Battle of Okinawa | Animated History 

Start building your own website easily with Squarespace! Get a free trial and 10% off your first purchase using www.squarespace.com/?channel=youtube&subchannel=armchairhistorian&source=armchairhistorian *Sorry for mispronouncing Yamato & Kyūshū, it was a long day of recording. Japanese pronunciation is probably my worst. A big thanks to Squarespace for sponsoring!

I served in an Infantry Battalion in the Marine Corps in the '90s and was lucky enough to be rotated to Camp Hansen in Okinawa twice. Beautiful but rugged land. Always either too hot or too cold. Those rainy seasons are no joke. I spent many, many days and nights slugging around a 60mm Mortar in the mud and hills of NTA. Thankfully with no live rounds coming my way. I thought a lot about those Marines (and Soldiers) who took "The Rock". Great video. Thank you.

“After we take shuri castle we go home, all of us.”

Griffin: Japan inflicted thousands of deaths by hiding in tunnels Viet cong: write that down

My Great Uncle was one of the spotters on the Bunker Hill that day , he told me they called out "Meatball ! "Meatball!" Which was a nickname they used for the rising sun on the Japanese aircraft. Even though they opened up with all they had they got thru. He would tell us about what happened before the impacts but never really spoke about the aftermath. He kept a piece of the zero that remained stuck under the deck. Thanks for mentioning the Bunker Hill.

America : we shall land on April 1 Japan thinking it's a prank: but will you really

My great grandfather served in this battle. He passed in 2013 at the age of 96 god rest his soul.

My great uncle fought in this battle. Until the day he died, fifty years after it ended, he almost never talked about it. Left some horrible emotional scars. Rest in Peace, Otho Wayne Bishop. Cannon Company, 38st Infantry Regiment. 96th Infantry Division.

I love that you had Admiral Spruance emerge from the sea like the water-type legendary pokemon he was.

The Japanese lost because they didn't use square space.

"Hi, I'm Griffon Johnson and the following is probably demonetized for some reason."

US: we will land on april 1st Japan: this is just a prank US: *lands* Japan: Oh sh-

Three of my family members were drafted, since they were Okinawan, into the Imperial Japanese Army and fought in this battle. Sadly Okinawans were treated as second class citizens in the Empire of Japan, but many still died and lost their homes in this battle.

The Pacfic (sister show to Band of Brothers) had such a brutal and honest portrayal of this battle. I highly recommend anyone who liked Band of Brothers to watch this show too

Fun fact: I was talking to some of my Japanese friends and I told them I am impressed how tough Japanese were in WW2, especially in Iwo Jima and Okinawa Both of them had absolutely no idea what I am talking about :/

My Dad was aboard the USS Bunker Hill. He and two other men were locked in a small cubby off the boiler room. The ship burned for three days. He once said , the hardest thing he had to do in this life, was report to the flight deck and stand for role call. When he stood at attention in his spot, he looked around to see one hundred and fifty men, where just 3 days before stood 1,200 of his once dear friends.

One of the key reasons for invading Okinawa (and Iwo Jima) was to secure forward bases to jump off from in what was considered the inevitable invasion of Japan.

"If he doesn't see you chat, then that means he looks at chat every five minutes." -me, literally yesterday

I think that focusing on specific generals and their battles would be a very informational thing.

"Everything that was asked of us - we've done. Every night we lay in a filthy foxhole - praying the enemy won't slit our throats. Every day we spent crawling through the mud and the dirt while bullets whistled all around. But this is the last time we're gonna have to put our lives on the line. This is the enemy's last stand. When we take Shuri Castle, we go home. All of us."

My father and uncle fought in Okinawa they had shapnerl in they're bodies until they died . We come from a long line of Marines, Semper Fi

The only thing killed was this video's monetization

Kudos to whoever does the drawing

There's a scene in The Pacific (from With the Old Breed...) where the Japanese sent Okinawan civillians down a hill, some with explosives strapped to them, as a distraction before launching an attack that left all those civillians in the crossfire as human shields and a deterrent for shooting back. It's gut-wrenching to think about all the horrors that happened on Okinawa back then, when it's a subtropical vacation destination today.

