Catskill

Transport Group "Baker" (Task Group 53.2)

Commodore J. G. Moyer

Embarking 1st Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Pedro A. del Valle, USMC)

Transport Division 52

8 attack transports: Burleigh, McCracken, Thomas Jefferson, Charles Carroll, Barnett, Andromeda, Cepheus, Oak Hill

1 vehicle landing ship: Monitor

Transport Division 53

5 attack transports: Marathon, Rawlins, Renville, New Kent, Burleson

2 attack cargos: Centaurus, Arcturus

Transport Division 54

5 attack transports: Dade, Magoffin, Navarro, Effingham, Joseph T. Dickman

3 attack cargos: Betelgeuse, Procyon, White Marsh

Northern Tractor Flotilla (Task Group 53.3)

Capt. J. S. Laidlaw

Tractor Group "Able": 16 LSTs carrying 6 LCTs, 22 pontoon barges and 6 pontoon causeways; 7 LSMs

Tractor Group "Baker": 16 LSTs carrying 10 LCTs, 16 pontoon barges and 6 pontoon causeways

Tractor Group "Charlie": 14 LSTs carrying 20 pontoon barges; 8 LSMs

Northern Control Group: 18 submarine chasers (4 steel hull, 9 wooden hull, 5 sweeper type), Northern Beach Party

Northern Attack Force Screen (Task Group 53.6)

Captain J. H. Wellings

Buckley-class destroyer escort

Armadillo-class oil storage ship

13 destroyers

2 Allen M. Sumner-class (6 × 5-in. main battery): Massey, Hugh W. Hadley

4 Fletcher-class (5 × 5-in. main battery): Pringle (sunk by kamikaze 16 Apr), Hutchins, Stanly, Howorth

4 Benham-class (4 × 5-in. main battery): Lang, Stack, Sterett, Wilson

3 Sims-class (5 × 5-in. main battery): Morris, Mustin, Russell

5 destroyer escorts

4 Buckley-class (3 × 3-in. main battery): Gendreau, Fieberling, William C. Cole, Paul G. Baker

1 Evarts-class (3 × 3-in. main battery): Bebas

2 destroyer transports: Charles Lawrence, Roper

3 submarine chasers (2 escort type, 1 wooden hull)

Northern Defense Group (Task Group 53.7)

Capt. W. W. Weeden

Embarking Marine Corps support units and high priority cargo: 21 LSTs carrying LCT and pontoon causeways

2 oil storage ships: Elk, Camel

1 Evarts-class destroyer escort (3 × 3-in. main battery): Fair

2 submarine chasers (wooden hull), 7 motor minesweepers

Southern Attack Force (Task Force 55)

Rear Adm. John L. Hall Jr.

Attack cargo ship Algorab

Landing ship, tank (LST)

Evarts-class destroyer escort

Landing craft, infantry (LCIs)

Cannon-class destroyer escort

Rear Admiral John L. Hall Jr. in amphibious command ship Teton
Embarking XXIV Army Corps (Maj. Gen. John R. Hodge)

Transport Group "Dog" (Task Group 55.1)

Commodore M.O. Carlson

Embarking 7th Infantry ("Bayonet") Division (Maj. Gen. Archibald V. Arnold, USA)

Transport Division 37

4 attack transports: Harris, Lamar, Sheridan, Pierce

1 attack cargo: Algorab

Transport Division 38

4 attack transports: Barnstable, Elmore, Alpine, Lycoming

1 attack cargo: Alshain

1 landing ship dock: Epping Forest

Transport Division 39

4 attack transports: Custer, Freestone, Kittson, Baxter

2 attack cargos: Algol, Arneb

Transport Division 13

4 attack transports: Appling, Butte, Audrain, Laurens

2 attack cargos: Aurelia, Corvus

1 vehicle landing ship: Ozark

Tractor Group "Dog"

16 LSTs, 12 LSMs, 2 LCIs

Tractor Group "Fox"

14 LSTs carrying LCTs and pontoon barges, 10 LSMs

Transport Group "Easy" (Task Group 55.2)

Commodore C.G. Richardson

Embarking 96th Infantry ("Deadeye") Division (Maj. Gen. James L. Bradley, USA)

Transport Division 40

4 attack transports: Mendocino, Sarasota, Haskell, Oconto

2 attack cargos: Capricornus, Chara

1 landing ship dock: Lindenwald

Transport Division 41

4 attack transports: Olmstead, La Porte, Fond du Lac, Banner

2 attack cargos: Diphda, Uvalde

Transport Division 42

4 attack transports: Neshoba, Oxford, Latimer, Edgecombe

1 attack cargo: Virgo

1 landing ship dock: Gunston Hall

Transport Division 14

4 attack transports: Allendale, Meriwether, Menard, Kenton

1 attack cargo: Achernar

Tractor Group "Easy": 23 LSTs, 5 LSMs

Beach Party "Easy", Southern Beach Party

15 submarine chasers: 4 steel hull, 7 wooden hull, 4 sweeper type

17 LCS(L)s, 6 LSM(R)s

Screen (Task Group 55.6)

Captain E.W. Young

13 destroyers

4 Allen M. Sumner-class (6 × 5-in. main battery): Hyman, Purdy, Wadsworth, Putnam

9 Fletcher-class (5 × 5-in. main battery): Anthony, Bache, Bush (sunk by kamikaze 6 Apr), Mullany, Bennett, Hudson, Beale, Ammen, Rooks

6 destroyer escorts

2 Evarts-class (3 × 3-in. main battery): Crouter, Carlson

2 Buckley-class (3 × 3-in. main battery): Damon M. Cummings, Vammen

1 Cannon-class (3 × 3-in. main battery): O'Neill

1 John C. Butler-class (2 × 5-in. main battery): Walter C. Wann

1 destroyer transport

Sims

Southern Defense Group (Task Group 55.7)

Commander B.T. Zelenka

1 Evarts-class destroyer escort (3 × 3-in. main battery): Manlove

1 destroyer transport: Stringham

34 LSTs, 14 LSMs, 6 motor minesweepers, 2 LCIs

1 oil storage ship: Grumium

Expeditionary Troops (Task Force 56)

Maj. Gen. Roy S. Geiger (third from left) and his staff planning the Marine Corps phase of the invasion of Okinawa. Chief of Staff Silverthorn is gesturing toward the map.

