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Why did US forces need to capture the islands of Okinawa and Iwo Jima?
The Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa in 1945 undoubtedly saw some of World War Two’s fiercest fighting. Both engagements occurred towards the end of the Pacific War, as the United States sought to capture strategically important territories ahead of a planned invasion of Japan.
Why was the invasion of Okinawa important?
Taking Okinawa would provide Allied forces an airbase from which bombers could strike Japan and an advanced anchorage for Allied fleets. From Okinawa, US forces could increase air strikes against Japan and blockade important logistical routes, denying the home islands of vital commodities.
Who owns Okinawa?
Japan
The Amami Islands were returned to Japanese control in 1953. The remaining Ryukyu Islands were returned to Japan on June 17, 1971 . America kept numerous U.S. military bases on the islands. There are 32 United States military bases on Okinawa Island in accordance with the U.S.-Japan alliance since 1951.
What was the Japanese strategy on Iwo Jima?
On Iwo Jima, site of a strategic air base located between the Mariana Islands and Japan, the Japanese carved out a network of underground fortifications aimed at turning the small volcanic island into a death trap for invading US Marines. When US Marine divisions invaded on February 19, 1945, planners expected a brief campaign.
Why did the US decide to land on Saipan?
At Saipan, the island nearest to Japan, U.S. forces could establish a crucial air base from which the U.S. Army’s new long-range B-29 Superfortress bombers could inflict punishing strikes on Japan’s home islands ahead of an Allied invasion. American commanders decided to make the first Mariana landing on Saipan, the largest of the Mariana Islands.
Did Japanese civilians live in Saipan during WW2?
Being a former Spanish and then German territory, Saipan became a Mandate of Japan by the League of Nations after World War I, and thus, a large number of Japanese civilians lived there — at least 25,000. The U.S. erected a civilian prisoner encampment on 23 June 1944 that soon had more than 1,000 inmates.
How many Marines were on Iwo Jima when they landed?
Despite a banzai charge by dozens of Japanese soldiers as dusk fell, however, the Marines were eventually able to move in past the beach and seize part of one Iwo Jima’s airfields—the stated mission of the invasion. Within days, some 70,000 U.S. Marines landed on Iwo Jima.