Battle of Okinawa
1945 CE · Okinawa, Japan
The Battle of Okinawa was fought in 1945 CE in Okinawa, Japan between United States and allies vs the Empire of Japan; American victory; the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific War.
Battle of Okinawa: quick facts
- Date
- 1945 CE
- Location
- Okinawa, Japan
- Belligerents
- United States and allies vs the Empire of Japan
- Commanders
- Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. vs Mitsuru Ushijima
- Result
- American victory; the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific War.
- Era
- 🪖 World Wars
- Quiz difficulty
- medium
What happened at the Battle of Okinawa?
The bloodiest battle of the Pacific War saw over 180,000 American troops invade Okinawa, just 340 miles from mainland Japan. Japanese defenders fought from elaborate cave and tunnel networks, while nearly 2,000 kamikaze attacks sank or damaged hundreds of Allied ships. The staggering casualties on both sides—over 12,000 Americans killed, 100,000 Japanese soldiers dead, and an estimated 100,000 Okinawan civilians lost—heavily influenced the decision to use atomic bombs rather than invade the Japanese mainland.
Did you know?
The Japanese garrison on Okinawa included schoolgirls organized into nursing units called the 'Himeyuri Students.' Over 200 of them died during the battle, many by suicide when capture seemed imminent.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Okinawa on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.