1. The Battle of Okinawa broke out on April 1, 1945, and the film skips directly to May 1945 at the beginning. Here is a brief introduction to what has happened in the past month or so. On April 1, 4 U.S. divisions (2 marine divisions and 2 infantry divisions) landed on the beaches of Biseigawa and Yomitani in western Okinawa. Among them, the 5th Marine Corps landing point where Eugene was located was located in Bisei. The Yellow Beach in the north of the Xiechuan Estuary; and before the 2nd Marine Division conducted a feint in the southern waters of Okinawa, attracting the attention of the Japanese army. The main target of the U.S. military after the landing was the Yomitani and Kadena airports in the middle of the island. The U.S. military thought it would inevitably encounter fierce resistance from the Japanese army. The commander of Eugene’s unit warned them that they would likely suffer 85% casualties. However, as you may know, the Japanese army hardly resisted at the beachhead, and the two airports fell into the hands of the US military intact. There are two main reasons for the Japanese army’s failure to resist. First, the U.S. Army’s artillery preparations before the landing were too intense, and fighting with the U.S. military on the beachhead would cause heavy losses; About 100,000, of which the main force is the army's 2 divisions and 1 brigade. With these forces, it is difficult to deploy the entire island of Okinawa. Therefore, the Japanese army simply installed the main force in the southern part of the island, and the central area basically Undefended, only a few troops were stationed in the northern region. The Japanese army originally planned to blow up the Yomitani and Kadena airports when the U.S. troops landed. However, because the Okinawan militia groups were guarding them and had no combat power, they dispersed when the U.S. troops landed, allowing the U.S. troops to steal a lot of money. The U.S. military also quickly advanced from the east, south, and north, and easily and happily completed the original 11-day goal in only 3 days: the 1st and 6th Marine Divisions advanced to the center and north, while the Army troops Then head south. Soon the US troops on the southern front encountered the first Japanese defense line (Mugang-Jiashu-Xiyuan-He Yuqing) and fell into a hard fight, while the 1st Marine Division was continuing their easier days in the central and northern parts of the island. After two weeks of bloody battles, the US military on the southern front finally broke through the first line of defense of the Japanese army. In late April, the Japanese army began to retreat to the second line of defense (Anri Heights - Maeda - Kochi - Xiaobojin). The 1st Marine Division was transferred to the southern battlefield on April 30 to replace the 27th Infantry Division and assumed the offensive task of the western defense line. On May 6, the 6th Marine Division also joined the southern battle and took over the western side of the 1st Lu Division. front.
2. After a brief introduction to the events of the previous month, we returned to the film. Although it was mentioned in May at the beginning, it was difficult to judge which day of the battle was described in the end. Because after the 1st Lu Division participated in the battle on the southern front, it successively participated in fierce battles in Anbocha, Zedai, Daming Heights and other places. As of the end of May, the second line of defense of the Japanese army collapsed and Shuri Castle was captured by the US military. The 1st Lu Division hardly stopped. . Here are a few hints in the video: First, Eugene and others braved the shelling of the Japanese army to enter a mountainous area. At this time, someone asked: "you're the officer relieving us?" (Are you here to replace our officer), Then Eugene's company commander announced his number; so I think this should be the scene of Eugene's company taking over the 6th Marine Division's troop defending the Half Moon position on May 23; The 6th Division was on the west side of the 1st Lu Division, and the line of defense was long. Therefore, on May 23, the top US military decided to hand over the Banyueshan position close to the 1st Lu Division to the 1st Lu Division. "We killed a lot of people there", "How many people do you have in your company?", "I'm afraid there are not enough people", etc., and Eugene's company commander summoned his men to go up the mountain. The 3rd Battalion K of the regiment was connected to the situation of the brother unit. In addition, according to Eugene's memoirs, many of the scenes in the back of the film are consistent with the events that happened on Banyue Mountain (such as sliding down the mountain and covered with maggots), which further confirms that the mountain occupied by Eugene and others is Banyue Mountain.
