Why did the USA invade Okinawa instead of one of the many other islands in southern Japan
There are many other islands in southern Japan that seem large enough for B29 runways (the current runway is 2 miles). Why didn't the USA pick the island of least resistance? I'd assume Okinawa was the most fortified due to its size and local population.
world-war-two
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There are many other islands in southern Japan that seem large enough for B29 runways (the current runway is 2 miles). Why didn't the USA pick the island of least resistance? I'd assume Okinawa was the most fortified due to its size and local population.
world-war-two
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Sometimes you want to engage the enemy where they're strongest so that you kill the most people
– Richard
7 hours ago
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There are many other islands in southern Japan that seem large enough for B29 runways (the current runway is 2 miles). Why didn't the USA pick the island of least resistance? I'd assume Okinawa was the most fortified due to its size and local population.
world-war-two
asked 10 hours ago
philn
411
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There are many other islands in southern Japan that seem large enough for B29 runways (the current runway is 2 miles). Why didn't the USA pick the island of least resistance? I'd assume Okinawa was the most fortified due to its size and local population.
world-war-two
world-war-two
asked 10 hours ago
philn
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asked 10 hours ago
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asked 10 hours ago
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asked 10 hours ago
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asked 10 hours ago
philn
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411
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2
Sometimes you want to engage the enemy where they're strongest so that you kill the most people
– Richard
7 hours ago
add a comment |
2
Sometimes you want to engage the enemy where they're strongest so that you kill the most people
– Richard
7 hours ago
2
2
Sometimes you want to engage the enemy where they're strongest so that you kill the most people
– Richard
7 hours ago
Sometimes you want to engage the enemy where they're strongest so that you kill the most people
– Richard
7 hours ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
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The Allies weren't taking Okinawa for B-29 runways. They had plenty of those in the Mariana Islands. They wanted it as a base for the invasion of Japan, both for ships and shorter-ranged aircraft. Okinawa has harbours, and Kadena Air Base had already been built by the Japanese.
This required taking all of the Ryukyu Islands, and that's exactly what was done. The Battle of Okinawa is the famous part of this campaign, because the Japanese concentrated their resistance there, knowing that while they held the main island, the other islands would be of limited use. You can't set up mobile fleet bases while the enemy are still within artillery or small-boat attack range. The other islands in the group were taken comparatively easily, so the combats are not famous.
Source: Okinawa, 1945: Final Assault on the Empire, Simon Foster, 1996.
answered 9 hours ago
John Dallman
16.3k35178
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The Allies weren't taking Okinawa for B-29 runways. They had plenty of those in the Mariana Islands. They wanted it as a base for the invasion of Japan, both for ships and shorter-ranged aircraft. Okinawa has harbours, and Kadena Air Base had already been built by the Japanese.
This required taking all of the Ryukyu Islands, and that's exactly what was done. The Battle of Okinawa is the famous part of this campaign, because the Japanese concentrated their resistance there, knowing that while they held the main island, the other islands would be of limited use. You can't set up mobile fleet bases while the enemy are still within artillery or small-boat attack range. The other islands in the group were taken comparatively easily, so the combats are not famous.
Source: Okinawa, 1945: Final Assault on the Empire, Simon Foster, 1996.
answered 9 hours ago
John Dallman
16.3k35178
add a comment |
The Allies weren't taking Okinawa for B-29 runways. They had plenty of those in the Mariana Islands. They wanted it as a base for the invasion of Japan, both for ships and shorter-ranged aircraft. Okinawa has harbours, and Kadena Air Base had already been built by the Japanese.
This required taking all of the Ryukyu Islands, and that's exactly what was done. The Battle of Okinawa is the famous part of this campaign, because the Japanese concentrated their resistance there, knowing that while they held the main island, the other islands would be of limited use. You can't set up mobile fleet bases while the enemy are still within artillery or small-boat attack range. The other islands in the group were taken comparatively easily, so the combats are not famous.
Source: Okinawa, 1945: Final Assault on the Empire, Simon Foster, 1996.
answered 9 hours ago
John Dallman
16.3k35178
add a comment |
The Allies weren't taking Okinawa for B-29 runways. They had plenty of those in the Mariana Islands. They wanted it as a base for the invasion of Japan, both for ships and shorter-ranged aircraft. Okinawa has harbours, and Kadena Air Base had already been built by the Japanese.
This required taking all of the Ryukyu Islands, and that's exactly what was done. The Battle of Okinawa is the famous part of this campaign, because the Japanese concentrated their resistance there, knowing that while they held the main island, the other islands would be of limited use. You can't set up mobile fleet bases while the enemy are still within artillery or small-boat attack range. The other islands in the group were taken comparatively easily, so the combats are not famous.
Source: Okinawa, 1945: Final Assault on the Empire, Simon Foster, 1996.
answered 9 hours ago
John Dallman
16.3k35178
The Allies weren't taking Okinawa for B-29 runways. They had plenty of those in the Mariana Islands. They wanted it as a base for the invasion of Japan, both for ships and shorter-ranged aircraft. Okinawa has harbours, and Kadena Air Base had already been built by the Japanese.
This required taking all of the Ryukyu Islands, and that's exactly what was done. The Battle of Okinawa is the famous part of this campaign, because the Japanese concentrated their resistance there, knowing that while they held the main island, the other islands would be of limited use. You can't set up mobile fleet bases while the enemy are still within artillery or small-boat attack range. The other islands in the group were taken comparatively easily, so the combats are not famous.
Source: Okinawa, 1945: Final Assault on the Empire, Simon Foster, 1996.
answered 9 hours ago
John Dallman
16.3k35178
answered 9 hours ago
John Dallman
16.3k35178
answered 9 hours ago
John Dallman
16.3k35178
answered 9 hours ago
John Dallman
16.3k35178
16.3k35178
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add a comment |
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2
Sometimes you want to engage the enemy where they're strongest so that you kill the most people
– Richard
7 hours ago