Okinawa Bulletin: Final Phases
From the Archive
•
24m
The campaign for Okinawa, located just 350 miles south of Japan, was one of the bloodiest of the war. US land forces faced a Japanese defence occupying a system of tunnels, caves and fortifications exploiting the natural defensive advantages of the hilly southern region of the island. At sea, vessels of the 5th Fleet and British Pacific Fleet faced waves of kamikaze attacks. This film is entitled Okinawa Bulletin and describes the closing phases of the battle. It features footage of American attacks against the Japanese fortifications as well as fighting in urban areas. It also includes footage of American aircraft dropping gasoline jelly bombs - napalm. Please note: This film contains distressing images.
Up Next in From the Archive
-
Kokoda Front Line!
In July 1942, Japanese forces made landings at Gona on the north coast of modern Papua New Guinea, as part of a wider plan to defend the naval base of Rabaul. Having been unable to land at Port Moresby in May - a move that resulted in the Battle of the Coral Sea - they now planned to reach the ca...
-
The Air Force Story: Chapters XXI - XXV
The Air Force Story: Chapters XXI - XXV
-
The Cutting Edge: Tanks in World War One
On 15 September 1916 the battlefield changed forever. At Flers-Courcelette, during the brutal, bloody fighting on the Somme, the British army released a new weapon designed to combat the devastating power of the machine gun: the tank. Moving on caterpillar tracks and protected by plated armour, t...