3. Banyue Mountain is located in the Anri area in the west of Shuri Castle, together with Sugar Loaf and Horse shoe. Sugar Loaf Mountain is called "Anri 52 Highland" by the Japanese. These three mountains form horns with each other, of which the Sugarloaf Mountain is at the northwest end, the Banyue Mountain is in the east, and the Horseshoe Mountain is in the south; the three mountains are not high, and the highest Sugarloaf Mountain is only 70 meters high, but despite this, The fierce battle that broke out here can be described as one of the most intense ground battles in the entire battle of Okinawa: the Japanese army had firepower points on three mountains, and there was also firepower support in the mountains and Shuri Castle to the south, so in mid-May, the 6th Marine Division was used. It took almost 10 days to basically win these hills, and paid a heavy price of downsizing about 4,000 people. However, the Japanese army was unwilling to give up and continued to shell and infiltrate this area.
4. In the film, Eugene and others found their own bodies in the mud in the rain. According to Eugene's memoirs: When we first climbed Banyue Mountain, there were bomb craters and fox caves for marines. Due to the heavy rain all day, all the caves were filled with rainwater, and many of them contained a dead man. Corps of soldiers. Personally, I think this is because the war was very brutal at that time. The US military suffered thousands of casualties every day. Many US soldiers who died in the front line could not be withdrawn in time, so they had to be covered with rain capes and placed in the pit, but the pit was submerged after a heavy rain. Therefore, what Eugene and others who had just climbed the mountain saw was the tragic state of the bodies of their comrades drowning in pits or immersed in mud.
5. The film depicts the situation of Japanese prisoners of war. In the Pacific battlefield, because the Japanese army generally vowed not to surrender, the US military captured very few prisoners of war. In the Battle of Tarawa in 1943, only 12 Japanese were captured among the more than 4,000 defenders; At the end of the Battle of Liliu, only 19 Japanese among the more than 10,000 defenders on the island were captured (excluding the Japanese who surrendered two years later). On the Okinawa battlefield, Shuri Castle was captured by the US military by the end of May. The US military itself counted 62,000 Japanese dead, but only 465 were captured. The fact that the Japanese army did not surrender is one aspect. The U.S. military was afraid of the Japanese army’s swindling, so they killed it directly. Therefore, in the film, the marines would say that they would not take prisoners. However, after the Battle of Okinawa, there was the first collective surrender of the Japanese army into an established system. A total of 9,000 Japanese soldiers became prisoners of war. This is not to say that the Japanese army is willing to surrender, but because many of them are Okinawans who have been recruited. There is also a more interesting statistic here. At that time, the United States established a large number of prisoner-of-war camps in China to hold Axis prisoners of war. As of May 1945, the total number of Japanese prisoners of war held was 3,900 (may also include many Koreans and Taiwanese. , Okinawa nationals), the number of Italian prisoners of war held is 50,000, and the number of German prisoners of war is 370,000. However, the Japanese army was also very dishonest in the prisoner of war camp. In August 1944, a prisoner of war riot broke out in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Australia, resulting in the death of 4 Australian soldiers and 231 Japanese prisoners of war. The Australian side also organized a hearing very innocently afterwards. Demonstrate full respect for the Geneva Conventions and no abuse.
6. When it comes to the Japanese army not surrendering, they will naturally think of their "Banzai Charge" (Jade Break Charge, Suicide Charge), which is also reflected in the film. The Ban Zai (meaning long live) charge is different from the penetration and breakthrough of the Japanese army in normal battles, but a desperate charge that is unwilling to surrender when the ammunition and food are exhausted. Aiming to get a "fame" with a "death in battle". The first suicide charge on the Pacific battlefield occurred on Attu Island in the Aleutian Islands in May 1943, and the largest one occurred on Saipan Island in July 1944. The standard model was led by officers holding a commanding knife. Soldiers He followed behind with his bayonet pointed, shouted "Ban Zai", and charged at the US military positions. How many US troops could be exchanged, and finally all died.
7. The Okinawan civilians are mentioned in the film. At that time, although the Japanese army had controlled the Ryukyu Islands for decades and forced Japanese language education, the Okinawan residents were obviously not fully assimilated. During the Battle of Okinawa, many Okinawan civilians went north with their families to escape the fighting in the southern part of the island, while the U.S. military locked them all in specially set up concentration camps to prevent Japanese infiltration (there were indeed many Okinawans who stood by the Japanese and helped the Japanese collect Intelligence and laying of landmines); a few U.S. troops who performed better chose to serve as interpreters for the military (no one in the U.S. military knew the Okinawan dialect). Civilians suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of Okinawa. They were either killed by crossfire between the United States and Japan, or committed suicide by listening to Japanese propaganda (the Japanese propaganda that the U.S. military was cannibals and vampires, and would die horribly if they fell into the hands of the U.S. military), or were killed. The Japanese forced them to self-destruct together, or the U.S. military blocked the exit of the tunnel to suffocate and suffocated in the tunnel. By the end of the battle, the estimated number of civilians lost on the island was more than 100,000.