Final photograph of Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner, Jr. (right), shortly before his death by artillery fire on Okinawa

Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr., USA (KIA 18 Jun)
Consisting of United States Tenth Army

Northern Landing Area

III Amphibious Corps (Embarked in Task Force 53)

Maj. Gen. Roy S. Geiger, USMC

Left beaches: 6th Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., USMC)

Right beaches: 1st Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Pedro A. del Valle, USMC)

Southern Landing Area

XXIV Army Corps (Embarked in Task Force 55)

Maj. Gen. John R. Hodge, USA

Left beaches: 7th Infantry ("Bayonet") Division (Maj. Gen. Archibald V. Arnold, USA)

Right beaches: 96th Infantry ("Deadeye") Division (Maj. Gen. James L. Bradley, USA)

Landed L+8: 27th Infantry ("New York") Division (Maj. Gen. George W. Griner, Jr., USA)

Western Islands

Landed L+26: 77th Infantry ("Statue of Liberty") Division and one Marine BLT (Maj. Gen. Andrew D. Bruce, USA)

Allied combat ships

Amphibious Support Forces (Task Force 52)

William H.P. Blandy as a vice admiral

Carrier admirals

Rear Adm. Calvin T. Durgin

Rear Adm. Clifton A.F. Sprague

Rear Admiral William H.P. Blandy in amphibious command ship Estes

Escort carrier Savo Island

File:Hellcat-1.jpg

Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters

Support Carrier Group (Task Group 52.1)

Rear Admiral Calvin T. Durgin

Unit One

Rear Admiral Clifton A.F. Sprague

7 escort carriers

Makin Island (Capts. W.B. Whaley and I.E. Hobbs)

VC-84 (Lt. D.K. English, USNR), 27 aircraft

16 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

11 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Fanshaw Bay (Capt. M.E. Arnold)

VOC-2 (Lt. Cmdr. R.M. Allison), 30 aircraft

24 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

6 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Lunga Point (Capt. G.A.T. Washburn)

VC-85 (Lt. Cmdr. F.C. Herriman), 30 aircraft

18 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Sangamon (Capts. M.E. Browder and A.I. Malstrom)

Air Group 33 (Cmdr. F.B. Gilkeson), 30 aircraft

24 F6F Hellcat fighters

6 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Natoma Bay (Capts. Albert K. Morehouse and B.B. Nichol)

VC-81 (Lt. Cmdr. W.B. Morton, USNR), 32 aircraft

20 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Savo Island (Capt. W.D. Anderson)

VC-91 (Lt. F.M. Blanchard, USNR), 35 aircraft

20 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

15 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Anzio (Capt. G.C. Montgomery)

VC-13 (Lt. Cmdr. R.P. Williams, USNR), 24 aircraft

12 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Screen (Commander J.C. Zahm)

6 destroyers

1 Allen M. Sumner-class (6 × 5-in. main battery): Ingraham

3 Fletcher-class (5 × 5-in. main battery): Boyd, Bradford, Hart

2 Bagley-class (4 × 5-in. main battery): Bagley, Patterson

11 destroyer escorts

9 John C. Butler-class (2 × 5-in. main battery): Lawrence C. Taylor, Melvin R. Nawman, Oliver Mitchell, Robert F. Keller, Tabberer, Richard M. Rowell, Richard S. Bull, Dennis, O'Flaherty

2 Evarts-class (3 × 3-in. main battery): Sederstrom, Fleming

Unit Two

Rear Adm. Felix B. Stump

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive bombers

Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber

Destroyer escort Ulvert M. Moore, commanded by Lt. Cmdr. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr.

Rear Admiral Felix B. Stump

7 escort carriers

Saginaw Bay (Capts. F.C. Sutton and Robert Goldwaite)

VC-88 (Lt. E.L. Kemp, USNR), 32 aircraft

20 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Sargent Bay (Capt. R.M. Oliver)

VC-83 (Lt. Cmdr. B.V. Gates (KIA) and Lt. M.S. Worley, USNR), 28 aircraft

16 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Rudyerd Bay (Capts. C.S. Smiley and J.G. Foster)

VC-96 (Lt. Cmdr. W.S. Woollen, USNR), 31 aircraft

20 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

11 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Marcus Island (Capt. H.V. Hopkins)

VC-87 (Lt. H.N. Heisel), 32 aircraft

20 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Petrof Bay (Capt. R.S. Clarke)

VC-93 (Lt. Cmdr. C.P. Smith), 28 aircraft

16 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Tulagi (Capts. J.C. Cronin & W.V. Davis)

VC-92 (Lt. Cmdr. J.B. Wallace), 31 aircraft

19 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Wake Island (Capt. A.V. Magly)

VOC-1 (Lt. Cmdr. W.F. Bringie), 32 aircraft

26 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

6 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Screen (Captain G.P. Hunter)

4 destroyers

1 Allen M. Sumner-class (6 × 5-in. main battery): Lowry

3 Fletcher-class (5 × 5-in. main battery): Capps, Evans, John D. Henley

6 destroyer escorts

4 John C. Butler-class (2 × 5-in. main battery): William Seiverling, Ulvert M. Moore (Lt. Cmdr. Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., USNR), Kendall C. Campbell, Goss

2 Evarts-class (3 × 3-in. main battery): Tisdale, Eisele

Unit Three

Rear Adm. William D. Sample

Escort carrier Suwannee at Kwajalein, 1944

Rear Admiral William D. Sample

4 escort carriers

Suwannee (Capt. D.S. Cornwell)

Air Group 40 (Lt. Cmdr. R.D. Sampson (KIA) and Lt. Cmdr. J.C. Longino), 27 aircraft

17 F6F Hellcat fighters

10 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Chenango (Capts. George van Deurs and Harry D. Felt)

Air Group 25 (Lt. Cmdr. R.W. Robinson (KIA), Lt. B. Phillips and Lt. Cmdr. P.M. Paul), 30 aircraft

18 F6F Hellcat fighters

12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Santee (Capt. J.V. Peterson)

Air Group 24 (Lt. Cmdr. R.J. Ostrom (KIA) and Lt. P.N. Charbonnet), 30 aircraft

18 F6F Hellcat fighters

12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Steamer Bay (Capt. J.B. Paschal)

VC-90 (Lt. Cmdr. R.A. O'Neill), 31 aircraft

19 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Screen (Captain [[Alvin Duke Chandler2}})

5 destroyers

1 Allen M. Sumner-class (6 × 5-in. main battery): Drexler

3 Fletcher-class (5 × 5-in. main battery): Metcalf, Fullam, Guest

1 Bagley-class (4 × 5-in. main battery): Helm

2 destroyer escorts

2 John C. Butler-class (2 × 5-in. main battery): John C. Butler, Edmonds

secg

Special Escort Carrier Group

Gunnery practice aboard escort carrier Hollandia, 1944

Captain C.L. Lee (arriving 4 April)

4 escort carriers

Hollandia (Capt. Lee)

White Plains (Capt. D.J. Sullivan and Frederick Funke)

Sitkoh Bay (Capts. R.G. Lockhart and J.P. Walker)

Breton (Capt. Frank Obeirne)

Marine Air Group 31 (Col. John C. Munn, USMC)

Marine Air Group 33 (Col. W. E. Dickey, USMC)

192 F4U Corsair and 30 F6F Hellcat fighters to operate from Okinawa airfields

Screen (Commander R.A. Wilhelm, USNR)

