As part of Operation Iceberg, Allied forces landed on the beaches of Okinawa in the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific theater.
On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, the last major battle of the global conflagration known as World War II began on the island of Okinawa, some 400 miles south of mainland Japan. As part of Operation Iceberg, Allied forces landed on the beaches of Okinawa in the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific theater. As the U.S. and its allies pushed relentlessly toward the Japanese mainland, they first needed to conquer Ryukyu and Okinawa islands, and Japanese commanders knew if the islands fell, the country’s populated mainland would be next.