>Let us remember the 60 years of the terror that appeared in Hiroshima. That this act never more occurs in our History.

Paulo;

The last major battle of World War Two fought by the United States was the Battle of Okinawa. It was hell on earth. As Japan was approached by Allied Forces the fighting became more intense.

Little is discussed about the Battle of Okinawa. I have done some research on the subject and conclude a true story could never be made into a movie. It is too frightening! I have many statistics about the battle, and the numbers of planes, ships, people killed, ordinance used and other information. Can you imagine being in a battle for many weeks in which almost continuous bombardment was occurring day and night?

On April 1, 1945 the American and British navy assembled a giant armada off the coast of Okinawa: 1,300 ships, with more than 40 aircraft carriers. On the first day alone 183,000 troops were landed. This would eventually be as many as 548,000 troops. In comparison, during the enormous D-Day invasion of Normandy the previous year, the allies landed 150,000 with just 284 ships.

The day the invasion of Okinawa began 3,800 tons of shells fell on Okinawa from Allied ships during the first 24 hours. Shells from ships, airplanes, cannons, mortars, machine guns and small arms were in almost constant use.

The Japanese snipers would find where the American Latrine was and let an American soldier use it. Upon exiting the Latrine the Japanese sniper would kill the American. That was but one tactic.

Thirty-four allied ships and craft of all types had been sunk, mostly by kamikazes, and 368 ships and craft damaged. The fleet had lost 763 aircraft. About 8000 kamikaze planes were lost by Japan, along with 16 ships.

Almost all the Japanese military members were killed or committed suicide. Many civilians committed suicide at the insistence of the Japanese military. Entire families jumped off of cliffs to obey the Japanese masters.

Japanese soldiers and civilians were taught to die for the Emperor, who was also god. There are some Japanese soldiers who lived and hid out according to reports and found 20-40 years after the end of the war. These Japanese soldiers did not know the war was over. We were fighting a suicidal society with a value system unlike our own.

We celebrate the end of World War Two as being August 14, 1945, when Japan surrendered to the Allies. However, Japan and Russia continued to fight weeks after Japan’s surrender to the Allies. Japan has refused to sign a peace treaty formally ending hostilities with Russia.

According to Arai Shinichi, historian and professor emeritus of Ibaragi University and Surugadai University:

“More important in persuading Tokyo to surrender were the Soviet decision to enter the war in the Far East, the Red Army's lighting advance through Manchuria, and the collapse of Japanese efforts to enlist the Soviets as peace intermediaries”.


Tom