Chapter 35 02. The Battle of the US Army's "Broken Door"

After the U.S. captured Iwo Jima, it prepared to attack the Japanese mainland.For this, a base needs to be established close to the Japanese mainland.In the eyes of Americans, the Okinawa Islands, which are connected to the Japanese archipelago in the north and Taiwan in the south, are the most suitable bases. The Okinawa Islands are already the innermost layer of Japan's homeland defense circle, and are known as Japan's "national gate".Therefore, the Okinawa landing battle is called "the battle of breaking the door". The Okinawa Islands were called the Ryukyu Kingdom in ancient times.According to relevant records, a country began to emerge in Ryukyu in the 12th century, and was unified into the Ryukyu Kingdom in the 15th century.The Ryukyu Kingdom once paid tribute to the Ming and Qing dynasties of China, and was deeply influenced by Chinese culture.In the Ming and Qing dynasties of China, when the new Ryukyu kings came to the throne, they were all canonized by the Chinese emperor. Only after being canonized by the Chinese emperor can their status be legitimate.The first time the Kingdom of Ryukyu was conferred by China was the 16th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1383). In this year, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty conferred the title of King of Ryukyu Zhongshan on Chadu.

Due to its special geographical location, the Ryukyu Kingdom has been invaded by Japan many times in history. On March 30, 1879, Japan annexed Ryukyu, and the Kingdom of Ryukyu perished.Most of the country was changed to Okinawa Prefecture by Japan, and the northern islands were included in Kagoshima Prefecture. At that time, the Qing government was invaded by Russia in the northwest and northeast, and had no time to take care of the Ryukyu issue.The Qing court’s envoy to Japan suggested that giving up Ryukyu would hurt Ryukyu’s feelings, and not giving up Ryukyu would anger Japan and create an enemy. It is better to delay and shelve the issue.The Qing government adopted this suggestion.Since then, Qing government minister Li Hongzhang and others have negotiated with Japan on the Ryukyu issue many times, and even asked former US President Grant to mediate, but there has been no result, and Ryukyu has been occupied by Japan.Although the Qing Dynasty did not sign the negotiation treaty with Japan in the end, the Ryukyu issue was shelved for a long time, and the Ryukyu Kingdom eventually perished.

Okinawa is the largest island in the Ryukyu Islands, 630 kilometers north of Kyushu.The northern part of the island is mountainous, and the southern part is mainly hilly, with many airports and harbors.After the U.S. military occupied the Philippines, Okinawa became more prominent in Japan's homeland defense.For Japan, once Okinawa falls, Japan, North Korea, and Japan will lose all sea and air control over China's coastal areas, and the sea line of communication to Southeast Asia, which Japan depends on for survival, will be completely cut off.Therefore, the Japanese base camp judged that the US military must first land on Okinawa Island before attacking the Japanese mainland, so it attached great importance to the defense of Okinawa Island.

As of January 1945, the Japanese garrison force on Okinawa was the 32nd Army, which consisted of four divisions and five brigades, commanded by Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushishima. Mitsuru Ushishima graduated from the Infantry Division of the Japanese Army Non-commissioned Officer Academy. In March 1937, he served as the commander of the 36th Infantry Brigade of the Sixth Division. He once led his troops to land in Jinshanwei, Hangzhou Bay, outflanking the rear of the Chinese army's anti-Japanese troops in Songhu.Then he led his troops to assist in the capture of Shanghai and Nanjing, and participated in the Nanjing Massacre. In 1938, participated in the Battle of Wuhan within the establishment of the Sixth Division of the Japanese Army. In 1939, Ushijima Mitsuru was promoted to lieutenant general of the army and served as the head of the eleventh division, the only division in Japan dedicated to amphibious landings.From August 8, 1944, he served as the commander of the 32nd Army and was ordered to defend Okinawa.

Ushishima Manhara planned to use the two airports in the central part of the island as the core defensive zone, first use "special attack" operations at sea and air to weaken the invading US troops, and then concentrate forces to wipe out the landing enemies on the beach.But on the eve of the battle, the Japanese base camp made a misjudgment and transferred the Ninth Division, the most combat-effective garrison in Okinawa, to Taiwan, China, which disrupted all of Ushijima's plans and caused him extreme dissatisfaction.Niu Daoman organizes resistance on this small island, like a trapped animal, frantically struggling to the death.