4 destroyer transports: Kilty, Manley, George E. Badger, Greene

Mine Flotilla (Task Group 52.2)

Former destroyer Gherardi in minesweeper configuration

Auk-class minesweeper

Admirable-class minesweeper

Ailanthus-class net laying ship

Rear Admiral Alexander Sharp and Captain R. P. Whitemarsh in Terror

Destroyer Minesweeper Group (Task Group 52.3)

Capt. R.A. Larkin

13 fast minesweepers

11 ex-Gleaves-class destroyers: Forrest, Hobson, Macomb, Ellyson, Hambleton, Rodman, Emmons (scuttled 7 Apr following kamikaze attack 6 Apr), Butler, Gherardi, Jeffers, Harding

1 ex-Wickes-class destroyer: Dorsey

1 ex-Clemson-class destroyer: Hopkins

3 Robert H. Smith-class destroyer-minelayers: Gwin, Lindsey, Aaron Ward

Minesweeper Group One (Task Group 52.4)

Captain T.F. Donohue

18 Auk-class minesweepers: Champion, Heed, Defense, Devastator, Ardent, Requisite, Revenge, Pursuit, Sage, Sheldrake, Skylark (struck mine 28 Apr), Starling, Swallow (sunk by kamikaze 22 Apr), Gladiator, Impeccable, Spear, Triumph, Vigilance

4 Robert H. Smith-class destroyer-minelayers: Adams, Tolman, Henry A. Wiley, Shea

3 submarine chasers (steel hull): PC-1128, PC-1179, PC-1598

Minesweeper Group Two (Task Group 52.5)

Captain L. F. Freiburghouse

18 Admirable-class minesweepers: Skirmish, Staunch, Signet, Scurry, Spectacle, Spector, Superior, Serene, Shelter, Strategy, Strength, Success, Ransom, Diploma, Density, Facility, Rebel, Recruit

2 Robert H. Smith-class destroyer-minelayers: Tracy, J. William Ditter

3 motor gunboats (steel hull): PGM-9, PGM-10, PGM-11

Reserve Sweep Group (Task Group 52.7)

Cmdrs. E.D. McEathron and J.W. Wyckoff

6 Admirable-class minesweepers: Buoyant, Gayety, Design, Device, Hazard, Execute

Reinforced by the following in May:

2 Admirable-class minesweepers: Fixity, Dour

8 Auk-class minesweepers: Chief, Competent, Token, Zeal, Strive, Oracle, Velocity, Prevail

14 motor minesweepers

4 destroyer transports with sweep gear-equipped landing craft personnel, ramped (LCP(R)s) embarked: Reeves, Daniel T. Griffin, Waters, Sims

2 minelayers: Weehawken, Monadnock

1 repair ship: Mona Island

Net and Buoy Group (Task Group 52.8)

Cmdr. G. C. King, USNR

12 net laying ships

9 Ailanthus-class: Snowbell, Terebinth, Corkwood, Spicewood, Cliffrose, Stagbush, Abele, Winterberry, Pinon

3 Aloe-class: Mahogany, Aloe, Chinquapin

1 mine and net laying ship: Keokuk

2 net cargo ships: Sagittarius, Tuscana

Gunfire and Covering Force (Task Force 54)

Rear Adm. Morton L. Deyo

Battleship Texas in Hawaiian waters in 1945

Heavy cruiser Wichita firing broadside in 1944

Rear Admiral Morton L. Deyo in battleship Tennessee

Unit One (Rear Admiral Peter K. Fischler)

2 old battleships: Texas, Maryland

1 heavy cruiser: Tuscaloosa

4 Fletcher-class destroyers: Laws, Longshaw, Morrison, Prichett

Unit Two (Rear Admiral C. Turner Joy)

2 old battleships: Arkansas, Colorado

2 heavy cruisers: San Francisco, Minneapolis

3 Fletcher-class destroyers: Halligan (struck mine 26 Mar), Paul Hamilton, Twiggs (sunk by kamikaze 16 Jun)

1 Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer: Laffey

Unit Three (Rear Admiral Bertram J. Rodgers)

2 old battleships: Tennessee, Nevada

1 heavy cruiser: Wichita

2 light cruisers: Birmingham, St. Louis

4 Allen M. Sumner-class destroyers: Mannert L. Abele (sunk by kamikaze 12 Apr), Zellars, Barton, O'Brien

1 Fletcher-class destroyer: Bryant

Unit Four (Rear Admiral Lynde D. McCormick)

2 old battleships: Idaho, West Virginia

2 heavy cruisers: Pensacola, Portland

1 light cruiser: Biloxi

5 Fletcher-class destroyers: Porterfield, Callaghan (sunk by kamikaze 28 Jul), Irwin, Cassin Young, Preston

Unit Five (Rear Admiral Allan E. Smith)

Battleship Division 3 (George L. Weyler)

2 old battleships: New Mexico, New York

Cruiser Division 5 (Allan E. Smith)

2 heavy cruisers: Salt Lake City, Indianapolis

Destroyer Squadron 56 (Roland N. Smoot)

5 Fletcher-class destroyers: Newcomb, Heywood L. Edwards, Richard P. Leary, Bennion, Leutze

Unit Six (Commander W.B. Hinds, USNR)

2 Cannon-class destroyer escorts: Samuel S. Miles, Wesson

6 Buckley-class destroyer escorts: Foreman, Whitehurst, England, Witter, Bowers, Willmarth

Reported to TF 54 after L-day

1 old battleship: Mississippi

1 heavy cruiser: New Orleans

1 Fletcher-class destroyer: Daly

1 fast minesweeper: Forrest

British Carrier Force (Task Force 57)

Royal Navy admirals

Vice Adm. Sir Bernard Rawlings, RN

Rear Adm. Sir Philip L. Vian, RN

Supermarine Seafire fighter

Supermarine Walrus reconnaissance plane

Battleship King George V in Apra Harbor, Guam, 1945

Light cruiser Achilles at anchor

Vice Admiral Sir Bernard Rawlings, RN

First Aircraft Carrier Squadron (Task Group 57.2)

Rear Admiral Sir Philip L. Vian, RN

5 fleet carriers

HMS Indomitable (Capt. J.A.S. Eccles, RN), 44 aircraft

29 F6F Hellcat fighters

15 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

HMS Victorious (Capt. M.M. Denny, RN), 53 aircraft

37 F4U Corsair fighters

14 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

2 Supermarine Walrus scout planes

HMS Illustrious (Capt. C.E. Lambe, RN), 52 aircraft

36 F4U Corsair fighters

16 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

HMS Indefatigable (Capt. Q.D. Graham, RN), 69 aircraft

40 Supermarine Seafire fighters

20 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

9 Fairey Firefly fighters

HMS Formidable (Capt. P. Ruck-Keene, RN), 43 aircraft

28 F4U Corsair fighters

15 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

First Battle Squadron (Task Group 57.1)

