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

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US ground force commanders on Okinawa
Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner, USA (KIA)
Maj Gen. Roy Geiger, USMC
Maj. Gen. John R. Hodge, USA
Landing beaches on Okinawa

This is the order of battle for the US invasion of the island of Okinawa, called Operation Iceberg, 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 the island had been covered with the most extensive system of fortifications and fields of fire the Americans had yet encountered. 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.

The casualty rate eundure by the US _____________

Summary of US ground forces

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 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)

American forces[edit]

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

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[1][edit]

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

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

Left Beaches[edit]

6th Marine Division (24,356 officers and enlisted)
Major General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr.[a]
Asst. Division Commander: Brigadier General William T. Clement
Chief of Staff: Colonel John C. McQueen
G-1: Major Addison B. Overstreet
G-2: Lt. Colonel Thomas B. Williams
G-3: Lt. Colonel Victor H. Krulak
G-4: Lt. Colonel August Larson (to 16 May), Lt. Colonel Wayne H. Adams
Left zone
22nd Marine Regiment
Colonel Merlin F. Schneider (to 16 May), Colonel Harold C. Roberts (KIA 18 Jun), Lt. Colonel August Larson
1st Battalion – Reserve (Maj. Thomas J. Myers (KIA 15 May), Maj. Earl J. Cook (WIA 17 Jun), Lt. Col. Gavin C. Humphrey)
2nd Battalion – Green 1 (Lt. Col. Horatio C. Woodhouse, Jr. (KIA 30 May), Lt. Col. John G. Johnson)
3rd Battalion – Green 2 (Lt. Col. Malcolm "O" Donohoo (WIA 16 May), Maj. George B. Kantner (to 19 May), Lt. Col. Clair W. Shisler)
Right zone
4th Marine Regiment
Colonel Alan Shapley
1st Battalion – Red 2 (Maj. Bernard W. Green, Lt. Col. Fred D. Beans, Lt. Col. George B. Bell)
2nd Battalion – Red 1 (Lt. Col. Reynolds H. Hayden (to 26 May), Maj. Edgar F. Carney, Jr.)
3rd Battalion – Reserve (Lt. Col. Bruno A. Hochmuth)
Reserve – Landed D-Day
29th Marine Regiment[b]
Colonel Victor F. Bleasdale (to 14 Apr), Colonel William J. Whaling
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.[c])
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)
Artillery
15th Marine Regiment (Artillery)
Colonel Robert B. Luckey
1st Battalion (Maj. Robert H. Armstrong)
2nd Battalion (Maj. Nat M. Pace)
3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Joe C. McHaney)
4th Battalion (Lt. Col. Bruce T. Henphill)
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.)
Maj. Gen. Pedro A. del Valle
Men of the 1st Marine Division assault a ridge two miles north of Naha supported by a bazooka.

Right Beaches[edit]

1st Marine Division (26,274 officers and enlisted)
Major General Pedro A. del Valle
Asst. Division Commander: Brigadier General Louis R. Jones
Left zone
7th Marine Regiment
Colonel Edward W. Snedeker
1st Battalion – Blue 2 (Lt. Col. John L. Gormley)
2nd Battalion – Blue 1 (Lt. Col. Spencer S. Berger)
3rd Battalion – Reserve (Lt. Col. Edward H. Hurst (WIA 19 Jun), Lt. Col. Stephen V. Sabol)
Right zone
5th Marine Regiment[d]
Colonel John H. Griebel
1st Battalion – Yellow 2 (Lt. Col. Charles W. Shelburne)
2nd Battalion – Yellow 1 (Lt. Col. William B. Benedict (to 20 Jun), Maj. Richard T. Washburn)
3rd Battalion – Reserve (Maj. John H. Gustafson (WIA 1 Apr), Lt. Col. John C. Miller, Jr. (4 Apr to 16 May), Maj. Frank W. Poland (to 8 Jun), Jr., Lt. Col. Robert B. Hill)
Reserve
1st Marine Regiment
Colonel Arthur T. Mason
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[e])
2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. James C. Magee, Jr.)
3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Stephen V. Sabol (to 20 May), Lt. Col. Richard P. Ross, Jr.)
Artillery
11th Marine Regiment (Artillery)
Colonel Wilburt S. Brown
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 (Maj. 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), Maj. 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), Maj. Bedford Williams (to 17 Apr), Lt. Col. Chalres B. Nerren)
1st Provisional Antiaircraft Artillery Group
Colonel Kenneth W. Benner

Southern Landing Area[edit]

[3] XXIV Army Corps
Major General John R. Hodge

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

Left Beaches[edit]

Archibald V. Arnold as a brigadier general
7th Infantry ("Bayonet") Division (21,929 officers and enlisted)
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[edit]

Maj. Gen. James L. Bradley
96th Infantry ("Deadeye") Division (22,330 officers and enlisted)
Major General James L. Bradley
Infantry
381st Infantry Regiment – White Beaches
383rd Infantry Regiment – Brown Beaches
382nd Infantry Regiment – Reserve
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[edit]

27th Infantry ("New York") Division (16,143 officers and enlisted)
Major General George W. Griner, Jr.
Infantry
105th Infantry Regiment
106th Infantry Regiment
165th Infantry Regiment
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.)[4][edit]

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 (20,981 officers and enlisted)
Major General Andrew D. Bruce
Embarked in Task Group 51.1 under Rear Admiral Ingolf N. Kiland
Infantry
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
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[edit]

Tactical Air Force, Tenth Army
Major General Francis P. Mulcahy, USMC (to 11 Jun)[f]
Major General Louis E. Woods, USMC (from 11 Jun)

Japanese forces[edit]

Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima

Thirty-second Army[5][g][edit]

Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima (seppuku 22 June)
Approx. 67,000 men under arms, incl. 5,000 Okinawan conscripts[6]

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[edit]

  1. ^ Served as Commandant of the Marine Corps, 1952-55
  2. ^ Sgt. William Manchester, later a noted author, served in this unit on Okinawa; his 1980 bestseller Goodbye Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War was later discovered to contain multiple exaggerations and falsehoods.[2]
  3. ^ Had been relieved of command on Guadalcanal for poor handling of the 5th Marine Regiment, but was given a second chance for battlefield command.
  4. ^ Pvt. Eugene B. Sledge, author of the noted memoir With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, served in this unit.
  5. ^ Captured on Corregidor, Shofner took part in the only successful escape from a Japanese POW camp.
  6. ^ Relieved for ill health
  7. ^ A Japanese army was equivalent to a Euro-American corps.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Rottman 2004, pp. 55, 91-92
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ Rottman 2004, pp. 55, 90-91
  4. ^ Rottman 2004, p. 91
  5. ^ Rottman 2004, p. 93
  6. ^ Rottman 2004, p. 50

Bibliography[edit]

  • 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.
  • Rottman, Gordon (2004). Okinawa 1945: The Last Battle. xxxxxxxxxxxx: 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.
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