My Great grandfather was a Marine that fought on Okinawa and Iwo Jima as an Engineer, he told my grandfather such a fascinating story when the Japanese did night raids on Iwo Jima and the marines were ordered to use only knives to avoid friendly fire, a Japanese solider ran past his tent, He quickly slit his throat and then cut off his head, and then continued to cut out his Jaw as a Trophy. He also Helped Build the Run way on Iwo Jima where the B-29s would take flight and end the war.

RIP Shuri Castle, destroyed once during WW2, destroyed again by fire like 3 days ago :(

Those World at War sound effects are giving me flashbacks.

When the "caves" start speaking Japanese

Thanks for giving distances as KM also. It is much appreciated by non-US/UK viewers. I miss your old animation style. It was really good.

8:17 The Japane: It’s over americans we have the high ground The americans: you underestimate my power The japanese: don’t try *but this time the way of the sith actually worked and the americans didn’t get their legs cut off*

Former Marine here. I was in the Battle of Fallujah, Iraq in 2004. I was stationed in Okinawa for over a year (2002-2003) at Camp Schwab. The most northern base. Okinawa is a beautiful place. During our training there, it was very hot and humid. I would very much like to re-visit it again.

My Great Grandfather told me stories of this battle. He was a Marine Corps Engineer in 1st Marine Division ‘C’ Company 1st Engineers. His job entailed blowing up concrete structures to get rid of snipers, Building Bunkers, and even clearing caves and tunnels with a flame thrower. He always said that he had the most dangerous job in the world. He told me one story from right after the battle, when they we’re heading to Manchuria. One of his friends had gotten a letter from his girl back home. The letter said the his girl was pregnant. They’d been overseas for almost a year, and the guy proclaimed, “I’m gonna be a dad, look Jim!” (My Great Grandfather’s name was James) and my great grandfather had to explain to his friend that his wife cheated on him. He always laughs at that story. Guy is 97 now, and has prostate cancer sadly. But damn, what a guy.

Gotta love the CoD WaW gun sounds being used

I always loved Okinawa. Pacific as well as World at War raised my interest

Interesting side note on the death of Gen. Buckner. After he was killed Marine Gen. Roy Geiger took over command of the 10th Army, being the only US Marine general in history to have command of a field army. (Noted in "With the Old Breed" by E.B. Sledge)

"They're not Japanese, they're Okinawites". ~ A line I just recalled from HBO's The Pacific, its mostly strong sequel to the masterpiece of Band of Brothers. And in related news, they are making "Masters of the Air" regarding the 8th Air Force, AKA The Mighty Eighth.

99% of comments: Wow this is nice Dressell: 0:58

The nukes probably saved my existence lol my grandfather was UDT in the Pacific. He didn't get deployed to Okinawa but he was in Saipan and Talagi (Guadalcanal) and was awaiting redeployment when the nukes went off

From media portrayals to stories from my grandma (who knew a British soldier who fought in the Pacific) it’s safe to say that fighting against the imperial Japanese sounds like it was overwhelmingly horrific. Obviously all wars are terrible and scary but the stories from the Pacific always seem to shock me the most. RIP to the brave allied troops who gave their lives in the Pacific and all other wars.

So I am half-Okinawain and still go back to my village regularly as we own a home there. You need to edit the pronunciation of Japanese words like Kyushu and Yomitan. My mom experienced this invasion firsthand as a child. You can still see gun positions and artillery shells in the coral in our village. She described the wall of grey and smoke, felt like an alien invasion. They were on the beach, cheering the waves of Kamakazis attacking those ships. My grandfather was a medic conscript on the Japanese side, almost made it to the end, he was struck by a rocket in the shoulder fired by a fighter plane while carrying wounded during the last week. His brother witnessed his death, survived and brought his body home. About a third of the local population was killed, the Imperial army handed out grenades, thankfully my grandfather knew Americans from his business in the Philippines. Many of the civilians perished in the caves, scared to come out, meeting their end by flame thrower. Also, the shear amount of naval artillery was impressive. Ie-Jima was called the Mt. Fuji of the south. The Navy devastated that mountain, unlike it looked like a sad rock it is today. Same goes with the last stand, those cliffs were pounded so hard, it is impossible to imagine being the last troops. You could do a much better version of this as there is so much more to it than the more famous battles. News on how hard it was had to be subdued as the Soviets wanted to invade Japan very badly as revenge for the Japanese sinking their fleets a few years earlier. The Allies were under a time crunch and could not make it sound as bad as it really was. It is a story waiting to be told.

