【The Armchair Historian】世界歷史故事合集：普魯士、俄羅斯、拿破崙、二戰、大不列顛、意大利、美國 P43 - 沖繩戰役（機翻）

Hi, I'm Griffin Johnson, the Armchair Historian. Today's video, the Battle of Okinawa, the largest and bloodiest battle of the Pacific Theater. Aboard the carrier Bunker Hill, sailors enjoy much-needed rest after 58 days of continuous operations. Together with the rest of the 5th Fleet, it has been supporting American forces fighting on Okinawa. Suddenly, a lookout spots two Zeros diving on the carrier, plunging through low cloud cover. They score two bomb hits before crashing into the Bunker Hill. As flames and explosions engulf the ship, scorching man and machine alike, she shudders in agony, her metal bending under the intense heat. Fought between April 1st and June 22nd, 1945, the 82-day Battle of Okinawa took place less than a month after the Marines secured Iwo Jima. During the fighting, the Japanese forces exacted a steep toll on the Americans, both on land and at sea. Although American forces were ultimately victorious, the Battle of Okinawa was so costly that it raised questions about the feasibility of invading mainland Japan. Before we jump into things, I want to thank our sponsor, Squarespace. If you're looking to promote your business or establish an online presence or negotiate a lasting peace in the Pacific, Squarespace has the tools and resources to get you started. While Squarespace has no doubt appeared on your radar before, there are good reasons for why it's become so popular. And if you stay until the end of the video, we'll discuss an exclusive deal Squarespace is offering to armchair historian fans who use my link below. After the fall of Iwo Jima on March 26th, 1945, the Americans counted down the days until the capture of Okinawa, the last crucial stepping stone on the road to Japan. Located only 350 miles or 563 kilometers south of Kyushu, the island offered air bases and a fleet anchorage. Codenamed Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa would be a joint effort between the Army, Navy and Marines. Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. was earmarked to lead the U.S. 10th Army, which had seven battle-hardened divisions, three Marine and four Army, and an additional 182,000 combat troops. His counterpart, Admiral Raymond Spruance, would lead the 5th Fleet, which included 265 warships, 119 amphibious assault vessels and over 200 auxiliary vessels. Although they greatly outnumbered the defenders and possessed total air superiority, the Americans were by no means eager for the fight ahead. Even weeks after the Battle of Iwo Jima, the terrifying scream of banzai still echoed in the nightmares of many G.I.s. Now they were about to face an even larger garrison, preparing an elaborate network of underground defenses. Instead of trying to defend the entire 60-mile or 96-kilometer-long island, Japanese forces were to fortify the southern 8th, where the terrain was hilly and irregular. Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima stationed token forces in the central and northern portions of Okinawa, concentrating most of his 67,000 soldiers, 9,000 naval infantry and 24,000 local conscripts behind a series of lines stretching across Okinawa. Since the Americans had the advantage in numbers and firepower, the Japanese used the terrain to their advantage, utilizing the reverse slopes, making for quite the formidable defense. By April 1945, they had completed 60 miles or 96 kilometers of tunnels, enough to accommodate the entire 32nd Army and its weapons, ammunition and provisions. Speaking of food, the Japanese command ordered the slaughter of all the livestock on the island and decreed that soldiers and civilians alike subsist on sweet potatoes instead of rice. On March 25, 1945, the U.S. Navy began a week-long bombardment to soften up the island and support mine-clearing operations. The next day, American forces landed on Kurama Redo, a small archipelago west of Okinawa, Rooting out the Japanese there took five days, but its capture provided a sheltered anchorage for ships damaged by kamikazes. As for the actual invasion, designated L Day, it was set to begin on April 1st. Contrary to expectations, the Americans encountered virtually no opposition on the beaches. In fact, the Japanese were nowhere to be found. By evening on L Day, they had captured the Yontan and Kadena airfields and 60,000 men had made it ashore. Subsequently, the marines moved north while the army moved south. Fighting its way through several fortified outposts, including one rocky spire dubbed the Pinnacle. Meanwhile at sea, the Japanese launched Operation Tengo on April 6th, a one-way suicide mission to Okinawa involving the battleship Yamato and nine smaller warships. However, American submarines and aircraft located them the next day, and the 5th Fleet launched a 386-plane airstrike that sank the Yamato and five of her escorts, an anticlimactic end for the largest battleship in history. On April 8th, US troops reached the Kakazu-Uki Line, the first of a series of Japanese fortifications stretching across southern Okinawa. This was where the real bloodshed began. During their initial attacks, the Americans often advanced straight into carefully prepared killing zones and were slaughtered en masse by concealed machine guns and pre-sighted mortars. In response, they began using artillery to keep the enemy underground before sending small units into the gaps between enemy pillboxes. However, this tactic was only partially effective, and the Americans continued to sustain frightful losses. To try to keep the enemy on the back foot, the Japanese launched night attacks on the 12th, but they failed due to unfamiliar terrain and flash blinders. Afterwards, both sides spent a week gearing up for the next round, during which the Marines mocked up the resistance on the northern end of the island. On April 19th, the assault