The Battle of Okinawa (also known as “Operation Iceberg”) was initiated because the Allied forces needed to try to neutralize the Japanese forces. At this point in World War II, the …show more content…
If they couldn’t inflict that damage they were to beach themselves and become shore batteries, while sailors disembarked and became infantry. As a last effort, the Yamato was to draw as much attention from American aircraft so that Operation Kikusui would confront less resistance. Although Operation Ten’ichigo was meant to be a one-way cruise, the ships had enough fuel to make a return trip, despite popular belief. This fact was hidden from Officers and Sailors.
Operation Kikusui involved about 800 Navy and 600 Army aircraft. Ten waves launched between April and June 1945 caused over 30 American vessels to be destroyed and 368 damaged, killing over 5,000 sailors. This was the most substantial loss seen by the U.S. Navy in the Pacific War. As land battle progressed, Allied Naval vessels were subjected to countless and relentless kamikaze attacks. The Japanese flew approximately 1,900 missions, sinking mostly amphibious vehicles and a destroyer. Throughout the battle, the British carriers proved to be more resilient to kamikaze attacks due to their armored flight