American missions against Okinawa
October 10, 1944
October 10, 1944
(USN)
Task Force 38 (TF-38) fast carrier task force under the command of Vice Admiral Mitscher bomb coastal defenses and ships at Okinawa and other
islands of the Ryukyu group.
April 1, 1945
(USN, USMC, U.S. Army) At t 08:30am L-Day American forces land at Hagushi beaches on the western coast of Okinawa including U.S. Marines (USMC) III Amphibious Corps and U.S. Army XXIV Corps over a wide area spanning from Bolo Point (Cape Zanpa) to the north past Kadena to Camp Foster on the south.
Japanese missions against Okinawa
April 6, 1945–May 14, 1945
April 6, 1945
400 Kamikaze planes make an all-out effort against Okinawa
shipping and beachheads; 2 destroyers, 2 ammunition
ships, a mine sweeper and an LST are sunk; other vessels are damaged; nearly
300 Japanese planes are expended.
April 11, 1945
Kamikaze aircraft
attack the U.S. fleet off Okinawa. USS Enterprise CV-6 is
damaged and withdraws to Ulithi for repairs.
April 30, 1945
A kamikaze plane hits the hospital ship USS Comfort, killing eleven
medical staff and 30 of the wounded. This is the third attack on medical vessels.
May 14, 1945
A kamikazie fighter piloted by
Lt.
Shunsuke
Tomiyasu
of the 721 Kokutai, 306th Squadron crashed into USS Enterprise CV-6 flight deck
and destroyed the forward elevator, killing 14 and wounding 34 men. The ship's forward elevator was blown approximately 700' into the air from the force of the explosion six decks below. The carrier departed for repairs at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, arriving June 7 and where she was still moored undergoing repairs on V-J Day, August 15 , 1945.