8. The film mentions that the Marines read the letter. In fact, Eugene received the letter of the death of his dog Deacon during the fierce battle of Apo Tea in early May. The film puts this scene on the Half Moon Mountain. Deacon was seriously injured in a car accident and died in Eugene's father's arms; Eugene was very depressed for a while after getting the news. The film also mentioned Castle Hill, which was hit by a Japanese plane, which refers to the USS Bunker Hill aircraft carrier. On May 11, 1945, it was hit by two Japanese suicide planes, killing 389 people missing and injuring 264 people; The pilot of one of the suicide planes was Kiyoshi Ogawa, a 23-year-old student from Waseda University. After graduating from college, he joined the army and volunteered to be a suicide plane pilot. About 1,000 Japanese college students fell victim to the suicide plane during World War II, including Many students from Tokyo University, Waseda University and Kyoto University.
9. There is a very scary scene in the film, that is, the carrion full of maggots. According to Eugene's memoirs, the Banyue Mountain was densely covered with corpses at that time, and many of the Japanese soldiers' corpses were not cleaned up, and gradually rotted and grew maggots under the rain. When he slips and rolls to the foot of the mountain, he will find that his pockets, shoes, belts, and backpacks are all covered with a handful of maggots
. Substitutes, before the battle of Okinawa, the number of marines was about 10% larger than normal, mainly the reserve soldiers. These soldiers acted as dock workers and logistic support when the fighting was not fierce after landing, and the front-line losses were serious. time to the top line. Eugene's 5th Marine Regiment, 3rd Battalion, K Company, etc., had a total of 485 soldiers participated in the battle when the Okinawa campaign ended. However, because the substitute soldiers joined halfway and lacked combat experience, they were often looked down upon by the veterans, and their casualties were Not included in the loss of K Company (for example, K Company is a regular worker, they are temporary workers), it is a bit worse.
11. The film mainly revolves around Banyue Mountain, but in fact Eugene and the others only stayed here for a week, and soon they entered the fortified battle against Shuri and then went south; Lu 5 was the first to occupy Shuri. 1st Battalion, Regiment, Eugene's Brotherhood. In fact, Shuri was in the eyes of the 77th Infantry Division at that time. The marines occupied the first step without the permission of the army brothers. Even after the occupation, the 77th Division was still in the dark and planned to carry out the last wave of Shuri. of artillery fire, but fortunately the Marines notified the friendly forces at the last minute. Although the accidental injury was avoided, the division commander of the 77th Division was so angry that he went directly to Buckner, commander of the Tenth Army of the US Army, to complain. There is also a small episode here. The first thing that was raised in the first was not the Stars and Stripes, but the Confederate flag of the South during the Civil War. This made a large number of southerners, including Eugene, cheered loudly, but a few northerners could not do anything about it. , and Buckner's father, a former Confederate officer, may have sided with the Marines. The Confederate flag was later given to Buckner as a trophy by the Marines, but he was killed on June 18 while inspecting the front lines.
12. Eugene participated in the battles in southern Okinawa in June, mainly against the mountainous area and the Kuniyoshi Terrace. The 3rd Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment where he was located was the first group of US troops to arrive on the southern coast of the island. The Battle of Okinawa ended at the end of June 1945. The casualties on both sides were staggeringly high. The U.S. ground forces suffered as many as 40,000 combat casualties and more than 20,000 non-combat losses. Among the dead of the U.S. Army were the commander of the Tenth Army, Buckner Zhong. General Islay, deputy commander of the 96th Infantry Division; the most famous American soldier killed in action was war correspondent Enri Pyle, who was killed by Japanese machine-gun fire on Ie Island. The U.S. military suffered its highest ever casualty rate of 48 percent from heavy fighting throughout the battle, with about 14,000 soldiers retired due to nervous breakdowns. The I Company of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Regiment, 1st Division of the Marine Warfare had replaced 6 company commanders during the entire campaign; while the K Company of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Army Regiment, where Eugene belonged, had a total of 235 people when they participated in the Battle of Peleliu in 1944, and waited until the Battle of Okinawa. In the end, there were only about 10 of these people who were neither dead nor injured!
