European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 16, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The and Vietty v1 a i  i suicide tactic tried by japs on Okinawa by the associated press american capture of Okinawa Midway in ims hastened japans ultimate defeat perhaps More directly than any Island Campaign to the but ammunition and it was one of the costliest invaded on his very fought Back savagely ashore and at sea to defense of the 65mile4ong key base of the committed to suicidal Japan sent hundreds of planes against the huge 1200ship inva Sion Force headed by Veteran adm Richmond Kelly the Des Perate japanese kept up their piloted Baka bomb and Kamikaze suicide attacks throughout the Long Navy and Marine casualties exceeded nearly 100 american vessels were sunk or and nearly82 Days of lighting went by on the Rocky malaria Ridden enemy Ofsei the japanese lost far a total of Imperial troops died More were taken planes of vice Marx Mitscher fast carrier4ask of jeep of the British Pacific Fleet in its combat of Marine and army fighter units destroyed a 1 proximately the United states acquired the largest of the lie islands of the Ryukyu Chain eur Long Down from within a few Miles of and the of a mighty air naval base Only 325 Moes from the enemy bomb marked stubbornly and the japanese yielded the Gateway to the East China sea and free communications the China they saw Timeir impregnable anchorages in the Inland sea turned into a graveyard of they quickly Felt the concussion from raids by hundreds of Okinawa based aircraft joining with the Force that Roade this pos new tenth army commanded by it Simon Bolivar who was killed with Victory in on the West coast of Okinawa april i t t of the Many bloody Battles the marines Fossem the Pacific was for the tiny atoll of dead tops scattered shattered Are buried in by the associated press american Conquest of the Maria Nas in the summer of 1844 toppled the pillars supporting the enemy Empire of mandated and War won islands in the Central in three hard fought american marines and moved the offensive Miles West from Tarawa in the first serious threat to japanese Saipan was invaded june and secured july the latter announcement May have been pre As japs were killed in the mopping up on july doughboy and marines landed on the prewar american Possession of and three Days later followed it up an invasion of five Miles Tinian fell in six but Guam took nearly three collapsing the Marianas islands were made into b29 bases for the bomb assault on the Jap  opened shortcut across the Pacific associated press jut of Battle for Tarawa was one of the heroic assaults in Zzz the Pacific to the attack on Tarawa second Marine division was the first borne assault on a fortified atoll front the Start it was a no sea victorious Campaign on i a Tow i  i this map shows the timetable of the Campaign on the initial1 Laad teff and the drive to the Northern tip of the Island were with Little but the tenth army moved southward the japs resisted stubbornly casualties so murderous until late in the second it was More than pos sible that the marines might have been driven off Betio islands Nar Row la the darkness before Dawn the japanese tired the first opening fire with Cap ured British coastal guns brought rom shells splashed n the water near the Jap guns quickly silenced in 20 fire Ameri can battleships had silenced the big but the fire had forced the transports pull their Landing Craft hour of assault had to be set Back 30 it was a costly the fourth Waves Landing boats stalled on the by then the japanese had recovered irom the Shock of the Carrier plane bombing and naval shelling and their Auto Matic weapons fire grew at Dawn of the second after the eighth regiments first Bat Talion landed on Central the marines the japanese were off the by noon they were committing suicide with Battle ended on 4th Day on the third reinforcements landed on the Beach end of Long narrow tills third battalion of the sixth marines fought Down the Southern Side of the Airstrip through clusters of six pillboxes every 100 night All the Airstrip was Securi and the enemy was pinned Back in Betzios Eastern j on the morning of the fourth drive for the the Island was Over in four and a half and shortly thereafter Julian division declared Betio secur in All japanese were the marines lost 931 men killed and casualties in 78 surrender showed in Jap by the associated press one of the Early indications of a drop in japanese War morale came on Okinawa when for the first time troops surrendered in Large than prisoners were Folten a figure in of the effectiveness of surrender leaflets which were dropped behind enemy j As the Campaign progressed and More japanese Learned they would tee Elve food and medical care ii to titled they the prisoner j prisoners i t i Al in by the associated press we ought to set aside a special Day to commemorate the tatting iwo we arc to Back on this operation As one of tremendous importance to the Job of defeating these words were spoken toy Harry Hill commander of seaborne attack White marines were fighting the toughest Battle in corps history lot the Island la the Volcano group 750 Miles from even before the Island was Sucre the fight took 28 bloody prediction proved the military Worth of the Little Island became rapidly apm Parent Mustang fighter planes Gan operations from Ita they struck at Southern Japan pc bombs and strafing they provided fighter Tion Lor growing numbers of fortresses raiding japanese trial Center from the part fatten iwo Imamate possible a speeding up of the Aerial Campaign but the who ashore there on the Black beaches that ii we rent ing about the future use of they were cursing the volcanic Sands to they Sank ats Cli slipping and sliding As their sought to climb the were the heavy Nese mortar and lire1 which pounded onto the Hilling or wounding thousands their the third Marine intended As Reserve was called within three Days to Tad Holland Smiths fourth filth Marine which made initial it was mortar fire and fire to Flat Range at advancing Marine accounted for most of the american including there was no Quarter in the fanatical did not Orletti Rutm estimates fixed the japanese on iwo at the final count the after the Chart curved sharply in pome cases prisoners volunteered o their comrades to give Okinawa Conquest America the propaganda Campaign against the Home leaflets urging the enemy to choose Early surrender were by the million by super to japans leading families used ancient religion of shintoism m prop to their the essence y of san Ibiam is u worship of of the of ones of every who is killed in Battle a s May also a Buddhist Jap conquests deprived of vital materials japans sweep across the Pacific in Early 1042 hit Home at Amer when they took the the japanese also took the main source of the Manila hemp essential for ropes and cables on naval they also shut off the Supply of Coconut to soaps and Industrial America Tost almost tier sole source of natural rubber when Malaya and the Netherlands East indies and also had to look elsewhere quickly for the worlds 1 source of lost flaw vital in Many Industrial was cat from Tor its soit rce was scores of other tapioca and East Indian used in twine for f on virtually unobtainable to these a vast a developed Lor sources cultivated qty and Nyota filled