Before the U.S. Army landed, the Japanese troops on Okinawa consisted of two army divisions and one brigade, plus some naval garrisons and marines, totaling about 100,000 people. In order to ensure that Okinawa is not lost, the Japanese base camp formulated an aviation decisive battle plan code-named "Operation Tianhao".The Japanese army concentrated a total of 2,990 combat aircraft from the Army and Navy Air Force, including 1,230 suicide aircraft. The U.S. military has experienced the madness of the Japanese army many times, and it is also expected that the attack on Okinawa will inevitably be hit by Japanese suicide planes.Although this tactic of the Japanese army could not change the outcome of the war, it posed a great threat to the US military.

Therefore, before landing, the U.S. military plans to use aviation to conduct large-scale assaults on Japanese air bases in Japan, the Okinawa Islands, and Taiwan, China, in order to weaken the Japanese air force as much as possible. So, the opportunity for Major General Li Mei to show his talents came. Major General Li Mei, commander of the 21st Air Force of the U.S. Army, improved the bombing effect on Japan, changed the tactics to low-altitude bombing at night, and dismantled all the weapons on the B-29 bomber except the tail gun, so that the B-29's The bomb load has increased to 7 tons, and all of them use incendiary bombs.This tactic is known in history as "Li Mei fire attack".

On the evening of March 10, 334 U.S. B-29 bombers dropped nearly 2,000 tons of incendiary bombs on Tokyo, turning one-third of Tokyo’s urban area into ruins, destroying 250,000 buildings and more than 1 million people. Homeless, 83,000 civilians died and 100,000 were injured. The damage was no less than that of an atomic bomb. This battle made General Li Mei famous in the first battle, and also won a nickname-"Ghost Animal Li Mei".Because the Japanese think he is a demon from hell, they call him "ghost animal". March 10 is the "Army Memorial Day" in Japan, and Li Mei specially "gifted" to the Japanese on this day.

Two U.S. navigation planes first arrived over Tokyo, dropped flares in the Shitamachi area, and then dropped incendiary bombs in the shape of a "ten", igniting two fire dragons to guide the target for subsequent bombers.Then, more than 300 B-29s filed down and dropped more than 2,000 tons of incendiary bombs at the Shimodachi area at an altitude of 1,500 meters, and dozens of modified B-29s directly dropped dozens of tons of gasoline. The flames quickly turned into a storm of flames. The Shitamachi area is Tokyo's most densely populated area, where houses made of wood and bamboo are packed together.After the U.S. bombers dropped incendiary bombs and gasoline, the Shitamachi area quickly became a sea of ​​flames.Half an hour later, the fire was out of control.The scorching hot air created by the fire and the cold air formed a strong convective wind. The wind helped the fire, and the fire took advantage of the wind. The fire almost ignited everything. The metal was melted by the heat, and people and wood were in the suffocating heat. Spontaneous combustion!Many people hiding in the air-raid shelters were roasted to death, and the fleeing crowd was almost crazy, with flames scurrying everywhere, and horrific screams everywhere.Many people believed that water could put out fires and jumped into nearby ponds and rivers.But the high temperature formed by the blazing fire has already boiled the water!The pond almost became a boiling hot pot, and the people who took refuge in the water were boiled alive by the scalding water.Soon after, the streets and alleys were filled with rows of charred corpses.In strong winds, those who have escaped the range of the fire will also be burned by the sparks blown by the wind.

With the help of the wind, the fire burned to death countless Japanese who tried to escape.Many died of suffocation, though they did not burn to death.Japanese reporter Kato Masuo recalled: "The flames roared forward, devouring a large amount of oxygen, and thousands of people died in air-raid shelters, on the streets, in ditches, and even on large areas of open ground, as if they were drained of water." A large number of panting and struggling fish on the bottom of the lake." The main building of the palace was also burned to the ground.The fire caused by the incendiary bomb in downtown Tokyo burned across the moat to the imperial palace, and Emperor Hirohito hid in the bunker in fear.Overnight, one-third of Tokyo's urban area was burned to the ground.The ambulance personnel who rushed to Shitamachi at dawn were shocked by the tragic scene in front of them: there were countless corpses floating in the pond, all of which had been burned to black charcoal by the fire, and it was impossible to tell whether they were men or women.After dawn, the survivors were stunned by what they saw: most of the buildings were gone, the streets were unrecognizable, and only ruins remained.A survivor recalled: "All the houses near my house became like melted sugar lumps. The river water had almost evaporated, and countless charred bodies were strewn across the dry river bed. Soldiers and police were piling up dead bodies in various shapes and sizes. The air was filled with the smell of burning. God! At that moment, I wondered if I was still alive.” In order to clean up the bodies of residents who died in this attack, the survivors spent 25 days.