Okinawa, a Stitch anime takes place there. Japan’s Hawaii

The sad but truthful fact is that dropping the atomic bombs on Japan more than likely saved more lives that otherwise would have perished if the US had invaded mainland Japan. That fighting would have been brutal, the Japanese were banking on the idea that the American people would not be able to stomach such brutal fighting with colossal casualties therefore forcing the allies to concede to the demand of a conditional surrender of Japan rather than unconditional which the allies had demanded.

I went to Okinawa this summer and i must say the island is beautiful. They have alot of really interesting memorial about WW2 and the battle of Okinawa

"Its over Simon Bulevar I have the High Ground" ~~Mitsuru Ushijima

My grandfather served on the Bunker Hill. He had some pretty scary stories he rarely shared. Him and a buddy forcing open a hatch to free some trapped sailors. Diving into the sea and being there for a while while the battle still went on.

This bloke is great. Thank's for telling history in such a well presented format. Big respect mate

you forgot the fact that Desmond actually saved a Japanese soldier

We always learned that the Kamikazes were ineffective, but exchanging 1900 lives for 4300 of your enemies lives and hundreds of their ships seems like it worked.

8:55 That boy •W I D E•

Yamato, not the “Yamoto”.

Thank you, Griffin, for specifically mentioning the US casualty figure and how that led Truman to use atomic weapons, which saved both American and Japanese lives.

I just wanna compliment how much better you've become over the past two years compared to this era. That might sound backhanded but it's fully earnest praise because you've gone nowhere but up from here in pronunciations, clarity, and animations, and this was STILL a great video

7:00 me when I forget my homework

All the money Squarespace makes goes straight to paying Idris Elba

Buckner was actually in the fight. That is impressive.

The Battle of Okinawa is raging. 75 years ago. May those who fought rest in peace.

Great video guys, as always. Still want to visit Okinawa. Anyone ever been there? You see the traces of war there very well or did they remove most of it?

Japan: "Let's show them the cost of invading our mainland!" USA: "So we got this new toy.... it's big, fat, and angry... just like us!"

"The terrifying scream of 'Banzai!' echoed in the nightmare of many GIs..." Most GIs: "Oh thank God, that means they're about to lose. The battle is about to end!

Watching this from Okinawa right now, it is absolutely hellish terrain to fight and operate in, I literally could not imagine myself fighting in it, back then it would have been far worse with less open cultivated land, and less development.

The Japanese rainy season is no joke. Frequent rain, and it makes campaigning almost impossible.

*Kills enemy general* General Ushijima: "Better go out even."

Your Source of info : Books and stuff.. My Source of info : *CoD WaW*

Great Grandfather served in the 27th ID from Makin to Saipan and Okinawa. This channel always does great work with military history, thanks!

RU-vid NO SWIPPING RU-vid NO SWIPPING RU-vid NO SWIPPING

Reminds me of Tomiko Higa, the girl with the white flag. Sad story about that battle

8:14 “It’s over American! I have the high ground!”

The British Pacific Fleet fought at Okinawa . Larger than the Japanese fleet but smaller than the US . Still deserves a mention .

My great grandpa used to at the Kure shipyard before he got drafted to China as a telegraph operater and he said that he couldn't believe that a human could build a ship the size of Yamato and was shocked when he found out that it sank. He did not get involved into building Yamato as he was in the communication center or something like that.

Fantastic. I had a Grandfather who fought there. He said it was hell. He supported the bomb and said it was the best way.

I love how Admiral Spruance popped out of the sea lol

After watching the Pacific Episode 9 and the movie Hacksaw Ridge, I realized how horrifying and brutal it must be for the U.S. forces to overcome the Japanese on Okinawa, just shows it was a lot worse than the European Western Front.

Don't mind me. I comment just for the algorithm.

The overall quality of your videos keeps improving by quite a lot, good job!

I was in the naval base of okinawa and its TRULY FUCKIN STUNNING. Even I as an army officers was stunned. The base is just huge and although you arent allowed to inspect the whole base, its still big. There are kilometers of underground tunnels and systems, a metropole in the earth. Best sight in japan

Love the shoutout to Desmond Doss! Hacksaw Ridge was awesome.