Vice Admiral Rawlings

2 battleships

HMS King George V (10 × 14-in. main battery)

HMS Howe (10 × 14-in. main battery)

Fourth Cruiser Squadron (Task Group 57.4)

Rear Admiral E.J.P. Brind

7 light cruisers

2 Crown Colony-class: HMNZS Gambia (12 × 6-in. main battery), HMCS Uganda (9 × 6-in. main battery)

1 Minotaur-class: HMS Swiftsure (12 × 6-in. main battery)

1 Leander-class: HMNZS Achilles (6 × 6-in. main battery)

3 Dido-class: HMS Argonaut (8 × 5.25-in. main battery), HMS Euryalus (10 × 5.25-in. main battery), HMS Black Prince (10 × 5.25-in. main battery)

Screen (Task Group 57.8)

Rear Admiral J.H. Edelston

4th Destroyer Flotilla

24th Destroyer Flotilla

25th Destroyer Flotilla

27th Destroyer Flotilla

British Fleet Train (Task Force 112)

Rear Admiral D.B. Fisher, RN

70+ auxiliaries including repair ships, oilers, minesweepers, hospital ships, etc.

Fast Carrier Force (Task Force 58)

Carrier admirals

Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher

Rear Adm. Joseph J. Clark

Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher in fleet carrier Bunker Hill

Task Group 58.1

Fleet carrier Bennington October 1944 during shakedown in Caribbean Sea

Anti-aircraft light cruiser San Juan off Norfolk in 1942

Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer Drexler refueling, February 1945

Rear Admiral Joseph J. Clark

3 fleet carriers

Hornet (Capt. Austin K. Doyle)

Air Group 17 (Cmdr. E.G. Konrad), 101 aircraft

VF-17: 71 F6F Hellcat fighters

VB-17: 15 SB2C Helldiver dive bombers

VT-17: 15 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Wasp (Capts. O.A. Weller and W.G. Switzer)

Air Group 86 (Cmdr. G.R. Luker), 100 aircraft

VBF-86: 36 F4U Corsair fighters

VF-86: 34 F6F Hellcat fighters

VB-86: 15 SB2C Helldiver dive bombers

VT-86: 15 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Bennington (Capts. J.B. Sykes and B.L. Braun)

Air Group 82 (Cmdr. G.L. Heap), 92 aircraft

VF-82: 37 F6F Hellcat fighters

VB-82: 15 SB2C Helldiver dive bombers

VT-82: 15 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

VMF-112: 18 F4U Corsair fighters

VMF-123: 17 F4U Corsair fighters

2 light carriers

Belleau Wood (Capts. John Perry and W.G. Tomlinson)

Air Group 30 (Lt. Cmdr. D.A. Clark), 34 aircraft

VF-30: 25 F6F Hellcat fighters

VT-30: 9 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

San Jacinto (Capt. M.H. Kernodle)

Air Group 45 (Cmdr. G.E. Schecter), 34 aircraft

VF-45: 25 F6F Hellcat fighters

VT-45: 9 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Battleship Division 8 (Rear Admiral John F. Shafroth Jr.)

3 fast battleships

South Dakota (Capts. C.F. Stillman and Charles B. Momsen) - flagship

Massachusetts (Capts. W.W. Warlick and John R. Redman)

Indiana (Capts. T.J. Keliher and Francis P. Old)

Cruiser Division 10 (Rear Admiral Lloyd J. Wiltse)

3 heavy cruisers

Baltimore (Capt. C.K. Fink)

Quincy (Capt. John Augustine Waters Jr)

Pittsburgh (Capt. John E. Gingrich)

Cruiser Division 14 (Rear Admiral Francis E. M. Whiting)

3 light cruisers

Vincennes (Capt. W.G. Lalor)

Miami (Capt. Thomas H. Binford)

Vicksburg (Capt. W.C. Vose)

1 anti-aircraft light cruiser

San Juan (Capts. J.F. Donovan and G.H. Bahm)

Screen

21 destroyers

9 Allen M. Sumner-class (6 × 5-in. main battery): De Haven, Mansfield, Lyman K. Swenson, Collett, Maddox, Blue, Brush, Taussig, Samuel N. Moore

12 Fletcher-class (5 × 5-in. main battery): Wedderburn, Twining, Stockham, John Rodgers, Stevens, Harrison, McKee, Murray, Sigsbee, Ringgold, Schroeder, Dashiell

Task Group 58.2

Carrier admirals

Rear Adm. Ralph E. Davison

Rear Adm. Gerald F. Bogan

Fletcher-class destroyer underway

Rear Admirals Ralph E. Davison and Gerald F. Bogan

3 fleet carriers

Enterprise (Capt. Grover B. H. Hall)

Night Air Group 90 (Cmdr. W.I. Martin), 53 aircraft

VFN-90: 32 F6F Hellcat fighters

VTN-90: 21 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Franklin (Capt. Leslie E. Gehres)

Air Group 5 (Cmdr. E.B. Parker Jr.), 107 aircraft

VF-5: 19 F6F Hellcat fighters

VB-5: 8 SB2C Helldiver, 11 SBW Helldiver dive bombers

VT-5: 6 TBF Avenger, 10 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

VMF-214: 18 F4U Corsair fighters

VMF-452: 18 F4U Corsair fighters

Randolph (Capt. F.L. Baker)

Air Group 12 (Cmdrs. C.L. Crommelin (KIA), E.J. Pawka, USNR), 97 aircraft

VF-12: 33 F6F Hellcat fighters

VBF-12: 24 F6F Hellcat fighters

VB-12: 15 SB2C Helldiver dive bombers

VT-12: 15 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

1 light cruiser

Santa Fe (Capt. H.C. Fitz)

Screen

8 Fletcher-class destroyers (5 × 5-in. main battery): Miller, Owen, Hickox, Hunt, Lewis Hancock, Marshall, Stephen Potter, Tingey

Task Group 58.3

Rear Adm. Frederick C. Sherman

Light carrier Cabot in 1945

Fast battleship North Carolina underway

Heavy cruiser Indianapolis

Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman

3 fleet carriers

Essex (Capt. C.W. Wieber)

Air Group 83 (Cmdr. Harmon Tischer Utter), 102 aircraft

VF-83: 36 F6F Hellcat fighters

VBF-83: 36 F4U Corsair fighters

VB-83: 15 SB2C Helldiver dive bombers

VT-83: 15 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Bunker Hill (Capt. G.A Seitz)

Air Group 84 (Cmdr. G.M. Ottinger), 93 aircraft

VF-84: 27 F4U Corsair fighters, 10 [[F6F Hellcat}} fighters

VB-84: 15 SB2C Helldiver dive bombers

VT-84: 15 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

VMF-221: 18 F4U Corsair fighters

VMF-451: 18 F4U Corsair fighters

Hancock (Capt. R.F. Hickey)