The astonishingly powerful "Li Mei Fire Attack" established a terrifying bombing pattern.Subsequently, the 21st Air Force carried out large-scale bombing of Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe and other cities with the same tactics.As of March 19, a total of about 1,600 B-29 sorties were dispatched, and nearly 10,000 tons of incendiary bombs were dropped, forcing the Japanese army to evacuate the aircraft factories in these cities, thereby greatly reducing aircraft production. The bombing mode of "Li Mei Fire Attack" left large areas of ruins in many cities in Japan.After the war, there were many examples of Japanese soldiers returning home after being defeated in the war and did not know their way or find their homes after disembarking.Because the road has disappeared, their hometown has long been turned into ruins. The most interesting thing is that after the war, the Japanese government even awarded honors to "Ghost Animal Li Mei", not an ordinary medal, but the "Grand Ribbon of the Rising Sun First Class", Japan's highest honor.Since its creation in 1875, up to now, Japan has awarded only 1,220 pieces, of which 810 pieces were issued before the end of World War II.Yamashita was still wearing that thing when he went to court for trial, which shows that even for an army general like Yamashita, this thing is not easy to come by, let alone a foreigner.What did the Japanese devils do? During World War II, the Japanese base camp had a combat staff officer of the military command, Naval Chief Minoru Genada, who formulated the plan for the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.He also participated in the Battle of Midway Island, and was ranked as Colonel when Japan surrendered.Because he was a staff officer who simply fought and was not qualified as a war criminal, Genda Osamu entered the Japanese Defense Agency after the war, and finally became the supreme commander of the Air Self-Defense Force. In order to improve the relationship between the United States and Japan, the Americans awarded Minoro Genada a "General-level Legion Special Medal" when he retired.This kind of medal is divided into four levels: commander level, general level, officer level and soldier level.Chiang Kai-shek and Soviet Marshal Zhukov won the rank of commander, and Ramos of the Philippines won the rank of general, but these are all anti-fascist.Who is Yuan Tianshi?Also eligible?This is politics! After Minato Genda was honored, he also wanted his boss to express that courtesy should be reciprocated.I bombed Americans the most, but Americans awarded me honors, so we should also award honors to the American who bombed us the most.So he remembered that Li Mei was here, and just like that, Genda recommended in 1964 to award General Li Mei the "Grand Ribbon of the Rising Sun, First Class". Minoru Genada was a big guy at that time. After retiring from the military, he represented the Liberal Democratic Party in the Senate election and ranked fifth in the number of votes.In the following 24 years, he was re-elected as a senator for 4 terms and served as the chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's Ministry of Defense for a long time.So his proposal passed right away. This is not Genda's real gratitude, but international politics.At that time, many Japanese opposed the signing of the "Japan-US Security Treaty." The United States was worried that the relationship between Japan and the United States would be unstable, so both sides had to make some gestures to show that "the war is over", so there was this farce of mutual honors— - "We have all forgotten". However, at least one person in Japan has not forgotten-Emperor Hirohito. The awarding ceremony of the "Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun, First Class" is traditionally awarded by the emperor himself to the recipients, but the emperor was deeply concerned about the horrors of the year, and confronted the government parliament for the first time: the lonely king will not do it!Whoever likes to award this medal will award it, anyway, the lonely king will not issue it-the emperor did not attend the award ceremony in the end.Without the emperor's award, Li Mei also felt bored. He didn't even hold a press conference, and he was never seen to hang the medal afterwards. On March 27 and 31, the 21st Air Force turned to bombing the Japanese airports in Kyushu according to Nimitz's request.The U.S. B-29 bombers severely damaged the facilities at these airports and nearly paralyzed the Japanese air force in Kyushu. At the same time, the US aircraft carrier formation also dispatched nearly a thousand carrier-based aircraft to bomb aircraft factories in Osaka and Kobe, as well as airports in Kyushu and Shikoku. The above-mentioned actions of the U.S. Air Force seriously hindered the reinforcement of the Japanese navy and air force to Okinawa. On April 1, the weather was fine, and the