Research Guides: Archives Branch: Campaign Collections: Okinawa

Okinawa

Official Documents from the Okinawa Campaign

Documents include operation plans, operation orders, field orders, intelligence reports, action reports, administrative orders, captured Japanese documents, official correspondence, field messages, studies, and memoranda concerning operations on Okinawa and the Nansei-Shoto/Ryuku Islands.

Documents were produced by the US Pacific Fleet, III Marine Amphibious Corps, the 1^st Marine Division, 2d Marine Division, the 6^th Marine Division, and the 10^th Army.

If you have any questions about these collections, please contact the Archives at (703) 784-4685 or history.division@usmcu.edu.

Okinawa finding aid
This box list comprises official record copies of operation plans, after action reports, and other documents concerning the Okinawa campaign.

Index to Okinawa Personal Papers Collections

This index highlights collections found in the Archives Branch concerning Marine Corps involvement in the Okinawa campaign, April 1945–August 1945.

The criteria for selecting collections for inclusion in this index is limited to those personal papers that contain materials pertinent to the study of the Okinawa campaign. Collections in this index are comprised of official Marine Corps records, documents, and publications; letters and correspondence; manuscripts; photographs; maps; memoirs and reminiscences; clippings and articles; oral histories and interviews; and realia and ephemera.

Index to Okinawa Personal Papers Collections
This index highlights collections held in the Archives Branch that concern Marine Corps involvement in the battle of Okinawa, April - August 1945.

Okinawa Photographs

The Archives Branch maintains a Flickr page dedicated to showcasing photographs found in our collections.

Photographs relevant to the study of the Okinawa campaign during World War II include images of war dogs; mechanics tending aircraft on Yontan airfield; and the 8th Regimental Combat Team beach landing, among others.

Please note that some of the photographs found on our Flickr pages are considered public domain and have been cleared for release. While some imagery is public domain, any use of such imagery from this site must be attributed to the U.S. Marine Corps, or the individual photographer. Photographs may not be used to deface the reputation of the Marine Corps, its personnel, or policies. Additionally, some imagery on this site may fall under copyright protection, such as imagery from personal photo collections donated to the Archives. Please contact us for more information regarding proper use of and/or copyright restrictions for these images.

Okinawa Photographs on the Archives Branch Flickr
Selections of digitized photographs of Okinawa from the collections of the Archives Branch.

Okinawa Maps

The Archives Branch maintains a collection of original maps from the Okinawa campaign, to include the overlays, appendices, and enclosures from the Divisional operation plans and after action reports.

Some of these maps are available in digital format. Please contact the Archives for more information.

Okinawa Monographs and Publications from the Marine Corps History Division

Available as full-text, searchable PDFs from the Government Publishing Office or usmc.mil.

"Battle of Okinawa: III MEF Staff Ride: Battle Book"
This book serves as a guide for the III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Forces Pacific (MarForPac) Staff Ride for the Battle of Okinawa. The staff ride is intended to provide a leadership case study from the United States and Japanese experiences by examining the Battle of Okinawa, as part of the III MEF commanding general’s professional development program.
"Ryukus"
In late September 1944 the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in Washington decided to invade Okinawa, the largest island in the Ryukyu Islands, as part of a strategy to defeat Japan. The effort was code-named Operation ICEBERG. Okinawa had initially emerged as an objective in the spring of 1943, when the Allies believed that an invasion of the home islands might be necessary to force Tokyo's surrender. Possession of Okinawa would give the American forces additional, better-positioned air bases for intensifying the air campaign against the home islands and also provide important anchorages and staging areas for the huge, ambitious effort needed to invade Japan.