On April 1, 1945, U.S. military forces landed at Yomitan, Kadena and Chatan in the middle part of the main island of Okinawa without experiencing any resistance or casualties. They immediately occupied two former airfields of the Japanese forces. The main reason for the lack of resistance was that the transfer of troops to other locations had left them short in Okinawa and the Japanese had to shift their strategy from a shoreline defense to plans for a protracted holding action. The strategy was that if the U.S. forces could be delayed in their conquest of Okinawa, the mainland of Japan would have more time to become sufficiently prepared for a decisive battle there.
On April 2, the day after landing, the U.S. forces reached the eastern seacoast and divided the island in two. By April 20th they had substantially effected occupation of the entire northern area. The civilians hiding in the mountainous areas, weakened by malaria and starvation, had not only the bullets of the U. S. forces to fear, but also needed to protect themselves from the plundering, torture and massacres committed by the remaining Japanese soldiers.
The battles up in the northern part of the island around the airfield on Ie-jima Island were particularly fierce. In the six days of intense fighting many civilians as well as soldiers lost their lives. Over 100 of the civilians died in group suicides.
In the mid-southern areas the defending Japanese forces attacked the U.S. forces in heated battles for a few days but after losing over half of their fighting units suffered complete defeat. On May 27, 1945 the units of the Japanese army defending Okinawa retreated from their underground headquarters in Shuri to Mabuni in the southern part of the island. Finding the caves already occupied by civilian refugees, the Japanese forces ejected them, requisitioned the refugee's supplies and in some cases executed them.
As the Japanese forces retreated in battle from their airfield in Oroku, Rear Admiral Minoru Ota, after noting the bravery of the Okinawans supporting the Imperial Navy units there sent a telegram saying , "Thus fought the Okinawans, and I ask you to consider these prefectural citizens as meriting future reward." After this he committed suicide and the army was crushed.
The Japanese forces retreated to the southernmost tip and after losing the final battle on June 22 (some accounts say June 23), the commander, Lt. General Mitsuru Ushijima and Chief of Staff, Isamu Cho, committed suicide and all organized resistance was finished. Pockets of resistance continued to fight the U.S. forces, even after the Battle of Okinawa was finished on July 2, 1945. It was not until September 2, 1945 that the head of the remaining Japanese forces on the island signed formal surrender.