US military's landing campaign finally started! At about 4 o'clock, the warships of the U.S. artillery support formation began to shoot, covering the landing troops to land on the beach.The Second Marine Division first landed on the southeast coast of Okinawa Island, and carried out a feint to attract the attention of the Japanese army, disperse the Japanese troops, and create favorable conditions for the real landing. At 8 o'clock, the US Army's main attack force, the 1st Marine Division, the 6th Marine Division, the 7th Division, and the 96th Division of the Army, landed on the west coast of Okinawa Island about 9 kilometers from north to south. At this time, the US military is already familiar with landing operations. At 8:28, the U.S. aircraft ended its last strafing, and the naval guns also stopped firing. The first wave of landing craft was only 70 meters away from the beach at this time, and the sea-air coordination was perfect. At 8:32, the first wave of landing troops rushed ashore.The whole landing process was very smooth, and the Japanese army did not have any resistance at all.On the contrary, the US military was a little baffled and at a loss. On April 2, the first part of the U.S. Army began to advance eastward, cutting off the Japanese defense line. On April 4, two U.S. Marine divisions crossed the entire island and reached Midtown Bay on the east coast, splitting the Japanese army on the island in two. Due to the heavy loss of the Japanese air force in counterattacking the U.S. air attack on Kyushu Island, it was no longer able to organize a large-scale "Tianhao Operation".Therefore, the Japanese army only dispatched a small number of aircraft to attack. Although the "Operation Tianhao" ended hastily and the number of suicide planes attacked by the Japanese army was very small, it still caused some losses to the US military. In early April, the Japanese army dispatched more than 1,500 sorties of army and navy aircraft, of which suicide aircraft accounted for about half, launching the so-called "Kikusui special attack" on the US military. The code name "Kikusui" means chrysanthemums in the water, and it is the heraldry pattern of the famous 14th-century Japanese warrior Masanari Kusuki.Nanmu Zhengcheng made the oath of "serving the country with seven lives", which means that even if he dies seven times, he will reincarnate to be loyal.He is honored by posterity for dying with his enemies in battle.Therefore, it is very appropriate for the Japanese army to use him as an idol to inspire those suicide pilots.Although the U.S. military had expected the Japanese army to launch a suicide attack before the war, the madness of the Japanese attack and the tragic loss of the U.S. military still made the U.S. military terrified. The Japanese army used a new type of weapon in the offensive - "Sakura bomb", which has a nice name, but it is actually a rocket-assisted manned aerial bomb, that is, a manned missile.Carried by the attack aircraft to the theater, it will be disengaged, and the daredevil pilot will rush to the target. The "Sakura Bomb" is equipped with a ton of high explosives, propelled by three solid-fuel rocket engines, and has a speed of up to 800 kilometers per hour, which is very powerful.The U.S. military calls it the "eight-grid bomb". This weapon has caused a lot of damage to the U.S. military. In this suicide attack by the Japanese army, the U.S. military sank 4 destroyers, 2 landing ships, 3 munitions ships, 1 transport ship, damaged 2 battleships, 2 aircraft carriers, 4 frigates, and 17 destroyers. , suffered heavy casualties.722 Japanese planes were shot down before and after the attack, accounting for about 48% of the total number of attacks. In this battle, the U.S. destroyer "Laffey" fought bloody battles and won the title of "Unsinkable Ship" and became a symbol of the bravery and strength of the U.S. Navy.On the same day, the "Lafite" was in charge of radar alert. At 8 o'clock in the morning, when it found more than 50 Japanese aircraft flying in, it immediately issued an early warning and guided the fighter jets in the air to intercept it.Because the planes of the two sides were mixed together, the "Lafite" did not open fire for fear of accidentally injuring its own plane.Soon, two Japanese suicide planes rushed over, and the "Lafite" quickly shot them down, and then more than 20 Japanese planes rushed from several directions. The ship fires into the air.The concentrated attack of the Japanese planes made it difficult for the "Lafite" to take care of it, and was hit by three suicide planes successively.One of them was colliding with the turret of the 127mm tail gun. The violent explosion blew the turret away on the spot, and flames and thick smoke spewed out, reaching a height of 60 meters. The flames caused by fuel oil, the fire is raging.U.S. sailors stepped forward desperately, trying their best to control the fire and