GI Diary: Battle of Okinawa part 3 of 3

"Okinawa - At the Emperor's Doorstep" episode from "WWII: GI Diary"..... This old 1978 TV docu-drama was narrated by Lloyd Bridges and told the stories of real soldiers/sailors/pilots and their first-hand experiences in battle. Archival footage and good background music really made the stories come alive.....about 25 episodes were made. Video converted from really old VHS tape.......... This is the story of the invasion and capture of the island of Okinawa in 1945--the last major land battle of WW2.....part 3 of 3

This video was provided to me by the courtesy of another WWII history enthusiast from Ontario, Canada--MANY THANKS!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• GI
• Diary
• WW2
• WWII
• Okinawa
• battle
• Pacific
• war

[1947studebaker1]

Yes, my father, recently deceased, was also there with the 7th ID. He wrote my mother that of all the battles he had been through, the Japanese resistance was the fiercest at Okinawa.

[rackasaurus]

This island is so, so thick with jungle. I was stationed there when I was in the Seabees. I'm sure that there are Marines viewing this and they know what I'm saying. We did a lot of training in the northern end. So damn thick that the GPS would sometimes go out. That's when they were first coming in though. Hadn't hit the civilian market yet. Took a tour of the battle. Saw Japanese bunkers that were cut out of the rock. Hacksaw Ridge. What those Marines must have gone through. Hats off to you.

[SWHogarth627]

@tomthefunky: 62,000 +/- to be closer. But American dead were actually 12,500 +/-. 62K if you count the wounded as well as the dead and missing. I should have used the term "dead" instead of casualties. They are still finding remains of American/Japanese military folks and Okinawan civilians. Every year (around New Years) they add the names of the people they found during the previous year.

Akemashite Omedetto Gozaimasu!

(Happy New Years!)

[tomthefunky]

@SWHogarth627 U.S had almost 50 thousand, dead, missing and wounded. It was comparable to Antietam and the Bulge.

[420gma]

@vigilante619 I agree ! My dad was with the marines there and said invading japan would have been a bloodbath and doubted he would have survived !

[420gma]

Respond to this video... My dad was a marine there . Said it was horrible .Esp when civillians started killing themselves.

[kutulu6]

Thank You, brave servicemen of all the branches of the armed forces. You will always be remembered!!!

[SWHogarth627]

The battle for Okinawa was tragic in sooo many ways.  Suggested reading: Tennozan: The Battle of Okinawa and the Atomic Bomb (George Feifer). The Battle for Okinawa (Hiromichi Yahara). The Girl with the White Flag (Tomika Higa). When you're done reading, Go to Okinawa and stand on Shuri Ridge and look NW to Futenma, SW to Makiminato (and Sugar Loaf Hill).

Battle of Okinawa Casualties:

American Forces: 12,000

Japanese Forces: 125,000

Okinawans: 142,000

[socomsix19]

lets rape those japanese people!!! and i CAN say everything cause police cant get me

[Kevinsouth]

My uncle was in the navy and had the job of piloting a Higgins craft around the big ships to cover them with smoke each day before 10am and 2 am before the kamikazis came over from Japan. He was only 19. They knew the war was over when all the ships began firing at once--a first. My uncle is still with us and still talks about the life-turning event.