Air Group 6 (Cmdr. H.L. Miller), 94 aircraft

VF-6: 36 F6F Hellcat fighters

VBF-6: 36 F6F Hellcat fighters

VB-6: 12 SB2C Helldiver dive bombers

VT-6: 10 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

2 light carriers

Cabot (Capt. W.W. Smith)

Air Group 29 (Lt. Cmdr. W.E. Eder), 33 aircraft

VF-29: 24 F6F Hellcat fighters

VT-29: 9 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Bataan (Capt. J.B. Heath)

Air Group 47 (Cmdr. Walker Etheridge and Lt. Cmdr. A.H. Clancy), 36 aircraft

VF-47: 24 F6F Hellcat fighters

VT-47: 12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Battleship Division 6 (Rear Admiral Thomas R. Cooley)

2 fast battleships

North Carolina (Capts. Oswald S. Colclough and Byron H. Hanlon)

Washington (Capts. Roscoe F. Good and Francis X. McInerney)

Cruiser Division 17 (Rear Admiral J. Cary Jones)

1 heavy cruiser

Indianapolis (Capt. Charles B. McVay III)

4 light cruisers

Pasadena (Capts. R.B. Tuggle and James H. Doyle)

Springfield (Capts. F.L. Johnson and T.J. Kelley)

Astoria (Capts. George C. Dyer and W.V. Hamilton)

Wilkes-Barre (Capt. R.L. Porter)

Screen

17 destroyers

9 Allen M. Sumner-class (6 × 5-in. main battery): Ault, English, Charles S. Sperry, Waldron, Haynsworth, Wallace L. Lind, John W. Weeks, Hank, Borie

8 Fletcher-class (5 × 5-in. main battery): Erben, Walker, Hale, Stembel, Black, Bullard, Kidd, Chauncey

Task Group 58.4

Rear Adm. Arthur W. Radford

Fleet carrier Intrepid off Newport News, August 1943

Fast battleship New Jersey underway

Large cruiser Alaska at anchor, 1944

Rear Admiral Arthur W. Radford

2 fleet carriers

Yorktown (Capts. T.S. Combs and Walter F. Boone)

Air Group 9 (Cmdr. P.H. Torrey and Lt. Cmdr. H.N. Houck, USNR), 95 aircraft

VF-9: 40 F6F Hellcat fighters

VBF-9: 33 F6F Hellcat fighters

VB-9: 15 SB2C Helldiver dive bombers

VT-9: 7 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Intrepid (Capt. G.E. Short)

Air Group 10 (Cmdr. J.J. Hyland), 96 aircraft

VF-10: 30 F4U Corsair, 6 F6F Hellcat fighters

VBF-10: 36 F4U Corsair fighters

VB-10: 15 SB2C Helldiver dive bombers

VT-10: 15 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers

2 light carriers

Langley (Capt. J.F. Wegforth)

Air Group 23 (Lt. Cmdr. Merlin Paddock, USNR (KIA) and Cmdr. J.J. Southerland), 34 aircraft

VF-23: 25 F6F Hellcat fighters

VT-23: 9 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Independence (Capt. N.M. Kindell)

Air Group 46 (Cmdr. C.W. Rooney), 33 aircraft

VF-46: 25 F6F Hellcat fighters

VT-46: 8 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Battleship Division 9 (Rear Admiral Edward W. Hanson and Louis E. Denfeld)

3 fast battleships

Wisconsin (Capt. Earl E. Stone and John W. Roper)

Missouri (Capts. W.M. Callaghan and Stuart S. Murray)

New Jersey (Capt. Edmund T. Wooldridge)

Cruiser Division 16 (Rear Admiral Francis S. Low)

2 large cruisers

Alaska (Capt. K.H. Noble)

Guam (Capt. Leland P. Lovette)

1 light cruiser

St. Louis (Capt. J.B. Griggs)

3 anti-aircraft light cruisers

Flint (Capt. C.R. Will)

Oakland (Capt. K.S. Reed)

San Diego (Capt. W.E.A. Mullan)

Screen

17 Fletcher-class destroyers (5 × 5-in. main battery): Remey, Norman Scott, Mertz, Monssen, McGowan, McNair, Melvin, McCord, Trathen, Hazelwood, Heermann, Haggard, Franks, Hailey, Cushing, Colahan, Uhlmann, Benham

Allied logistics and support vessels

Support and Service Units (Task Force 50)

Seaplane tender Chandeleur

Martin PBM Mariner

Oiler Escambia

Ammunition ship Akutan

Hospital ship Mercy

Destroyer tender Cascade

Search and Reconnaissance Group (Task Group 50.5)

Commodore Dixwell Ketcham

3 seaplane tenders

Hamlin (Capt. G.A. McLean)

VPB-208 (Lt. Cmdr. A.J. Sintic, USNR)

12 Martin PBM Mariner patrol bomber flying boats

St. George (Capt. R.G. Armstrong)

VPB-18 (Lt. Cmdr. R.R. Boettcher)

12 Martin PBM Mariner patrol bomber flying boats

Chandeleur (Cmdr. J.S. Tracy)

VPB-21 (Lt. Cmdrs. J.E. Dougherty & J.D. Wright)

12 Martin PBM Mariner patrol bomber flying boats

3 small seaplane tenders

Yakutat (Cmdr. G.K. Fraser)

Onslow (Cmdr. A.D. Schwarz)

Shelikof (Cmdr. R.E. Stanley)

VPB-27 (Lt. Cmdr. E.N. Chase)

12 Martin PBM Mariner patrol bomber flying boats

Bering Strait (Cmdr. W.D. Innis)

VH-3 (Lt. Cmdr. W.D. Bonvillian)

6 Martin PBM Mariner patrol bomber flying boats

3 destroyer-seaplane tenders (ex-Clemson-class destroyers): Thornton (sunk after collision 5 Apr), Gillis, Williamson

Logistics Support Group Fifth Fleet (Task Group 50.8)

Rear Admiral Donald B. Beary in light cruiser Detroit

Support escort carriers

Shamrock Bay (Capts. F.T. Ward and J.E. Leeper)

VC-94 (Lt. Cmdr. J.F. Patterson, USNR (KIA) and Lt. L.E. Terry)

18 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

Makassar Strait (Capt. Herbert D. Riley)

VC-97 (Lt. Cmdr. M.T. Whittier, USNR)

14 FM-2 Wildcat fighters

12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers

CVE Plane Transport Unit (Task Unit 50.8.4)

Attu (Capt. H.F. MacComsey)

Admiralty Islands (Capt. M.E.A. Gouin)

Bougainville (Capt. C.A. Bond)

Windham Bay (Capt. G.T. Mundorff)