on the Kakazu-Uki Line began with a punishing bombardment by 650 planes, 18 warships, and 324 artillery pieces. However, the bombardment had no effect on the Japanese, who were safe inside their underground positions. As a result, fierce fighting ensued, as the 62nd Division used mutually supporting reverse slope positions with interlocking fields of fire to rain destruction on the unsuspecting American forces inflicting heavy casualties. By the 22nd, however, the 62nd Division had been pushed back half a mile, or over half a kilometer, and was down to 50% strength. Thus, the Japanese prepared to send reinforcements north despite fears that the enemy would stage an amphibious landing on the southeast coast. To their relief, General Buckner struck down the proposal. In the end, the Japanese dispatched the 24th Division and 44th Independent Mixed Brigade north on the 23rd. Some units shored up the 62nd Division along the Shuri Line, while the rest reformed a secondary defensive line a mile, or 1.6 kilometers, to the south. Like the previous Japanese defenses, the Shuri Line was replete with reverse slope fighting positions. By now, you should know that the reverse slope is one of our buzzwords. As a result, the American offensive stalled again in late April. Murderous small arms fire, artillery, and mortar fire from the high ground in the south of the island savaged U.S. infantry, inflicting severe casualties. Every hill was crawling with Japanese soldiers, and neither side hesitated to use excessive force to exterminate even squad-level resistance. Amidst the carnage and confusion, U.S. medic Desmond Doss distinguished himself by rendering invaluable aid to the wounded and carrying them back to safety. He later received the Medal of Honor for his actions, which inspired the blockbuster film Hacksaw Ridge. Despite the growing casualty list, Buckner refused to change tactics, perplexing his subordinates and the Japanese alike. Meanwhile, the 32nd Army Staff unanimously decided to launch an offensive on May 4th to give themselves some breathing room. While it achieved some local successes, the 32nd Army lost 7,000 men and many artillery pieces that had moved out of their caves to support the attacks. Subsequently, the 10th Army resumed its offensive on the 11th, gaining a half-mile, or two-thirds of a kilometer, of ground by the 21st. However, the spring rains began on the 22nd and lasted an entire week, stalling the American offensive on Quagmire, Mud, and Carrion. Throughout April and May, the Japanese also mounted a series of mass kamikaze attacks against the U.S. fleet. On May 11th, two kamikazes hit the Bunker Hill, knocking her out of the war and killing or wounding almost 700 men. Three days later, a kamikaze hit the carrier Enterprise, forcing her to withdraw as well. Whereas the larger ships were more resilient to attack, the unarmored destroyers were especially vulnerable. As part of the Big Blue Blanket, an anti-kamikaze tactic, they were often assigned the dangerous task of radar picket duty. This meant that they invariably bore the brunt of the kamikazes. By the end of the battle, nearly 1,900 kamikazes had expended themselves against the U.S. fleet, sinking 26 ships, damaging 164 others, and killing 4,900 sailors. Back on land, the Shuri Line was becoming untenable by late May. So the Japanese drew up plans for a withdrawal in stages to the Qiyan Peninsula. On the night of the 24th, the 62nd Division pulled back from the left flank and then launched an attack on the Americans the next night. Meanwhile, the 24th Division and 44th Brigade remained in their positions until the 29th and 31st respectively before withdrawing to the Qiyan Line. During the week-long retreat, the 32nd Army lost 20,000 men and vast quantities of arms and equipment. To make matters worse, the 30,000 survivors were not even combat troops. Afterward, the 6th Marine Division landed on the Uruku Peninsula, where it battled the Japanese for 10 days. Meanwhile, the rest of the 10th Army waited until June 9th to attack the Qiyan Line. The Americans then began to chip away at the Japanese defense, forcing them to commit to their few reserves. On June 18th, General Buckner was killed in combat by enemy artillery while observing his troops. Nonetheless, his forces finally broke through the Qiyan Line on the 19th, and over the next three days, they eliminated the last two pockets of enemy resistance. With his command in tatters and vengeful American soldiers closing in from all sides, Ushijima performed seppuku on the night of the 21st. Before we conclude today's video, I want to give another thanks to our sponsor, Squarespace. Squarespace is a robust, intuitive, all-in-one website and online store builder, offering tools and features that are invaluable to anyone, amateur or expert, interested in setting up their own website or online store. With integrated analytics, built-in social media sharing buttons, personalized email campaigns and mailing lists, and podcast support, Squarespace has enough features to satisfy even the most ambitious of United States Navy Pacific Fleet Admirals. Go to squarespace.com to start a free trial today, and once you're ready to launch, go to squarespace.com slash armchair historian for 10% off of your first purchase of a website or domain. Ultimately, the Battle of Okinawa was an American victory, but it came at the cost of 72,000 men, which included many non-battle casualties. Virtually the entire Japanese garrison perished, except for 7,400 men who surrendered. The Japanese committed many atrocities against the civilian population and brainwashed them into committing mass suicide by jumping off the cliffs. Above all, the veritable ocean of blood spilled on Okinawa gave the Americans a taste of what they could expect when invading Japan, and it undoubtedly influenced the decision to use the atomic bomb.