Mopping-Up Operation by the U.S. 6th Marine Division in Okinawa (1945)

In the final phase of the Battle of Okinawa in June 1945, the U.S. 6th Marine Division undertook a series of intensive mopping-up operations to eliminate the last pockets of Japanese resistance scattered across the island’s southern terrain. Following the collapse of the main Japanese defensive line around Shuri and the death of General Mitsuru Ushijima, the remaining defenders—many entrenched in caves and ravines—continued to resist with desperate ferocity. Color film footage shot by U.S. combat cameramen vividly captured these final operations: Marines advancing cautiously through the devastated hills, using flamethrowers, demolition charges, and grenades to clear fortified cave positions, while medical teams tended to the wounded amid the smoke and debris. The scenes reveal the grim reality of the battle’s aftermath—burned-out vehicles, shattered villages, and the somber burial of fallen comrades. By late June, the 6th Marine Division had secured the island’s northern and southern sectors, marking the end of organized resistance and the completion of one of the Pacific War’s bloodiest campaigns.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDT16kJgH1M

Battle of Naha, Okinawa (May 1945)

The color footage of the Battle of Okinawa filmed in May 1945 by Marine Corps combat cameraman Norman T. Spangler captures the brutal final stages of the Pacific War with striking realism, particularly around the ruined city of Naha. His vivid Kodachrome reels reveal the devastated urban landscape, shattered by relentless bombardment, as U.S. Marines and Army troops push through mud, rubble, and smoke under torrential rain and fierce Japanese resistance. The rare color imagery provides a haunting visual record of the campaign’s ferocity — from tanks advancing past smoldering wreckage to exhausted soldiers sheltering in foxholes — transforming what might otherwise seem like distant history into a vivid and deeply human document of war’s cost at the doorstep of Japan.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgl-sfzgff8

Japanese Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka (Baka) Piloted Flying Bomb

Japanese Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka (Baka) piloted flying bomb which had been captured intact by Marines on Okinawa. Photographed 26 June 1945. During the Okinawa Campaign, the Japanese utilized the Yokosuka MXY-7 Okha "Baka Bomb" against U.S. Navy warships. USS West Virginia (BB-48) is believed to be the first ship damaged by a Baka Bomb on April 1. USS Mannert L. Able (DD-733) was the first ship to be sunk by the weapon on April 12. Other ships damaged by these weapons during Operation Ten-Go were: USS Gayety (AM-239), USS Hugy W. Hadley (DD-744), and USS Shea (DD-750).Usually carried and transported by a Japanese Mitsubishi G4M2 "Betty" aircraft, the "glider weapon" would be released when close enough to its target, then aimed to subsequently destroy it.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=7632613603492053&set=gm.2175341095984635&idorvanity=237076659811098
https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/explore/photography/wwii/wwii-pacific/okinawa/yokosuka-mxy-7-ohka.html

Ace Pilot Jeremiah O’Keefe

On April 22, 1945, 1st Lt. Jeremiah O’Keefe shot down five Japanese kamikaze aircraft off Okinawa in his F4U Corsair and then brought down another two six days later. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Jerry enlisted, hoping to become a pilot. He received his wings from the U.S. Marines in May, 1943. In 1944, before leaving for his assignment with the Pacific Fleet, he married his childhood sweetheart, Annette Saxon, and started what would be a family of thirteen children. During combat, Jerry earned the status of 'ace' fighter pilot and was later awarded the US Navy Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, Gold Star and, in 2015, the Congressional Gold Medal for American Aces.   Jeremiah J. O’Keefe, shot down seven Japanese pilots in one week in World War II.

Source :
National Archives and Records Administration 127-GW-120703
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936

U.S. Marines Look Over Abandoned Japanese Kawasaki Ki-61

U.S. Marines on Okinawa look over an abandoned Japanese Kawasaki Ki-61 “Tony” on April 9, 1945. The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (飛燕, "flying swallow") is a Japanese World War II fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service. The Japanese Army designation was "Army Type 3 Fighter" (三式戦闘機). Allied intelligence initially believed Ki-61s were Messerschmitt Bf 109s and later an Italian Macchi C.202, which led to the Allied reporting name of "Tony", assigned by the United States War Department. It was the only mass-produced Japanese fighter of the war to use a liquid-cooled inline V engine. Over 3,000 Ki-61s were produced. Initial prototypes saw action over Yokohama during the Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942, and continued to fly combat missions throughout the war.

Source :
National Archives and Records Administration 127-GW-119179
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawasaki_Ki-61
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936

A Crash Landed Kawasaki Ki-61 Being Inspected by the Marines

This sad Kawasaki Ki-61-I KAIc Hien, code-named 'Tony', had suffered several indignities during its short life. These marines were practicing the age old American art of "chicken plucking" for souvenirs. Before their arrival on the scene at this Okinawa airfield on 9 April 1945, the Japanese Army interceptor had been involved in a crash landing, and that piece of ground support equipment (oil drum) was evidently being used in an attempt to remove the propeller. Like ground crews of all nations, the line mechanics wanted to salvage what they could from the broken hulk, but the American invasion of April 1st quickly put an end to things. The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (飛燕, "flying swallow") was a Japanese World War II fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. The first encounter reports claimed Ki-61s were Messerschmitt Bf 109s: further reports claimed that the new aircraft was an Italian design, which led to the Allied reporting name of "Tony", assigned by the United States War Department

Source :

Book "WWII Pacific War Eagles: China/Pacific Aerial Conflict in Original Color" by Jeffrey L. Ethell and Warren M. Bodie

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/341781059197234472/

http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php/3475-Imperial-Japanese-Army-Fighter-Aircraft

US Private Jerry Smith

US Private Jerry Smith, on Okinawa during World War II. Jerry served in the Army's 718th Amphibious Tractor Battalion of XXIV Corps. He was a driver and armorer on an LVT-4 amphibian tractor, or "amtrac." Picture taken in Nishihara-Cho, Okinawa Prefecture, June 1945

Source:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11046337@N07/2306611086