prevent it from spreading.Immediately afterwards, a bomb dropped by a Japanese plane hit the ammunition bay of the 20mm anti-aircraft gun, causing a bigger explosion, destroying the steering gear and making the "Lafite" lose its maneuverability.Soon, two more suicide planes crashed into the "Lafite", and the injuries were further aggravated. All the artillery in the rear half of the "Lafite" were blown up, and only the four 20mm guns in the front were still fighting.This life-and-death struggle lasted for a full 80 minutes. The "Lafite" was attacked by 22 Japanese suicide planes, and 9 were shot down, but hit by 5 and hit by 4 bombs. The "Lafite" was so traumatized, but with the efforts of all officers and men on the ship, it did not sink in the end.Of the 350 officers and soldiers on board, 32 died and 71 were injured, accounting for almost one-third of the total number. The next day, the "Lafite" was towed by a tugboat to the anchorage for emergency repairs. On April 22, the "Laffy" was able to sail back to Guam relying on the repaired self-power, and finally arrived in Seattle, the mainland of the United States, on May 22, where it was overhauled at the Todd Shipyard. repair.After the war, the "Laffey" was decommissioned in March 1975 and was towed to Patriots Point, South Carolina in 1981, where it was opened to the public as a historic ship. On April 5, the Japanese Combined Fleet decided to form a maritime special attack team with the battleship "Yamato" of the Second Fleet, the light cruiser "Yahata" and eight destroyers to cooperate with the aviation special attack team, and broke into Okinawa at dawn on April 8. To the west of the sea, annihilate the US landing formation and support the defenders on Okinawa to recapture the airport. At this time, Japan can be said to be poor.There was a serious shortage of fuel, and the United Fleet had to spend a lot of effort to collect 2,500 tons of fuel, which was less than half of the 6,400-ton fuel tank capacity of the "Yamato", barely enough to guarantee the one-way fuel consumption to Okinawa.And because all the aviation forces were invested in the "Jikusui special attack", there was no air cover for this fleet, and it was an out-and-out suicidal special attack at sea.The officers and soldiers who participated in the war knew that this time there was no going back. At the routine farewell reception before the expedition, many people lost their composure, full of sadness and desolation before going to death. Even the Japanese themselves know that this style of play is sure to die, but the Japanese base camp is so stupid, so they made such a decision.It’s fine for the Japanese to use planes for suicide attacks. Airplanes are more flexible and easy to hit the target; letting naval warships do suicide attacks is definitely a brain-dead pioneering effort in the history of warfare. It is clear that they will die. On the afternoon of April 6, all the officers and men of the "Yamato" ship assembled on the deck, listened to the captain read out the attack order, and then all sang the national anthem and military anthem, and shouted long live three times, and then set off for the expedition. At 6 o'clock on April 7, after the fleet passed the Osumi Strait, Lieutenant Admiral Ito Seiichi decided to sail westward first, trying to avoid the search of US aircraft, and then turned to Okinawa at dusk.In fact, Ito was completely superfluous, because the Japanese fleet had long been discovered by the USS "Finfish" and "Sticklefish" submarines.The mission of the two submarines was to monitor the activities of the Japanese ships, so they did not attack the Japanese ships.After Spruance received the report, he immediately ordered the 6 battleships, 7 cruisers and 21 destroyers of the 54th Task Force to move northward from the Okinawa waters quickly, trying to lure the Japanese fleet to the south as much as possible, and let the 50th The carrier-based aircraft of the eight special mixed formations carried out the attack. At dawn on April 7, the 58th Task Force dispatched about 40 aircraft to search the waters north of Okinawa in a fan-shaped manner, while the fleet responsible for the assault mission was on the deck of the aircraft carrier. At 8:32, the U.S. reconnaissance plane spotted the Japanese fleet in the southwest of Zhen Lie Island and kept reporting the location of the Japanese ships to the U.S. fleet. At 12:30, the U.S. plane flew over the Japanese ship, and immediately launched the first wave of attacks, focusing on the "Yamato". Four bombs fell near the main turret of the "Yamato", two of which penetrated the rear main turret. The deck explodes. At 12:43, the port front of the "Yamato" was hit by a torpedo. At 13:35, the second wave of U.S. attack planes arrived, and soon the middle part of the port side of the "Yamato" hull was hit by three torpedoes and flooded, causing the hull to tilt to the left.Almost at the