Logistics and Support Vessels

49 oilers: Cuyama, Brazos, Cimarron, Platte, Sabine, Kaskaskia, Guadalupe, Chicopee, Housatonic, Merrimack, Kankakee, Lackawanna, Monongahela, Tappahannock, Patuxent, Neches, Suamico, Tallulah, Ashtabula, Cacapon, Caliente, Chikaskia, Aucilla, Marias, Manatee, Nantahala, Severn, Taluga, Chipola, Tolovana, Pecos, Atascosa, Cache, Enoree, Escalante, Neshanic, Niobrara, Millicoma, Saranac, Cossatot, Cowanesque, Escambia, Cahaba, Mascoma, Ocklawaha, Ponaganset, Sebec, Tomahawk, Anacostia

16 ammunition ships: Akutan, Firedrake, Lassen, Mauna Loa, Shasta, Vesuvius, Wrangell, Canada Victory (sunk by kamikaze 27 Apr) Bedford Victory, Bucyrus Victory, Manderson Victory, Las Vegas Victory, Logan Victory (sunk by kamikaze 6 Apr), Greenburg Victory, Pierre Victory, Hobbs Victory (sunk by kamikaze 6 Apr)

9 cargo ships: Adhara, Alkaid, Alkes, Allegan, Appanoose, Fomalhaut, Matar, Mintaka, Rotanin

8 hospital ships: Bountiful, Comfort, Hope, Mercy, Relief, Samaritan, Solace, plus transport Wharton

6 reefers (store ships): Adria, Athanasia, Bridge, Latona, Lioba, Merapi

2 survey ships: Armistead Rust, Bowditch

2 stores-issue ships: Antares, Castor

9 gasoline tankers: Wabash, Genesee, Kishwaukee, Nemasket, Escatawpa, Hiwassee, Ontonagon, Yahara, Ponchatoula, Sacandaga

6 station tankers: Armadillo, Giraffe, Marmora, Moose, Whippet, LCI(L)-993

10 repair ships: Vestal, Aristaeus, Nestor, Oceanus, Anchor, Clamp, Current, Deliver, Gear, Shackle

6 floating drydocks: ARD-13, ARD-22, ARD-27, ARD-28, AFD-14, AFDL-32

12 fleet tugs: Arikara, Chickasaw, Cree, Lipan, Mataco, Menominee, Munsee, Pakana, Tawakoni, Tekesta, Tenino, Ute

4 ocean tugs, 3 ocean tugs (rescue)

Screen: Screening vessels for the Logistics Group were assigned to TG 50.8 units as needed from a pool of 11 destroyers and 24 destroyer escorts.

Japanese order of battle

Japanese Combined Fleet
Admiral Soemu Toyoda

Super battleship Yamato under air attack, 7 April 1945

Surface Special Attack Force

Vice Admiral Seiichi Ito (KIA)

Super battleship: Yamato

Captain Kosaku Aruga (KIA)

Destroyer Squadron 2 (Rear Admiral Keizo Komura)

Light cruiser: Yahagi (Captain Tameichi Hara)

Destroyer Division 41 (Capt. M. Yoshida): Fuyutsuki, Suzutsuki

Destroyer Division 17 (Capt. K. Shintani – KIA): Isokaze, Hamakaze, Yukikaze

Destroyer Division 21 (Capt. H. Kotaki – KIA): Asashimo, Kasumi, Hatsushimo

Naval vessels damaged and sunk at Okinawa

The following table lists the Allied naval vessels that received damage or were sunk in the Battle of Okinawa between 19 March – 30 July 1945. The table lists a total of 147 damaged ships, five of which were damaged by enemy suicide boats, and another five by mines. One source estimated that total Japanese sorties during the entire Okinawa campaign exceeded 3,700, with a large percentage kamikaze, and that the attackers damaged slightly more than 200 Allied vessels, with 4900 naval officers and seamen killed and roughly 4,824 wounded or missing. The USS Thorton is not listed as it was damaged as the result of a collision with another US ship. Those ships in a pink background, and with an asterisk were sunk or had to be scuttled due to irreparable damage. Of those sunk, the majority were relatively smaller ships; these included destroyers of around 300–450 feet. A few small cargo ships were also sunk, several containing munitions which caught fire. Those ships whose names are preceded by a "#" pound sign were scrapped or decommissioned as a result of damage.

See also

• List of ships damaged by kamikaze attack
• List of Allied vessels struck by Japanese special attack weapons

Bibliography

• Morison, Samuel Eliot (1960). Victory in the Pacific, 1945. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. XIV. Boston: Little, Brown and Co. ISBN 0-7858-1315-2.
• Silverstone, Paul H. (1970). U.S. Warships of World War II. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Co. ISBN 0-8702-1773-9.
• Toll, Ian W. (2020). Twilight of the Gods, War in the Western Pacific 1944-45. New York, NY: Norton and Company. ISBN 9780393080650.

ground

Location of Ryukyus and beach assignments on Okinawa

Map of the Ryukyu Island chain showing its strategic location between Formosa and Kyushu, the southernmost of the Japanese Home Islands

Landing beaches on Okinawa

US ground force commanders on Okinawa

Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner, USA (KIA)

Maj Gen. Roy S. Geiger, USMC

Maj. Gen. John R. Hodge, USA

LCTs unloading at Yellow Beach, Okinawa, 13 April 1945.

This is the order of battle for the US invasion of the island of Okinawa, the largest island of the Ryukyu chain. This offensive, called Operation Iceberg by its planners, was the final Allied offensive in the Pacific Theater of Operations in World War II.

The defending Japanese military was determined to inflict a casualty rate so high that the U.S. government would choose not to invade the Japanese home islands. To this end, the southern portion of Okinawa had been covered with the most extensive system of fortifications and interlocking fields of fire the Americans had yet encountered in the Pacific Theatre. In anticipation of this level of resistance, five full divisions, two Marine and three Army, were committed to the struggle.

The initial American landings took place on 1 April 1945 and the island was not declared secure until 22 June, a period of 82 days, far longer than was expected by US planners. Four days before the end of the campaign, Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. became the highest ranking U.S. military officer to be killed in action in the Second World War.

Summary of opposing ground forces

United States

US Tenth Army
Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., USA (KIA 18 Jun)

III Amphibious Corps

Major General Roy S. Geiger, USMC

Left: 6th Marine Division (24,356 officers and enlisted)

Right: 1st Marine Division (26,274 officers and enlisted)

XXIV Army Corps

Major General Roy S. Geiger, USMC

Major General John R. Hodge, USA

Left: 7th Infantry ("Bayonet") Division (21,929 officers and enlisted)

Right: 96th Infantry ("Deadeye") Division (22,330 officers and enlisted)

Reserve: 27th Infantry ("New York") Division (16,143 officers and enlisted)

Japan

For most of the war, the Japanese had not considered Okinawa vital to their defensive arrangements. US progress in the Central Pacific led them to activate the Thirty-Second Army on the island in April 1944. In June, 5,000 men of the 44th Independent Mixed Brigade were lost at sea when their transport was torpedoed by a US submarine. The 9th Division, a veteran unit, was intended for Okinawa but was stranded on Formosa when the high command decided it couldn't risk more slow-moving transports in the East China Sea. The unprecedented American casualty figures would almost certainly have been considerably higher had these men made it to Okinawa.

