Summary of Joseph Wheelan's Bloody Okinawa

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The American military leaders were debating what should come next after the capture of the Mariana Islands in 1944. Should American forces attack Luzon, the largest Philippine island, or invade Formosa. They decided to invade Luzon.

#2 The American military had grown by leaps and bounds in just three years, and was now a world-striding giant wielding astonishing power. Japan was unsure of the Allies’ intentions, and had vacillated between preparing for landings on Formosa and Okinawa.

#3 The US government began interviewing scholars and specialists about the history, culture, politics, and economics of the Ryukyu Islands in 1944, anticipating an invasion in the future. Okinawa was the most populous island to be invaded during the Pacific war by the Allies.

#4 The native religion was a synthesis of indigenous Okinawa religions and Shintoism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The islanders were stoical and easygoing people known for their courtesy and gentleness. They were racially distinct from the Japanese, and were regarded as second-class Japanese citizens.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jul 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822546431

IRB Media

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Insights on Joseph Wheelan's Bloody Okinawa

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 15

Insights from Chapter 16

Insights from Chapter 17

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The American military leaders were debating what should come next after the capture of the Mariana Islands in 1944. Should American forces attack Luzon, the largest Philippine island, or invade Formosa. They decided to invade Luzon.

#2

The American military had grown by leaps and bounds in just three years, and was now a world-striding giant wielding astonishing power. Japan was unsure of the Allies’ intentions, and had vacillated between preparing for landings on Formosa and Okinawa.

#3

The US government began interviewing scholars and specialists about the history, culture, politics, and economics of the Ryukyu Islands in 1944, anticipating an invasion in the future. Okinawa was the most populous island to be invaded during the Pacific war by the Allies.

#4

The native religion was a synthesis of indigenous Okinawa religions and Shintoism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The islanders were stoical and easygoing people known for their courtesy and gentleness. They were racially distinct from the Japanese, and were regarded as second-class Japanese citizens.

#5

The Ryukyus were invaded by Japan in 1875, and the last king was exiled to Tokyo. In 1894–95, Japan defeated China in the First Sino-Japanese War and acquired Formosa. The Shuri palace, its grounds, and the mansions of Shuri noblemen were destroyed.

#6

The Pacific Ocean Area Forces commander, Admiral Chester Nimitz, developed a tremor due to nervous tension. His doctor suggested that he take up target shooting. Nimitz set up a pistol range outside his Pearl Harbor office and practiced with a. 45 automatic that had been modified to fire. 22-caliber ammunition.

#7

The American invasion of Saipan in July 1944 marked a tectonic shift in the Pacific war. It meant that long-range B-29s could now bomb the homeland, and that it was just a matter of time before there would be an Allied invasion of Japan.

#8

On March 9,334 B-29s from the XXI Bomber Command flew to Tokyo. The planes carried 184 napalm and incendiary bombs, which were designed to cause maximum damage and casualties. The B-29s’ cargo was designed to cause maximum damage and casualties: 8,519 incendiary bomb clusters would release 496,000 bomb cylinders.

#9

The B-29 raids and the strikes by Admiral Mitscher’s carriers off the coast shocked Japanese officials, but the government responded by recruiting more kamikaze pilots and forming new squadrons.

#10

The invasion of Japan would be the culmination of twenty years of advances in amphibious warfare and naval aviation. The rise of naval air power was in step with innovations in amphibious warfare doctrine.

#11

The 77th Infantry Division, which was assigned to land on Kerama Retto and Keise Shima, the two small islands off Okinawa's west coast, carried out the first amphibious landings of Operation Iceberg.

#12

The islands west of Naha, known as Kerama Retto, would serve