13. After the battle, the 1st Marine Division originally planned to go to Hawaii, but they were eventually left in Okinawa and went to the Motobu Peninsula in northern Okinawa in July. As of June 30, 1945, the total number of U.S. Marines reached 476,709, a 17-fold increase from July 1940. Eugene's memoirs mentioned that he learned that the atomic bomb exploded on August 8, 1945, 2 days after the Hiroshima atomic bomb, and the B-29 fleet appeared in the film. I looked up the B-29 on August 8. Bombing record: 381 B-29s and 100 fighter jets attacked Yawata (21% of the city destroyed), Tokyo, Fukuyama (73% of the city destroyed) and Osaka; a second atomic bomb hit Nagasaki a day later, in this way Under the blow, Japan finally decided to surrender to the Allies.
14. The island of Okinawa fell on June 21, 1945, although some Japanese troops continued to fight, including Hideo Oda, Miku Prefecture, Okinawa Prefecture. In the final stage of the battle, Ushimaman and Changyong committed suicide by cutting their abdomens at the headquarters on Highland 89. The army chief of Hachihara Botong also requested to commit suicide, but was rejected by Ushimaman. Hachihara was the Japanese who survived the battle. The most senior officer, he later published the book "The Decisive Battle of Okinawa - Notes of a Senior Staff Officer".
15. After the U.S. military occupied the island, they saw naked civilians on the way. This is because the Japanese army took the clothes of the Okinawans to avoid being captured and the Okinawans came to the American first aid station for assistance. Because the Okinawan language is very different from Japanese The same; with the Americans on their side, the Okinawans used the local language to direct those U.S. troops who didn't understand the local language to find the Japanese in hiding.
16. The most dramatic sea battle occurred in the sea far from Okinawa: a Japanese surface fleet led by the super battleship Yamato carried out a kamikaze attack. It was discovered soon after leaving the Seto Inland Sea, along with the other warships involved in the battle.
The world's largest battleship was sunk on April 7, 1945 under a 2-day offensive by more than 300 carrier-based aircraft. Her original mission was to attack enemy fleets, wash up on beaches and attack from shore; using her Cannons as battery and its sailors as combat soldiers. U.S. torpedo bombers were ordered to attack only one of the sides to prevent the battleship from balancing and attacking the stern or deep side, which had the weakest armor. Some of the warships accompanying Yamato, including a cruiser, were also sunk. After the sinking, the Japanese navy ceased operations and did not participate in the remainder of the campaign.
17. The Japanese garrison is mainly composed of the Japanese 32nd Army with 77,000 people, under the jurisdiction of the Japanese 9th Division, the 24th Division of the Japanese Army, the 62nd Division of the Japanese Army and the 44th Brigade of the Independent Mixed Group. But the 9th Division was transferred to Taiwan before the battle, which was one of the big mistakes in the Japanese defense plan. The southern garrison was commanded by Lieutenant General Ushimaman, Assistant Major General Nagahara, and Army Chief Yahara Botong. Major General Chang Yong was more aggressive and Yahara Botong Army Chief was more conservative. The northern garrison was commanded by Takehiko Utsuhiko Army Commander.
18. Although the bulk of the landings were undertaken by the US military, the British Pacific Fleet (BPF; USN Task Force 57) provided approximately 25 percent of the Allied air power (450 aircraft), which consisted of Many ships, 50 ships in total, 17 of which were aircraft carriers, but the British armoured decks allowed each carrier to carry fewer aircraft, although aircraft carriers were more resistant to kamikaze attacks. Although all aircraft carriers are provided by the United Kingdom, the carrier strike group is composed of a fleet of ships and personnel from the Commonwealth countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. They were tasked with attacking airfields that suppressed the Japanese pre-Island Islands and providing air cover against a Japanese kamikaze attack.
The 19 is probably an M1917 bought by Eugene at his own expense. Revolver at point 45, the US military standard Colt 1911A1 is assigned to officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers need to purchase by themselves.
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