Japanese Thirty-Second Army
Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima (seppuku 22 Jun)
Approx. 67,000 men under arms, incl. 5,000 Okinawan conscripts

24th Division

62nd Division

44th Independent Mixed Brigade

American forces

Final photograph of Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner (right) just before being killed by a Japanese artillery round on Okinawa

Maj. Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd with Okinawan capital of Naha in background

A 105mm howitzer crew of the 15th Marines in action in Naha, Okinawa

Marine riflemen follow a flame-throwing tank on Okinawa, 11 May 1945

US Tenth Army
Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., USA (KIA 18 Jun)
Major General Roy S. Geiger, USMC (18 Jun thru 23 Jun)
General Joseph W. Stilwell, USA (from 23 Jun)

Northern Landing Area

III Amphibious Corps
Major General Roy S. Geiger

Chief of Staff: Brigadier General Merwin H. Silverthorn

Chief of Corps Artillery: Brigadier General David R. Nimmer

Embarked in Task Force 53 under Rear Admiral Lawrence F. Reifsnider

Left Beaches

6th Marine Division

Major General Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr.

Asst. Div. Cmdr.: Brigadier General William T. Clement

Chief of Staff: Colonel John C. McQueen

G-1 (Personnel): Major Addison B. Overstreet

G-2 (Intelligence): Lt. Colonel Thomas B. Williams

G-3 (Operations): Lt. Colonel Victor H. Krulak

G-4 (Logistics): Lt. Colonel August Larson (to 16 May), Lt. Colonel Wayne H. Adams

Left zone – Green beaches

22nd Marine Regiment

Colonel Merlin F. Schneider (to 16 May), Colonel Harold C. Roberts (KIA 18 Jun), Lt. Col. August Larson

Exec. Ofc.: Colonel Karl K. Louther (to 16 May), Lt. Col. August Larson (to 17 Jun), Lt. Col. John B. Baker (to 20 Jun), Lt. Col. Samuel R. Shaw

1st Battalion (Major Thomas J. Myers (KIA 15 May), Major Earl J. Cook (WIA 17 Jun), Lt. Col. Gavin C. Humphrey)

CMoH recipients: Navy Corpsman Fred F. Lester (KIA 8 Jun)

2nd Battalion1 (Lt. Col. Horatio C. Woodhouse Jr. (KIA 30 May), Lt. Col. John G. Johnson)

CMoH recipients: Major Henry A. Courtney Jr. (KIA 15 May), Cpl. James L. Day

3rd Battalion Lt. Col. Malcolm "O" Donohoo (WIA 16 May), Major George B. Kantner (to 19 May), Lt. Col. Clair W. Shisler)

Right zone – Red beaches

4th Marine Regiment

Colonel Alan Shapley

Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Fred D. Beans (to 14 Apr), Lt. Col. Fred D. Beans (from 1 May)

1st Battalion (Major Bernard W. Green, Lt. Col. Fred D. Beans, Lt. Col. George B. Bell)

CMoH recipient: Cpl. Richard Earl Bush

2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. Reynolds H. Hayden (to 26 May), Major Edgar F. Carney Jr.)

3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Bruno A. Hochmuth)

Reserve – Landed D-Day

29th Marine Regiment

Colonel Victor F. Bleasdale (to 14 Apr), Colonel William J. Whaling

Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Orin K. Pressley

1st Battalion (Lt. Col. Jean W. Moreau (WIA 16 May), Maj. Robert P. Neuffer (to 25 May), Lt. Col. Samuel S. Yeaton (to 14 Jun), Lt. Col. Leroy P. Hunt Jr.)

2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. William G. Robb (WIA 19 Apr))

3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Erma A. Wright (To 14 Jun), Lt. Col. Angus N. FraServ)

CMoH recipient: Pvt. Robert M. McTureous Jr. (KIA 7 Jun)

Artillery

15th Marine Regiment (Artillery)

Colonel Robert B. Luckey

Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. James H. Brower

1st Battalion (Major Robert H. Armstrong)

2nd Battalion (Major Nat M. Pace)

3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Joe C. McHaney)

4th Battalion (Lt. Col. Bruce T. Henphill)

CMoH recipient: PFC Harold Gonsalves (KIA 15 Apr)

Service troops

6th Engineer Battalion (Maj. Paul F. Sackett)

6th Medical Battalion (Cmdr. John S. Cowan, USN)

6th Motor Transport Battalion (Lt. Col. Ernest H. Gould)

6th Pioneer Battalion (Lt. Col. Samuel R. Shaw (to 10 May), Maj. John G. Dibble (to 8 Jun), Lt. Col. Samuel R. Shaw (to 18 Jun), Maj. John G. Dibble)

6th Service Battalion (Lt. Col. George B. Bell (to 25 Apr), Lt. Col. Alexander N. Entringer)

6th Tank Battalion (Lt. Col. Robert L. Denig Jr.)

Right Beaches

Maj. Gen. Pedro A. del Valle

Men of the 1st Marine Division assault a ridge two miles north of Naha supported by a bazooka.

Artillerymen of the 11th Marines swabbing the barrel of their 75mm pack howitzer during the Okinawa campaign.

Marine Corps TBM Avengers over Okinawa; white-pained hospital ship is visible below

1st Marine Division

Major General Pedro A. del Valle

Asst. Div. Cmdr.: Brigadier General Louis R. Jones

Chief of Staff: Colonel Robert O. Bare

G-1 (Personnel): Major Harold O. Deakin

G-2 (Intelligence): Lt. Colonel John W. Scott, Jr.

G-3 (Operations): Lt. Colonel Russell E. Honsowetz

G-4 (Logistics): Lt. Colonel Harvey C. Tschirgi

Left zone – Blue beaches

7th Marine Regiment

Colonel Edward W. Snedeker

Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. James M. Masters Sr.