same time, a bomb dropped by a U.S. plane blew up the drain valve of the "Yamato", making the ship unable to drain. The captain had to order symmetrical water injection to the starboard compartment to restore the balance of the ship. At 13:44, the middle of the port side of the "Yamato" was hit by two more torpedoes, which increased the left tilt to 15-16 degrees, which made the ship's large-caliber anti-aircraft guns unusable.Subsequently, three aerial bombs from the US plane hit the center of the port side, and a torpedo hit the starboard side. At 14:12, the middle and rear of the port side of the "Yamato" were hit by two more torpedoes, and the hull tilted further.Since the water injection and drainage area on the starboard side has been filled with water, it can only continue to fill the machinery room, lounge and boiler room. At 14:15, another torpedo was hit on the port side of the "Yamato", and the speed gradually decreased to seven knots.In this case, the "Yamato" has completely become a "living coffin", and can only be beaten passively.In desperation, the captain had to order to abandon the ship, but it was too late. At 14:23, the "Yamato" suddenly experienced a big explosion in the main gun ammunition depot, and then sank.Of the nearly 3,000 officers and soldiers on board, only 276 were rescued. As a symbol of the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy, the sinking of the giant battleship "Yamato" with a displacement of 68,000 tons marked the complete annihilation of the combined fleet, and at the same time declared the complete end of the era of giant cannon ships. While the U.S. planes focused on attacking the "Yamato", they also successively sank the destroyers "Yahama", "Isokaze", "Asaka" and "Kasumi". After the sinking of the "Yamato", the Japanese special attack fleet was replaced by Masayoshi Yoshida, captain of the 41st Destroyer Battalion. He organized the remaining ships to salvage the people who fell into the water, and at the same time reported the battle situation to the commander of the joint fleet, Deputy Takeshi Toyoda. At 16:39, in view of the fact that the expected goal could not be achieved, Deputy Takeshi Toyoda had to terminate the special attack at sea and ordered the remaining 4 destroyers to return with injuries. Before the U.S. battleship and cruiser formations went into battle, the Japanese special attack fleet was wiped out by U.S. carrier-based aircraft.At the same time, the 11 submarines of the Japanese Navy operating in the waters of Okinawa, due to the strong anti-submarine force of the US military and strict vigilance, not only failed to achieve any results, but were sunk 8 of them. So far, the Japanese navy's support for the Okinawa defenders has failed disastrously.Although the Japanese air special attack team caused a lot of losses to the US military, it could not change the outcome of the battle. Ground fighting on Okinawa had been relatively smooth until 8 April.After the U.S. Marine First Division and Sixth Marine Division captured the central region and divided the Japanese army into northern and southern parts, the U.S. troops divided into two groups and advanced gradually. Under the repeated urging of the Japanese base camp, Ushijima originally planned to launch a general counterattack against the airport on April 8.But on the afternoon of April 7, hundreds of U.S. ships were found in the sea near Naha.Ushijima was worried that the U.S. troops would land from the side of the counterattack force. In addition, he had no hope for this counterattack. He just used this as an excuse to cancel the counterattack, and used all his troops to rely on fortifications for defense. On April 12, Roosevelt, who was re-elected four times as President of the United States, died suddenly in his villa.This news shocked the United States and shocked the whole world.From commanders to ordinary soldiers in the US military, everyone was shocked and saddened. But life goes on, and the war is far from over.The White House issued an obituary at 5:48 p.m.Within two hours, Vice President Truman was sworn in as President.Then, the White House lowered the flag at half-mast.Men, women and children gathered in tears outside the White House, in the streets and squares.Robert A. Taft, one of America's greatest senators, said in his Senate eulogy that Roosevelt "was the greatest man of our time. He died a hero of this war, his Indeed, he fought to the last breath for the American people." After receiving the news of Roosevelt's death, the Japanese army took the opportunity to make a big fuss, disseminating leaflets entitled "American Tragedy", claiming that special offensive operations would sink all US warships and make countless people orphans.The Japanese base camp couldn't wait to urge Ushijima to seize the opportunity to launch a counterattack. Under the repeated orders of the base camp, Ushijima launched a counterattack, but