History
This is a battle that was between Japan and America in World War II. The Americans had the plan to undertake this war against Japan in a quest to win the war and use most of the Far East to launch bombing raids to most of Japan heartland. The Okinawa is one of the largest of Ryukyus Islands that is found at the Southern part of Japan. It is one of the strategic sites that America was determined to control because of the location of four airlines. The control of this would mean that they would get a greater control of the whole war. America did not get enough intelligence regarding the location. They had estimated that there were 65000 Japanese troops. In the real sense, there were 1300000 Japanese troops and 450,000 civilians (Belote, and Belote 21).
My thoughts
The war between America and Japan was more of a show of whose side had the strategy than the number of soldiers. This was more of a measure of strengths between the two countries. America was determined to win the war so that they would show Japan that they would defeat them even if they were in foreign land. On the other hand, Japan wanted to prove that they had mastered their own land and would not be defeated in their own land. They wanted to defend the island from being taken (Belote, and Belote 53).
The Japan side of the war shows an interesting thing about planning of the war. The leader of the Japanese troops was Lieutenant-General Ushijima. He had strict instructions to hold onto the war and the army at all costs. This leader did not have the right planning strategy for the war. There was lack of coordination. This shows an important requirement when engaging in war. The leader of the army made a decision on his own volition that there the army would be concentrated on the southern part of the island. This is one of the factors that led to the defeat of Japan. The commander also believed in the use of Kamikazes. This belief, although worked, was small scale. The leader concentrated on small efforts instead of looking at the bigger picture of the war. Although the use of Kamikazes led to inflicting pain and damages to the Americans, it was still effort too little to bring any formidable change (Yahara, and Gibney 27).
The use of Kamikazes brings another important aspect concerning the war. This is the role of religion when it comes to war. Many youth were willing to give their lives in order to save their people. This is seen in the Kamikazes practice where the youth were told that if they went forward to be used to attack the Americans as Kamikazes, they would be forgiven their sins and would go to heaven. This gave them the urge to fight for their people. This shows the role that religion had in this type of war. Also associated with Kamikazes is propaganda. The issue of being a saint when someone gives their own life is seen to have been propaganda in order to convince the youth to give their own lives in order to be used in war. Propaganda is an important tool that is used by opponents during war.
It is interesting to see how the American side took time to plan for the war. One notable feature that is common is where the various divisions were located. The locations were strategically placed on the eve of the start of the war. It is interesting to note that the Americans ensured that they had anchorage of the items that they would use in the war. They ensured that the materials that would be used in the war were rightly put in place.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that the strategies that either side presented in the war determined how strong or weak a team was. It is important to understand that war is more of planning and strategizing than the tools and the personnel that are taken to the war. From the war and Okinawa, it is clear that the Americans were prepared for war for a long time. They took time to plan, strategies, and prepare the combat that they would take with them. They won because of these salient features.
Works Cited
Belote, James H., and William M. Belote. Typhoon of Steel: The Battle for Okinawa. Harper & Row, 1970.
Yahara, Hiromichi, and Frank Gibney. The battle for Okinawa. New York: J. Wiley, 1995.