1st Battalion (Lt. Col. John L. Gormley)

2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. Spencer S. Berger)

3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Edward H. Hurst (WIA 19 Jun), Lt. Col. Stephen V. Sabol)

Right zone – Yellow beaches

5th Marine Regiment

Colonel John H. Griebel

Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. John D. Muncie

1st Battalion (Lt. Col. Charles W. Shelburne)

CMoH recipient: PFC Albert E. Schwab (KIA 7 May)

2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. William B. Benedict (to 20 Jun), Major Richard T. Washburn)

CMoH recipients: Navy Corpsman Robert Eugene Bush, Navy Corpsman William D. Halyburton Jr. (KIA 10 May)

3rd Battalion (Major John H. Gustafson (WIA 1 Apr), Lt. Col. John C. Miller, Jr. (4 Apr to 16 May), Major Frank W. Poland (to 8 Jun), Jr., Lt. Col. Robert B. Hill)

Reserve

1st Marine Regiment

Colonel Kenneth B. Chappell (to 5 May), Colonel Arthur T. Mason

Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Richard P. Ross, Jr. (to 20 May), Lt. Col. James S. Monahan

1st Battalion (Lt. Col. James C. Murray, Jr. (WIA 9 May), Lt. Col. Richard P. Ross, Jr. (to 12 May), Lt. Col. Austin C. Shofner)

CMoH recipients: Cpl. John P. Fardy (KIA 7 May), Cpl. Louis J. Hauge Jr. (KIA 14 May)

2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. James C. Magee, Jr.)

CMoH recipient: Pvt. Dale M. Hansen (KIA 7 May)

3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Stephen V. Sabol (to 20 May), Lt. Col. Richard P. Ross Jr.)

CMoH recipients: PFC William A. Foster (KIA 2 May), Sgt. Elbert L. Kinser (KIA 4 May)

Artillery

11th Marine Regiment (Artillery)

Colonel Wilburt S. Brown

Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Edson L. Lyman

1st Battalion (Lt. Col. Richard W. Wallace)

2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. James H. Mofatt Jr.)

3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Thomas G. Roe)

4th Battalion (Lt. Col. Leonard F. Chapman Jr.)

Service troops

1st Engineer Battalion (Major Theodore E. Drummond)

1st Medical Battalion (Lt. Cmdr. Francis Giuffrida, USN))

1st Motor Transport Battalion (Lt. Col. Marion A. Fawcett (to 15 Apr), Lt. Col. Calvin C. Gaines)

1st Pioneer Battalion (Lt. Col. Robert G. Ballance)

1st Service Battalion (Lt. Col. Calvin C. Gaines (to 17 Apr), Col. John Kaluf)

1st Tank Battalion (Lt. Col. Arthur J. Stuart (WIA 13 Jun))

3rd Armored Amphibian Battalion, Provisional (Lt. Col. John L. Williamson, Jr. (to 7 May), Major Arthur M. Parker, Jr.)

1st Amphibian Tractor Battalion (Lt. Col. Maynard M. Nohrden)

8th Amphibian Tractor Battalion (Lt. Col. Chalres B. Nerren (to 13 Apr), Major Bedford Williams (to 17 Apr), Lt. Col. Chalres B. Nerren)

1st Provisional Antiaircraft Artillery Group

Colonel Kenneth W. Benner

Southern Landing Area

XXIV Army Corps
Major General John R. Hodge

Embarked in Task Force 55 under Rear Admiral John L. Hall

Left Beaches

Archibald V. Arnold as a brigadier general

7th Infantry ("Bayonet") Division

Major General Archibald V. Arnold

Infantry

17th Infantry Regiment – Purple Beaches

32nd Infantry Regiment – Orange Beaches

184th Infantry Regiment – Reserve

Artillery

48th, 49th, 57th Field Artillery Battalions (105mm)

31st Field Artillery Battalion (155mm)

Division troops

7th Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized)

13th Engineer Combat Battalion

7th Medical Battalion

7th Counter Intel Corps Det

Right Beaches

Maj. Gen. James L. Bradley

96th Infantry ("Deadeye") Division

Major General James L. Bradley

Infantry

381st Infantry Regiment – White Beaches

CMoH recipient: Sgt. Beauford T. Anderson

382nd Infantry Regiment – Reserve

CMoH recipients: PFC Clarence B. Craft, Lt. Seymour W. Terry

383rd Infantry Regiment – Brown Beaches

CMoH recipient: PFC Edward J. Moskala (KIA 9 Apr)

Artillery

361st, 362nd, 921st Field Artillery Battalions (105mm)

363rd Field Artillery Battalion (155mm)

Division troops

96th Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized)

321st Engineer Combat Battalion

321st Medical Battalion

96th Counter Intel Corps Det

Medium tanks of the 713th Tank Battalion during a respite in the fighting on Okinawa.

Reserve – Landed L+8

27th Infantry ("New York") Division

Major General George W. Griner Jr.

Infantry

105th Infantry Regiment

106th Infantry Regiment

165th Infantry Regiment

CMoH recipient: Sgt. Alejandro R. Ruiz

Artillery

104th, 105th, 249th Field Artillery Battalions (105mm)

106th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm)

Division troops

27th Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized)

102nd Engineer Combat Battalion

102nd Medical Battalion

27th Counter Intel Corps Det

Western Islands (Ie Shima, etc.)

Andrew D. Bruce as a lieutenant general

Renowned combat journalist Ernie Pyle shortly after being killed on Ie Shima.

77th Infantry ("Statue of Liberty") Division

Major General Andrew D. Bruce

Embarked in Task Group 51.1 under Rear Admiral Ingolf N. Kiland

Infantry

305th Infantry Regiment – landed 17 Apr Red Beaches 1 & 2

CMoH recipients: Sgt. John W. Meagher, Sgt. Joseph E. Muller (KIA 16 May)

306th Infantry Regiment – landed 17 Apr Green Beach

307th Infantry Regiment – landed 17 Apr Red Beaches 3 & 4

CMoH recipients: Cpl. Desmond Doss, PFC Martin O. May (KIA 21 Apr)

One Marine BLT

Artillery

304th, 305th, 902nd Field Artillery Battalions (105mm)

306th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm)

Division troops

77th Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized)

302nd Engineer Combat Battalion

302nd Medical Battalion

77th Counter Intel Corps Det

Air Forces

Tactical Air Force, Tenth Army

Major General Francis P. Mulcahy, USMC (to 11 Jun)

Major General Louis E. Woods, USMC (from 11 Jun)

Japanese forces

Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima

Thirty-Second Army

Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima (seppuku 22 Jun)
Approx. 67,000 men under arms, incl. 5,000 Okinawan conscripts

24th Division

Lt. Gen. Tatsumi Amamiya (KIA 30 Jun)

22nd Infantry Regiment

32nd Infantry Regiment

89th Infantry Regiment

62nd Division

Lt. Gen. Takeo Fujioka (suicide 22 Jun)

63rd Brigade

67th Brigade

44th Independent Mixed Brigade

Maj. Gen. Suzuki Shigeji (died 22 Jun)

Bibliography

• Clark, George C. (2006). The Six Marine Divisions in the Pacific: Every Campaign of World War II. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-7864-2769-8.
• Frank, Benis M. (1969). Okinawa: Touchstone to Victory. London: McDonald & Company. ISBN 0-3560-3066-0.
• Rottman, Gordon (2004). Okinawa 1945: The Last Battle. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 0-275-98274-2.
• Stanton, Shelby L. (1984). World War II Order of Battle. New York: Galahad Books. ISBN 0-88365-775-9.