Okinawa 1945: Planning Operation ICEBERG

On 1 April 1945, U.S. forces invaded the Japanese home island of Okinawa. It was the largest joint amphibious assault mounted during World War II in the Pacific Theater. The invasion of Okinawa was the culmination of three years of operations in the Pacific against Imperial Japan. The film explores the planning and preparation for Operation ICEBERG from September 1944 to 1 April 1945.

“Okinawa 1945: Planning Operation ICEBERG” examines the U.S. Army operations process as well as planning by echelon from field army, corps, and division with special emphasis on current Joint doctrine. This film is the first in a two-part series covering Operation ICEBERG and the U.S. Tenth Army’s securing of Okinawa.

Chapters:
Introduction – 0:08
Title Screen – 3:02
The Strategic Situation – 3:08
The Ryukyus – 8:27
U.S. Forces – 17:59
Operational Plan – 23:30
Shaping and Sustaining Operation ICEBERG – 31:20
Plan for Ground Operations – 39:47
L-Day – 46:17

Doctrine:
Operations Process (ADP 5-0) – 6:00
Six Steps of Assessment (ADP 5-0) – 6:45
Intelligence Process (ADP 5-0) – 9:20
Operational Environment (JP 3-0) – 9:40
Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (ATP 2-01.3) – 10:05
Decisive Point (JP 5-0) – 11:10
PMESII-PT – 11:32

ASCOPE – 11:56
Joint Task Force (JP 3-33) – 24:30
Joint Area of Operations (JP 3-33) – 25:20
Operational Control (JP 3-33) – 25:50
Administrative Control (JP 3-33) – 26:10
ARFOR (FM 3-94)– 26:19
Tactical Control (JP 3-33)– 27:33
JFMCC – 27:56
Shaping Operations (ADP 3-0) – 32:13
Sustaining Operations (ADP 3-0) – 36:50
Airspace Control Authority – 37:35
Field Army (FM 3-94) – 40:05
Multi-domain Fires (FM 3-94) – 42:52
Corps Operations (FM 3-94) – 44:00
Division (FM 3-94) – 44:26

Credits – 49:42

[michaellazzeri]

At 29 y/o when Pearl Harbor happened my Dad volunteered, but as he had no birth certificate, only the USMC took him. The Marines also emptied jails & prisons, a fact seldom explained, but nonetheless, true. Dad was in the very 1st platoon that walked on to Guadalcanal. he stayed there until Dengue Fever & Combat Fatigue due to lack of sleep, finally did him in, & he was evac'd to New Zealand where he spent 22 months, & then another 6 months in Oakland, once he returned to the States. For his time in war, Dad received The Navy Cross, The Purple Heart, & a lifetime pension. he seldom ever talked about his time in Hell, but he was never the same man after his time in war. he was truly, part of THE Greatest Generation. 76 y/o

[genegustafson]

My father was here in 1945, I don't know what he was doing, but I heard that he was a tunnel rat and explosive expert who would blow up the tunnels, he never talked about it at home, but from his close friends and family me and my siblings learned alot of what he was doing there, I have a few pictures of him and his comrades, plus he was driving a dozer in one of the pictures, he passed away in October 1974 at 50 yrs old, had cancer in the brain, plus found out after his death that he had 2 scares on his leg and shoulder of not being able to see them as he made sure nobody knew about his wounds. Rest in Peace Dad/ George Gustafson 🇺🇸❤🙏🍺🍺🦌🎣

[JamesOberg]

My Dad was on AKA-1 Arcturus providing landing support. Ships on both sides of him were hit by kamikazes. After unloading he was able to get back to Pearl, reload, and return to Okinawa while bitter fighting was still raging. I was six months old, back in the Bronx. Dad's ship was assigned to Olympic. Thanks to Little Boy and Fat Man, I have a younger brother and sister.

[ronchristiantenala]

Another Quality documentary. Keep it coming!

[ikemancil]

My father was there as a combat soldier in the 305th regimental combat team of the 77th division. They were in the center of the assualt on the shuri line. Later his company while attached to another division helped take the last three hills of organized resistance on the island. He was wounded that day as his sguad sealed a cave. The 77th had the oldest average age of any combat outfit in the pacific theater. The 1st marines nicknamed his regiment the 305th marines. They also earned the title "the old bastards.". Starting with Guam they saw over 200 days of combat and killed over 30 thousand Japanese troops. They proudly wore the Statue of liberty shoulder patch. Their motto. "Ours to hold high."

