The Battle of Okinawa was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the  
largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War. The 82-day-long battle lasted from 
early April until mid-June, 1945. After a long campaign of island hopping, the
Allies were approaching Japan, and planned to use Okinawa, a large island only
340 miles away from mainland Japan, as a base for air operations on the planned invasion of Japanese mainland. Five divisions of the U.S Tenth Army and two
Marine Divisions fought on the island. The invasion was supported by naval,
amphibious, and tactical air forces. The battle resulted in the highest number
of casualties in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

The American flag is planted on Okinawa