This is the order of battle for the US invasion of the island of Okinawa, the largest island of the Ryukyu chain. This offensive, called Operation Iceberg by its planners, was 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 Okinawa had been covered with the most extensive system of fortifications and interlocking fields of fire the Americans had yet encountered in the Pacific Theatre. 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.
Summary of opposing ground forces
United States
US Tenth Army<br> Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., USA ()
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)
Japan
For most of the war, the Japanese had not considered Okinawa vital to their defensive arrangements. US progress in the Central Pacific led them to activate the Thirty-Second Army on the island in April 1944. In June, 5,000 men of the 44th Independent Mixed Brigade were lost at sea when their transport was torpedoed by a US submarine. The 9th Division, a veteran unit, was intended for Okinawa but was stranded on Formosa when the high command decided it couldn't risk more slow-moving transports in the East China Sea. The unprecedented American casualty figures would almost certainly have been considerably higher had these men made it to Okinawa.
Japanese Thirty-Second Army<br> Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima ()<br> Approx. 67,000 men under arms, incl. 5,000 Okinawan conscripts
24th Division
62nd Division
44th Independent Mixed Brigade
American forces
US Tenth Army<br> Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., USA ()<br> Major General Roy S. Geiger, USMC (18 Jun thru 23 Jun)<br> General Joseph W. Stilwell, USA (from 23 Jun)
Northern Landing Area
III Amphibious Corps<br> Major General Roy S. Geiger<br>
Chief of Staff: Brigadier General Merwin H. Silverthorn<br>
Chief of Corps Artillery: Brigadier General David R. Nimmer<br>
Embarked in Task Force 53 under Rear Admiral Lawrence F. Reifsnider<br>
Left Beaches
6th Marine Division
Major General Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr.
: Asst. Div. Cmdr.: Brigadier General William T. Clement
: Chief of Staff: Colonel John C. McQueen
: G-1 (Personnel): Major Addison B. Overstreet
: G-2 (Intelligence): Lt. Colonel Thomas B. Williams
: G-3 (Operations): Lt. Colonel Victor H. Krulak
: G-4 (Logistics): Lt. Colonel August Larson (to 16 May), Lt. Colonel Wayne H. Adams
Left zone â Green beaches
: 22nd Marine Regiment
: Colonel Merlin F. Schneider (to 16 May), Colonel Harold C. Roberts (), Lt. Col. August Larson
: Exec. Ofc.: Colonel Karl K. Louther (to 16 May), Lt. Col. August Larson (to 17 Jun), Lt. Col. John B. Baker (to 20 Jun), Lt. Col. Samuel R. Shaw
:: 1st Battalion (Major Thomas J. Myers (), Major Earl J. Cook (WIA 17 Jun), Lt. Col. Gavin C. Humphrey)
::: CMoH recipients: Navy Corpsman Fred F. Lester ()
:: 2nd Battalion1 (Lt. Col. Horatio C. Woodhouse Jr. (), Lt. Col. John G. Johnson)
::: CMoH recipients: Major Henry A. Courtney Jr. (), Cpl. James L. Day
:: 3rd Battalion Lt. Col. Malcolm "O" Donohoo (WIA 16 May), Major George B. Kantner (to 19 May), Lt. Col. Clair W. Shisler)
Right zone â Red beaches
: 4th Marine Regiment
: Colonel Alan Shapley
: Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Fred D. Beans (to 14 Apr), Lt. Col. Fred D. Beans (from 1 May)
:: 1st Battalion (Major Bernard W. Green, Lt. Col. Fred D. Beans, Lt. Col. George B. Bell)
::: CMoH recipient: Cpl. Richard Earl Bush
:: 2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. Reynolds H. Hayden (to 26 May), Major Edgar F. Carney Jr.)
:: 3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Bruno A. Hochmuth)
Reserve â Landed D-Day
: 29th Marine Regiment
: Colonel Victor F. Bleasdale (to 14 Apr), Colonel William J. Whaling
: Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Orin K. Pressley
:: 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.)
:: 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)
::: CMoH recipient: Pvt. Robert M. McTureous Jr. ()
Artillery
: 15th Marine Regiment (Artillery)
: Colonel Robert B. Luckey
: Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. James H. Brower
:: 1st Battalion (Major Robert H. Armstrong)
:: 2nd Battalion (Major Nat M. Pace)
:: 3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Joe C. McHaney)
:: 4th Battalion (Lt. Col. Bruce T. Henphill)
::: CMoH recipient: PFC Harold Gonsalves ()
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.)
Right Beaches
1st Marine Division
Major General Pedro A. del Valle
: Asst. Div. Cmdr.: Brigadier General Louis R. Jones
: Chief of Staff: Colonel Robert O. Bare
: G-1 (Personnel): Major Harold O. Deakin
: G-2 (Intelligence): Lt. Colonel John W. Scott, Jr.