[mynamedoesntmatter]

Thank you for uploading this. My uncle was in this. He went onto the island on an LST (‘Large Slow Target’ as dubbed by the guys).

[comment]

My father was Tech Sgt. with the 7th ID. Things that stuck with him were dealing with a sniper held up in a make shift pill box. A hand grenade took care of the problem but the memory of the shredded body stayed with him. I once asked what he thought hearing of the A-bomb. He mentioned flame throwers were a much worse weapon of war.

[thewanderinghistorian]

Great video! Proud to have helped in the early stages.

[bobhorner]

My uncle was there, in command of 1 of those gun boats. His ship won a metal for going in close to support the troops.

[Change-ng]

The precious and realistic war shots, witness the conqueror to win the battle achievement, stabilize the Second World War, the strategic strategic layout of East Asia, thank you, and contribute to peace in the future!

[genegustafson]

My father George Gustafson passed away on 10th of October 1974, as I saw the first part of this war plans

[tex]

While the 27th division was in the "plan" designated as as a floating reserve unit it was in fact deployed as one of the divisions of the 24th Corps on the right flank of the 7th and 96th divisions. It became the first division to attack the escarpment now better known since the movie as "Hacksaw Ridge" when General Grinder received intelligence that the enemy did not expect the Americans to attack at night he did exactly that on the evening before the other divisions began their attacks.

[thomascampbell]

I just finished "Okinawa, The Last Battle" a volume in the US Army official history series (the "green books"). It had been many years since I'd studied this campaign. I'd forgotten places like Conical Hill, Wana draw, Maeda Escarpment, and Kunishi Ridge. The tenacity and skill of the soldiers and Marines who took the island is breathtaking. American casualties were catastrophic, akin to kind of losses in the Civil War. Battalions were reduced to the size of understrength battalions. In spite of the brilliantly engineered Japanese defenses the relentless attacks reduced them, and their occupants, to blackened rubble. Why the battle was fought the way it was puzzles me. General Ushijima's plan had been to bleed the enemy white and Buckner obliged him, effectively giving the initiative to the Japanese.

[RnbNight-]

*Interesting, Thanks for informative vid!!!*

[IchimokuCloud]

Many of the battle sites have been developed and (thankfully) now used for the benefit of the Okinawa people. However, there are still some places to visit. The underground HQ of the IJN forces has been preserved and can visited, just a short distance from Naha airport. Sugarloaf Hill is now surrounded by condos and luxury goods stores, but on top of the hill there is a small memorial and you can walk around the hill in about 10 minutes. The monument to Ernie Pyle is still standing on Ie shima and the local people are preserving a building that was bombed and strafed. At the Keralas, Zamami has a memorial to the spot where US forces first stepped ashore. There are also large memorials to the Okinawans lost on each of the Kerala islands and nearby islands like Tonaki, Kume, Izena, and Iheya. The memorials have many names listed, the war was a great tragedy for these islands. Iheya has great public archive, with lots of pictures and documents, particularly the occupation after the war.

[MolonLabe-]

Thank you Army University for the wonderful works. I enjoy it. I wish we had the same videos to watch along with the assigned hundred of pages of readings back in Quantico Marine Corps University when I attended USMC Command and Staff College.

[cjmanson]

I just thought of a bit of dialogue from the game _Battlestations: Pacific_ that I feel to be appropriate for the day of the landing (1 April 1945):

"You know it's Easter today, and instead of hunting eggs, we're hunting Japanese targets. You think they'd paint the eggs too, First Lieutenant?"
"I doubt it sir."
"You're right. How could they? It's a good 'ol American tradition."
"Sir, um..."
"What is it, First Lieutenant?"
"It's just... It's actually a *German* tradition."
"Oh, come on!"

[bigazza]

No mention of the allies helping with the beach landing ????

[hangouts]

My grandfather and his friends died with nuclear weapons
Absolutely no need for nuclear weapons From a ninja

[tophyl]

My great uncle Eddie was at Pearl harbor on the USS Detroit when the Japanese attacked and parked next to the Arizona. The Detroit took the Admirals flag after the attack and my great uncle Jim was at Guadalcanal and Philippines he captured a Japanese rifle which became mine but a family member stole it and pawned it!