At 4:00 i really like how the slaughtered cows become Wagyu steak.

I spent two years stationed in Okinawa. I loved that country. Originally Okinawa was its own country with its own language and culture. Obviously before ww2

Been stationed on Okinawa for over two years now. I don't plan on moving back to the States. Being able to read "With the Old Breed" by Eugene Sledge and following up with HBO's "The Pacific", you can literally trace the path of the battle. You can still see the old sites by the Shuri Line (RIP Shuri Castle) which saw the bloodiest engagements as Maeda Escarpment, a.k.a. "Hacksaw Ridge", and Kakazu Ridge along with Sugar Loaf Hill. The Japanese Underground Naval Bunker is still there as it was during the war and you can see facilites near Naha such as the Peace Memorial that is surround by more bunkers and artifacts from the battle. Motobu Hill and Ie Shima towards the north saw heavy engagaments and is availible to check out anytime. It's just astounding to be at a place where so much history has occured and also a place to respect the over 200,000 lives lost during those 2 terrible months. The Peace Memorial lists every name of Japanese troops, civilians (in Japanese), and American troops (in English) killed in the Battle. May God Bless Okinawa.

I wonder if a kamikaze pilot ever accidentally survived a crash. Maybe if they didn't have enough speed or they came in at the wrong angle.

More of these please! Guadalcanal or Pelieu next

>pronounces Yamato as "Yamoto" Bruh

For those of you wondering what that awesome score was, it was "Dawn without end" by Zach Heyde.

Love to see you back in business

This was super well done and the animations were very useful!

My father was in WWII and was familiar with the intelligence for this battle. Many subordinates wanted to isolate the Japanese in the south and starve them out while attacking Japan from the northern part of the island. The Generals saw this as delaying the end of the war and knew the Japanese would never surrender.

You should not forget that Japanese main objective in Okinawa was make American government to think "invade the mainland would be madness." If it was easy to invade the Iow jima and the Okinawa islands, they do not hesitate to invade mainland for sure, which we had to stop no matter what we scrifice.

Okinawa is one of the few battles where both commanding Officers died. Buckner was on Sugar Loaf hill and rock fragments from the artillery shell struck him in the heart. My sister used to sit for an elderly lady who's husband was one of the non-combatant ranks killed their as well, and she virulently hated the Japanese to her dying day decades later. While the Japanese policy of making us pay such a high price for victory certainly was a key factor for the use of atomic weapons, they really had no other options to them.

The reverse slop defense forces the offense to skyline themselves when they attack. The defense would see the maneuver before the maneuver sees the defense. The offense also does not have the advantage of utilizing their weapons at their maximum effective range if the defense is in a reverse slope. Great advantage to the Japanese.

My Father was there, and stated they were still digging them out of the caves 6 months after the Island was declared secured. So, the fight went on. They came out, ambushed and went back in. Described them like moles, that pop up, ambush, and then hide again in the caves.

The way he pronaunced Yamato as YamOto is hilarious xD

I remember it like it was yesterday. The invasion of Okinawa I was actually there. I had alot of friends over there. I joined up in early 2009 as part of the digital front. I was serving online striving for a good k/d. But in the end I dident make it a Japanese guy sniped me and I ended up haveing to try the level again.

Having to invade the mainland would have been madness.

Everything that was asked of us - we've done. Every night we lay in a filthy foxhole - prayin' the enemy won't slit our throats. Every day we spent crawling through the mud and the dirt while bullets whistled all around. This is the enemy's last stand. When we take Shuri Castle, we go home. All of us." Sergeant Ben Roebuck ( 1915 - 1945) battle of okinawa.

I just want to thank you young man for doing this video. It's refreshing to see a young person talking about world War 2. I bet you really liked history in school. Thank you again.

Don’t take this the wrong way but i love how much you have improved , your videos were and persist to be amazing

Look up Marine Captain Julius Dusenburg who flew the Southern flag at the top of Okinawa.

Shouts in Hetai before crashing into the aircrafts carrier

Im watching a speech from a USMC Okinawa veteran. Thank you for this video.

the detail in these vids in unreal, i love that you include even more info in the visuals, outside of the script. thanks!