: G-3 (Operations): Lt. Colonel Russell E. Honsowetz
: G-4 (Logistics): Lt. Colonel Harvey C. Tschirgi
Left zone â Blue beaches
: 7th Marine Regiment
: Colonel Edward W. Snedeker
: Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. James M. Masters Sr.
:: 1st Battalion (Lt. Col. John L. Gormley)
:: 2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. Spencer S. Berger)
:: 3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Edward H. Hurst (WIA 19 Jun), Lt. Col. Stephen V. Sabol)
Right zone â Yellow beaches
: 5th Marine Regiment
: Colonel John H. Griebel
: Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. John D. Muncie
:: 1st Battalion (Lt. Col. Charles W. Shelburne)
::: CMoH recipient: PFC Albert E. Schwab ()
:: 2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. William B. Benedict (to 20 Jun), Major Richard T. Washburn)
::: CMoH recipients: Navy Corpsman Robert Eugene Bush, Navy Corpsman William D. Halyburton Jr. ()
:: 3rd Battalion (Major John H. Gustafson (WIA 1 Apr), Lt. Col. John C. Miller, Jr. (4 Apr to 16 May), Major Frank W. Poland (to 8 Jun), Jr., Lt. Col. Robert B. Hill)
Reserve
: 1st Marine Regiment
: Colonel Kenneth B. Chappell (to 5 May), Colonel Arthur T. Mason
: Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Richard P. Ross, Jr. (to 20 May), Lt. Col. James S. Monahan
:: 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)
::: CMoH recipients: Cpl. John P. Fardy (), Cpl. Louis J. Hauge Jr. ()
:: 2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. James C. Magee, Jr.)
::: CMoH recipient: Pvt. Dale M. Hansen ()
:: 3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Stephen V. Sabol (to 20 May), Lt. Col. Richard P. Ross Jr.)
::: CMoH recipients: PFC William A. Foster (), Sgt. Elbert L. Kinser ()
Artillery
: 11th Marine Regiment (Artillery)
: Colonel Wilburt S. Brown
: Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Edson L. Lyman
:: 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 (Major 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), Major 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), Major Bedford Williams (to 17 Apr), Lt. Col. Chalres B. Nerren)
1st Provisional Antiaircraft Artillery Group
: Colonel Kenneth W. Benner
Southern Landing Area
XXIV Army Corps<br> Major General John R. Hodge<br>
Embarked in Task Force 55 under Rear Admiral John L. Hall
Left Beaches
7th Infantry ("Bayonet") Division
Major General Archibald V. Arnold
: Infantry
:: 17th Infantry Regiment â Purple Beaches
:: 32nd Infantry Regiment â Orange Beaches
:: 184th Infantry Regiment â 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
96th Infantry ("Deadeye") Division
Major General James L. Bradley
: Infantry
:: 381st Infantry Regiment â White Beaches
::: CMoH recipient: Sgt. Beauford T. Anderson
:: 382nd Infantry Regiment â Reserve
::: CMoH recipients: PFC Clarence B. Craft, Lt. Seymour W. Terry
:: 383rd Infantry Regiment â Brown Beaches
::: CMoH recipient: PFC Edward J. Moskala ()
: 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
Reserve â Landed L+8
27th Infantry ("New York") Division
Major General George W. Griner Jr.
: Infantry
:: 105th Infantry Regiment
:: 106th Infantry Regiment
:: 165th Infantry Regiment
::: CMoH recipient: Sgt. Alejandro R. Ruiz
: 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.)
Source:
77th Infantry ("Statue of Liberty") Division
Major General Andrew D. Bruce
Embarked in Task Group 51.1 under Rear Admiral Ingolf N. Kiland
: Infantry
:: 305th Infantry Regiment â landed 17 Apr Red Beaches 1 & 2
::: CMoH recipients: Sgt. John W. Meagher, Sgt. Joseph E. Muller ()
:: 306th Infantry Regiment â landed 17 Apr Green Beach
:: 307th Infantry Regiment â landed 17 Apr Red Beaches 3 & 4
::: CMoH recipients: Cpl. Desmond Doss, PFC Martin O. May ()
:: 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
Tactical Air Force, Tenth Army
: Major General Francis P. Mulcahy, USMC (to 11 Jun)
: Major General Louis E. Woods, USMC (from 11 Jun)
Japanese forces
Source: Note:
Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima ()<br> Approx. 67,000 men under arms, incl. 5,000 Okinawan conscripts
24th Division
Lt. Gen. Tatsumi Amamiya ()
: 22nd Infantry Regiment
: 32nd Infantry Regiment
: 89th Infantry Regiment
62nd Division
Lt. Gen. Takeo Fujioka ()
: 63rd Brigade
: 67th Brigade
44th Independent Mixed Brigade
Maj. Gen. Suzuki Shigeji ()
Notes
References
Bibliography