he did not devote all his strength as instructed.The Japanese army first blew up the US tanks by means of suicide attacks by the death squads with explosives in their arms, and then launched a charge against the US infantry who lost the cover of the tanks.The U.S. army retreated steadily under the counterattack of the Japanese army, with nearly 5,000 casualties. Thanks to the heavy artillery and superior firepower of the follow-up troops, the Japanese offensive was contained. On April 19, three divisions of the US Twenty-fourth Army launched a large-scale attack from about 6.5 kilometers north of Naha.First the naval guns, army artillery and 650 aircraft fired on the Japanese position, dropping a large number of bombs and napalm, and then the infantry launched an attack.However, the Japanese army used tunnels to avoid the firepower of the US military. When the US ground forces launched an attack, the Japanese army entered the position to fight, so the US offensive was disintegrated time and time again.The Japanese army once again showed their tenacious fighting spirit. Every mountain, every blockhouse, every tunnel, and even every rock, the US military had to go through many bloody battles before they could capture it.Intense fighting raged for five days, but U.S. forces made very limited progress.Everything is like a replica of the battle on Iwo Jima, except that the Japanese army has more troops and defensive positions. When the U.S. army advanced to about 4,500 meters from the main Japanese defense line, the two sides fell into a stalemate.The U.S. military had no choice but to adjust its deployment, launching an attack with four divisions, adopting two-wing outflanking tactics, and attacking the Japanese army in a roundabout way. On April 24, the US military finally made progress and broke through the Mugang defense line. On May 4, Ushidoman saw that the US military was advancing step by step, and in order to gain the initiative, he launched a desperate general counteroffensive.The Japanese army transported part of their troops by barge, and landed on the coast behind the U.S. battle line, cooperating with the main force to pinch the U.S. troops back and forth.However, due to the lack of strong support from the navy and air force, the landing force was discovered by the U.S. military during the voyage, and was immediately bombarded by destroyers and ground artillery fire, and was wiped out before landing.However, once the main frontal attack force of the Japanese army left the solid and concealed fortifications, they had no advantage in front of the well-equipped US troops. In less than 24 hours, the counterattack was shattered. Ushijima's counterattack was not worth the candle. A lot of troops were sacrificed in vain, and the large amount of ammunition consumed could not be replenished. The ammunition reserves of the Japanese army were almost exhausted.Ushijima had to order to save ammunition, and each gun fired only 10 shells per day on average, which seriously affected future operations. On May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany was defeated and surrendered, and Japan was the only remaining fascist Axis power.This time it's the turn of the Japanese to feel chilled. Every U.S. warship off Okinawa fired three shells at the Japanese position in celebration.At the same time, the U.S. military invested in new types of fire-breathing tanks and heavy tanks. Braving the rain of Japanese guns and bullets, they ran over the trenches and rushed into the Japanese positions. The fire-breathing tanks shot napalm bombs into the caves and tunnels hidden by the Japanese army.The Japanese army finally couldn't support it, and the line of defense was gradually broken through.Immediately under the cover of night, Ushidoman quietly organized the troops to withdraw to the next line of defense.As a result, the battle developed into such a pattern: the Japanese army first defended against danger, then the U.S. troops made a breakthrough with the support of heavy firepower, and then the Japanese army retreated to the next line of defense to hold on.Repeatedly, the Japanese position gradually shrank. In this case, the tenacious Japanese army also carried out a death squad airborne assault. On May 24, 12 planes carrying the Japanese "Yi Lie Air Force" took off one after another. On the way, 4 planes returned or made an emergency landing due to malfunctions. Another 7 planes were shot down or crashed by the US military when they approached Okinawa Island. Only 1 plane Arrive at the destination at 22:00.The Japanese plane landed on the airport occupied by the U.S. military by belly landing. The commandos jumped out of the cabin before the plane stopped and threw grenades and incendiary bombs at the planes parked on the airport. The sky was full of fire.The U.S. garrison hurriedly fired back. After a short battle, the 70 Japanese commandos who landed