1945 March
Battle of Okinawa
After 3 months fighting 110,000 Japanese soldiers & 150,000 civilians died
Second World War · permanent subject timeline
Battle of Okinawa
The major 1945 amphibious campaign near the Japanese home islands. This page combines historical context with 11 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database World War II battle archive.
Historical context
Battle of Okinawa: overview and significance
What happened?
American forces landed on Okinawa in April 1945 and fought through extensive Japanese defensive positions. At sea, massed kamikaze attacks inflicted severe losses on Allied naval forces.
Why was it important?
Okinawa demonstrated the likely cost of further operations close to Japan and provided airfields and anchorages for the final phase of the Pacific war. The campaign produced extremely heavy military and civilian casualties.
World History Database records
Battle of Okinawa timeline
The records below are selected from the 797-record World War II battles archive and rendered as static HTML in chronological order.
1945
1945 1st April
Battle of Okinawa
Begins landing forces on the island of Okinawa, involves 550,000
1945 5th April
Battle of Okinawa
The Japanese fortified HQ at Okinawa is discovered
1945 19th April
Battle of Okinawa
Orders a counterattack which fails & loses 1,000 casualties
1945 April
Battle of Okinawa
Commands the Japanese defense HQ of 85,000 troops
1945 May
Battle of Okinawa
Attacks the "Shuri line"
1945 May
Battle of Okinawa
Takes advantage of bad weather to wihdraw to the south & make a last stand
1945 17th June
Battle of Okinawa
The US forces divide the Japanese garrison into 3 encircled pockets. Makes a broadcast asking the Japanese at Okinawa to surender
1945 17th June
Battle of Okinawa
The US forces divide the Japanese garrison into 3 encircled pockets
1945 19th June
Battle of Okinawa
Killed while inspecting the Eighth Marines
1945 25th June
Battle of Okinawa
Commits ritual suicide
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database.
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from World History Database Second World War records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
Imperial War Museums · National WWII Museum · Australian War Memorial
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