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I fondly remember playing these scenarios in the old SSG Battlefront series.
“It’s all over now but cleaning up pockets of resistance. This doesn’t mean there won’t be stiff fighting but the Japs won’t be able to organise another line” General Buckner, May 31st 1945
By early June, when the rains had subsided, the Americans were advancing faster than ever before. They had come three kilometres in a week – fast by Okinawan standards. They started to by-pass the Oroku peninsula on the west coast, held by the troops of Admiral Ota’s naval base force. On June 3rd, two regiments of the 6th Marine made a landing on the northern point of the peninsula. The landing by sea was considered easier than moving the men in the mud. The remainder of the Japanese forces on the island, about 30,000, had retreated to a new line in the south. Only one third of these, however, were trained infantry. The Japanese were running out of men. The support troops fought as bravely as the rest, but not so well.
The now-familiar process of prising the defenders out of every nook and cranny in the convoluted hills continued. Tanks were of little use, as the ground was still soft from the rains. Again the Marines and the GIs faced the daunting prospect of resolutely held ridge lines raining mortar and machine-gun fire on them as they struggled up the slopes. The Japanese had very few heavy guns left, which eased the Americans’ task somewhat.
General Ushijima sensed the end was at hand, as the first ridge line fell in only 12 days. On June 17th, the Japanese front collapsed, so Ushijima, after one final, futile counter-attack, ordered his men to infiltrate through the US lines and carry on guerilla warfare in northern Okinawa. He and his staff took refuge in a cave near the island’s southern shore. He committed hara-kiri on June 22nd, when US troops approached.
General Buckner was killed on June 18th by an artillery shell, in the final days of the drama that was Okinawa. He was the highest ranking American officer to be killed in combat in WWII, and he died only two months before the end.
The total Allied losses were 49,000 casualties, of which 9,700 were naval personnel – the worst losses in the navy’s history. The naval dead (4,900) outnumbered those of any other service in the campaign. They also lost 221 tanks (over half the original force), 36 ships sunk and 368 damaged, and 763 planes. The Japanese losses were 110,000 troops and thousands of civilians. They also lost 16 ships sunk and 4 damaged, and, incredibly, 7,800 planes. But they had served their emperor well, and delayed the Allies by 83 days – nearly three times as long as originally estimated by the Allied planners.
The island fighting had shown that the only way to deal with determined defenders who would not surrender was with fighting men of equal skill and determination who would not relent. The desperate, resolute and intelligent defence of Okinawa by the Japanese must have been a factor in the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan. After all, if they fought in that fashion for an island populated by people they considered their inferiors, how would they fight for their homeland?
SCENARIO NOTES
The Japanese vacated the Shuri line under cover of the heavy storms. After the rains abated somewhat, the US forces took up the pursuit. This scenario depicts the contribution of the Marines to the closing stages of the Okinawa campaign. Movement costs are greater than in the Shuri scenario due to the sodden ground.
PLAYER’S NOTES
THE MARINES. You must drive south and assault yet another fortified line. To win you must clear Oroku and breach the Japanese defences near Kunishi Ridge. The Japanese troops are weaker now but still occupy formidable positions, so all previous comments about assaulting fortified lines still apply. Be prepared for the arrival of the 8th R.C.T. late in the game. A fresh unit can make all the difference. The 1st must attack towards Itoman, clearing important terrain around Dakiton, en route. Once accomplished, the main defensive line on the Kunishi Ridge must be penetrated to reach Makabe. The 6th Marines has been split into two groups to clear the Oroku Peninsular. Once cleared the 6th should proceed south and support the 1st by striking Kyamu.
JAPANESE FORCES. You still have excellent positions, but the quality of your troops has suffered. You must be extremely careful in choosing attacks. Base units and Boetai are not suitable for any real offensive action. If you can delay the fall of Oroku and hold the line at Kunishi, you should win. The Ad Hoc formation must delay the advance of the 1st Marines on Itoman. The Navy defends Oroku to the death. The 24th division holds Kunishi Ridge and then makes its last stand at Makabe.
SCENARIO VARIANTS
(1a) Assume that Japanese kamikaze attacks are having a greater than historical effect on US shipping. Reduce divisional and regimental supply values by 2 points.
(1b) You can also assume that the US carriers were being somewhat diverted and reduce the reliability of US OBS by 2.
(2) Assume that the 8th R.C.T. clean up their small island objectives earlier. Change their arrival to turn 25.
(3) Assume that the rain clears earlier and therefore allows easier movement. Adjust all the movement values for all terrain to that used in the Shuri scenario. Also adjust the movement allowance of US divisional HQs, which were reduced to reflect the logistical difficulties of the poor ground conditions.
(4) Assume that more of the Japanese 24th Division’s battalions remain intact for the defence at Kunishi. Substitute standard rifle battalions for the Boetai battalions used and add 1 to the experience rating of all 24th Division rifle battalions.
