music music well, now we know where we are going. I dont mind japs, but snakes. How did the skipper say it . I heard him. He said okinawa. They say this place looks like the country around frisco. They say people are like japs. Spent my honeymoon there. Made it in eight hours. What was holding you back. I used to make it to buffalo in new york and six flat. 370 miles. Right here we are closer to japan than that. We are 320 miles from their home office. You heard him. That is what the old man said. That is closer than new york. I always music it is awfully close. Mighty close. Yes, mighty close, especially for a modern bomber with a job to do. One hour from any number of jap airfields. Here we were closer than any fleet in history. At midway, in the coral sea, even the mariana, it had been against the japanese air force, but now against the inner islands, the range was easy for any jap plane that could fly. There were those who said there was no fleet, but the stakes were high. With okinawa in our hands, we could control the china coast, send swarms of planes to smother japan. We were reaching for the throat of an empire. The risk must be taken. On the island of okinawa, 5000 miles from san francisco, the earth shook from a fearful pounding from our ships and planes. U. S. Navy u. S. Navy [speaking native language] [explosion] [explosion] [explosion] to the south, british allies were throwing there might, raking with shell and bombs. Englands greatest battleships and newest carriers were there, paying off with pleasure and old debt to an empire. On the northern flank, the tireless task force 58 stepped up its aerial assault on the enemy home island. It was the fourth of july in reverse, on japanese shipping, harbors, airfields, factories. [explosions] there is jap carrier in trouble. [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [explosions] [airplane engine] music men of the navy, 400,000 men. Elsewhere in the world, it was Easter Sunday 1945. At 8 30 that morning, the marines and army wa sent in. music [explosions] 100,000 yanks were rattling the lock on japans front door. They were plowing sacred soil with american boots and tanks. music the first seven days were baffling, quiet, as they move forward, looking for an enemy that had vanished. On the 1400 ships supporting the invasion, men waited at their battle stations, and waited. We knew the blow would come, but how and when . music then it struck. [explosions] they call it kamikaze, meaning the divine tempest. We call them suicide planes, manned by pilots wearing the ceremonial red sash. They specialize in oneway trips. Their destination, the deck or hull of any american ship. [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire japans secret weapon was no secret to our gunners or flyers, who for months had been there but to now to meet our latest challenge, every plane that could fly, new or old, from the very heart of japan itself. 16yearolds still in Aviation School were given their wings, a sash, and a mission. It was a maniacal allout to smash our sea power and isolator trips on okinawa. It was desperation. It was suicide. But it would be the pattern from now on to the very finish, a struggle between men who wanted to die and men who fight to live. [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [explosions] [airplane engine] capitalists [gunfire [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire [airplane engine] [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [airplane engine] [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire [airplane engine] [explosions] [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire by night it was on, hundreds of landbased planes. By night it went on, [gunfire [airplane engine] [explosions] [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [airplane engine] [explosions] they dove out of the dawn. [airplane engine] [gunfire [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [explosions] [airplane engine] okinawas [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire again, the old battleships were there, and new ships. And a rugged little man there was no retreat. This was the fleet that had to stay. [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [airplane engine] [gunfire had to stay because the men the navy landed needed tons of steel from navy guns. Even as we beat off fresh waves of jap planes overhead, the big guns of the fleet smashed enemy strongholds miles away. [explosions] music had to stay, because our men advancing had to have Close Air Support from the flat tops. In the air control room aboard the command ship, strike upon strike was ordered. music [explosions] [airplane engine] the navy and marine flyers lay down precise, deadly rocket fire to help make the next 50 yards of advance less costly. [airplane engine] [gunfire [gunfire [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [airplane engine] this was the fleet that had to stay because the stream of supplies to those troops must be steady. A bridge of ships was brought across the pacific to bring our men food, medicine, ammunition. And waiting at the end of the longest supply route in any war were the kamikazes. [explosions] [gunfire [airplane engine] [explosions] this was a fleet fighting like infantry, punching away at the enemy, only there were no foxholes in the ocean. [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire [airplane engine] [airplane engine] [explosions] [airplane engine] march 18 narrator narrator , 556 japanese planes destroyed. [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [airplane engine] [explosions] [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire [airplane engine] [explosions] men fought without sleep, some fought with guns, some with axes, torches, smothering fires. [airplane engine] [gunfire [explosions] [explosions] [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire it was two things at the same time. [airplane engine] [gunfire music many fell at their battle stations. And some were buried. [gunfire [airplane engine] [explosions] [explosions] [gunfire [explosions] music dont give up the ship became a fact of life. music [gunfire [gunfire [airplane engine] [gunfire [airplane engine] [gunfire [airplane engine] april 13 brought more planes, and shocking news. Between attacks, weary men on the boats and onshore paid honor to the beloved figure in the blue navy cloak, said farewell to the father of the modern american navy. music then they turned and met the next assault. During three fabulous months, thousands of aircraft were hurled against our ships. But only 10 ever slipped through our air patrol, yet the seige by air went on. April 6, 277 planes. April 12, 100 planes. May 3, 97. [airplane engine] [explosions] music in the early great hours of the morning watch in the morning came the news, ve day in europe. It came to the lookouts, the men who stand guard what others sleep. Men were glad, grateful, home see nearer, but for now ve day was simply the 1247th day of our work, from the rolling decks of our carriers, the fighters rose once again to meet the enemy. [airplane engine] [explosions] on the cruisers, destroyers, battleships, our heavy batteries once more leveled against the japs, the 20s, 40s sent streams of fiery lead. [gunfire [gunfire [explosions] may 12, 164 jap aircraft down. June 8, 30. [airplane engine] [gunfire [airplane engine] [gunfire [airplane engine] [explosions] [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire [airplane engine] [gunfire andrew [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [airplane engine] [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [airplane engine] [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [airplane engine] [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [airplane engine] [airplane engine] [explosions] [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire [airplane engine] [airplane engine] [airplane engine] [airplane engine] [explosions] [explosions] [explosions] [explosions] week after vicious week, the most devastating Airsea Battle of all time wore on. The japanese paid with their air force, with their newest ship, 4232 planes. [airplane engine] [gunfire [gunfire [gunfire [explosions] [explosions] [explosions] [airplane engine] [gunfire [explosions] the fleet that came to stay paid a price too, but our men, our ships, our planes took everything the land could throw at the sea, and handed it back double. The question, could a fleet stand up against the fury of landbased planes got an emphatic answer from the men who fight to live, from the fleet that came to stay. music music music 75 years ago on april 1, 1945, the u. S. Launched an invasion of okinawa, a 60milelong japanese ivan island stronghold 400 miles from their mainland. During this 82day long savage battle, 90,000 of 100,000 japanese troops were killed or committed suicide, and as many as 150,000 civilians may have died. About 12,000 americans were killed. Next, bulletin on the okinawa operation, filmed by u. S. Marine combat photographers, this report covers the first 50 days of the invasion, a second bulletin covers the final stages of the battle. music