April 1

On April 1, 1945 aftr losing 116 planes and suffering damage to three aircraft carriers, 50,000 American troops of the 10th Army under the command of Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner Jr.,  land on the Japanese island Okinawa. Okinawawas 350 miles south of Kyuchu, the southern most Japanese main island. The Americans decided Ikinawa would be a perfect place for a base of operations for a later attack on the Japanese mainland. Roughly 120,000 Japanese soldiers, militiamen, and laborers were on the island and fought hard against the Americans 1,300 ships loads of troops. The Japanese were under the command of Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima. The Japanese surprised the Americans with a massive attack on the beach head and kamikazes. While the Americans suffered no losses on the beach, the Japanese suffered 50,000 casualties, 12,000 of which were deaths. In the end approximately 117,000 Japanese were killed and 4,000 surrendered. Lt. Gen. Buckner was one killed by Japanese artillery three days before the Japanese surrender. Lt. Gen. Ushijima commited ritual suicide because of the defeat of his troops.