on the airport, together with the crew, were all wiped out or died in the crash.7 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, 26 aircraft were damaged, and more than 70,000 gallons of aviation gasoline were burned, with little loss.However, the Japanese army dared to carry out airborne assaults when the situation of the war was so unfavorable, especially when it basically lost its air supremacy, which was completely beyond the expectations of the US military. The fighting on Okinawa is still going on.The US military captured Naha on May 27 and continued to attack Shuri Castle in Okinawa. On the 31st, the U.S. military broke through the Shuri defense line, the core defensive area of ​​the Japanese army, and entered the ruined Shuri Castle.Buckner, commander of the U.S. Tenth Army, was full of joy, thinking that the capture of Shuri Castle meant that the battle was coming to an end.But his idea was completely wrong, and the last madness of the Japanese army was even more terrifying. Ushido retreated about 10 kilometers to the last line of defense carefully prepared at the southern tip of Okinawa Island.This is a natural barrier composed of two peaks. The terrain is rugged and steep. The Japanese army made full use of the terrain and built ingeniously concealed artillery positions and intricate tunnel fortifications.Ushido is determined to rely on this, and fight to the last.Therefore, the resistance of the Japanese army did not weaken at all. The US military mainly relied on fire-breathing tanks to open the way. Many Japanese soldiers who were covered in fire rushed out of the position, hugged the US soldiers and died together.The advance of the US military is still very difficult.At this time, although the Japanese army had only 30,000 men left, more than half of the artillery was lost, and there was not much ammunition left, they still fought to the death. On June 4, two regiments of the Sixth Division of the U.S. Marine Corps landed on the Xiaolu Peninsula southwest of Naha and attacked the Japanese army in a roundabout way. On June 8, the 38th U.S. Task Force went north again to attack the Japanese air base in Kyushu.Admiral Halsey then led Task Force 38 back to Wright Gulf.When the 38th Task Force arrived in Leyte Gulf on June 13, this heroic force had been fighting at sea for a full 92 days!They will make a brief rest in Wright Gulf before launching a final blow to the Japanese mainland. On June 17, the U.S. military deployed the Second Marine Division of the reserve team. A regiment of this division landed on the southern tip of Okinawa Island, and cooperated with friendly forces on the front and flanks to encircle and annihilate the Japanese army.At this time, the situation of the Japanese army was very passive, and it was only a matter of time before the whole army was "broken".In order to avoid unnecessary casualties, Buckner used clear telegrams and broadcasts to persuade the Japanese army to surrender, but Ushijima was not moved at all. On June 18, Lieutenant General Buckner came to the front to supervise the battle.A shell from the Japanese army flew in, and he was hit in the head by shrapnel and sharp debris flying around, and died on the spot.We must know that the artillery fire of the Japanese army was extremely weak at that time. Before he arrived that day, the place had not been bombarded for several hours.The Japanese army killed the commander of the group army with only one shell, and Buckner became the highest-ranking general killed by the US military in the entire Pacific War. On June 19, Ushijima sent a final farewell telegram to Tokyo in the tunnel of the cave, and then arranged for his subordinates to make a final desperate attack. On the 22nd, the U.S. military broke through the last line of defense of the Japanese army, attacked the southernmost tip of Okinawa Island, and divided the remaining Japanese troops into three parts.The Japanese army knew very well that the end was coming.In the tunnel, medics injected large doses of morphine into the wounded, causing them to die peacefully. At 4 a.m. on June 23, Ushijima knew that the U.S. military was about to occupy the tunnel where he was, so he took off his military uniform and changed into a kimono.His chief of staff followed him and committed suicide by caesarean section, and some officers also committed suicide en masse.So far, the organized fighting of the Japanese army has subsided, while the resistance of the sporadic Japanese army continues. On July 2, Nimitz officially declared the Battle of Okinawa over. The Japanese Okinawa defenders were wiped out, but to this day, in Okinawa's Peace Prayer Park, there is still a "Tower of Dawn" commemorating Ushishima Mitsuru and a "Consolation Monument" specially erected for him.If Ushido Man hadn't died on the battlefield, his behavior of condoning his subordinates' crimes during the Nanjing Massacre would have ended badly.