Okinawa ground order of battle

The American invasion of the island of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, took place 1 April 1945. The 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 the island had been covered with the most extensive system of fortifications and fields of fire yet encountered in the Pacific War.

The island was not declared secure until 22 June, a period of 82 days. Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., was struck by coral fragments created by the explosion of a Japanese artillery shell on 18 June and later died of his wounds. Buckner became the highest ranking U.S. military officer to be killed in action in the Second World War.

American forces

Ground forces commander

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

Marine Corps commanders

Maj. Gen. Roy S. Geiger

Lemuel C. Shepherd as Commandant of the Marine Corps

Maj. Gen. Pedro A. del Valle

Army commanders

Major General John R. Hodge

Archibald V. Arnold as a brigadier general

Andrew D. Bruce as a lieutenant general

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 Beaches^[1]

III Amphibious Corps (Embarked in Task Force 53)
Major General Roy S. Geiger, USMC
Chief of Staff: Brigadier General Merwin H. Silverthorn, USMC
Chief of Corps Artillery: Brigadier General David R. Nimmer, USMC

Left Beaches:

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

Division Commander: Major General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., USMC

Asst. Division Commander: Brigadier General William T. Clement, USMC

22nd Marine Regiment (Colonel Merlin F. Schneider, USMC)^[a] – Green Beaches

4th Marine Regiment (Colonel Alan Shapley, USMC) – Red Beaches

29th Marine Regiment (Colonel Victor Bleasdale, USMC)^[b] – Reserve

15th Marine Regiment (Artillery) (Colonel Robert B. Luckey, USMC)

Right Beaches:

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

Division Commander: Major General Pedro A. del Valle, USMC

Asst. Division Commander: Brigadier General Louis R. Jones, USMC

7th Marine Regiment (Colonel Edward W. Snedeker, USMC) – Blue Beaches

5th Marine Regiment (Colonel John H. Griebel, USMC) – Yellow Beaches

1st Marine Regiment (Colonel Arthur T. Mason, USMC) – Reserve

11th Marine Regiment (Artillery) (Colonel Wilburt S. Brown, USMC)

1st Provisional Antiaircraft Artillery Group

Commanding officer: Colonel Kenneth W. Benner, USMC

Southern Landing Beaches^[2]

XXIV Army Corps (Embarked in Task Force 55)
Major General John R. Hodge, USA

Left Beaches:

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

Division Commander: Major General Archibald V. Arnold, USA

17th Infantry Regiment – Purple Beaches

32nd Infantry Regiment – Orange Beaches

184th Infantry Regiment – Reserve

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

31st Field Artillery Battalion (155mm)

Right Beaches:

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

Division Commander: Major General James L. Bradley, USA

381st Infantry Regiment – White Beaches

383rd Infantry Regiment – Brown Beaches

382nd Infantry Regiment – Reserve

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

363rd Field Artillery Battalion (155mm)

Reserve:

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

Division Commander: Major General George W. Griner, Jr., USA

105th Infantry Regiment – landed L+8

106th Infantry Regiment – landed L+8

165th Infantry Regiment – landed L+8

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

106th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm)

Western Islands (Ie Shima, etc.)^[3]

Embarked in Task Group 51.1

77th Infantry ("Statue of Liberty") Division (20,981 officers and enlisted)

Division Commander: Major General Andrew D. Bruce, USA

306th Infantry Regiment – landed Green Beach 17 Apr

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

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

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

306th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm)

One Marine BLT

Air Forces

Tactical Air Force, Tenth Army

Major General Francis P. Mulcahy, USMC^[c]

Major General Louis E. Woods, USMC^[d]

Japanese forces

Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima

Thirty-second Army^[4]^[e]

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

24th Division

Lt. Gen. Tatsumi Amamiya (KIA 30 June)

22nd Infantry Regiment

32nd Infantry Regiment

89th Infantry Regiment

62nd Division

Lt. Gen. Takeo Fujioka (suicide 22 June)

63rd Brigade

67th Brigade

44th Independent Mixed Brigade

Maj. Gen. Suzuki Shigeji (died 22 June)

Notes

^ then Colonel Harold C. Roberts
^ then Colonel William J. Whaling
^ Relieved for ill health 11 Jun
^ From 11 Jun
^ A Japanese army was equivalent to a Euro-American corps.

References

^ Rottman 2004, pp. 55, 91-92
^ Rottman 2004, pp. 55, 90-91
^ Rottman 2004, p. 91
^ Rottman 2004, p. 93
^ Rottman 2004, p. 50

Bibliography

Rottman, Gordon (2004). Okinawa 1945: The Last Battle. Osprey. ISBN 0-275-98274-2.

[2] then Colonel Harold C. Roberts

[3] then Colonel William J. Whaling

[6] Relieved for ill health 11 Jun

[7] From 11 Jun

[9] A Japanese army was equivalent to a Euro-American corps.

[1] Rottman 2004, pp. 55, 91-92

[4] Rottman 2004, pp. 55, 90-91

[5] Rottman 2004, p. 91

[8] Rottman 2004, p. 93

[10] Rottman 2004, p. 50

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