Combat· World War II
Oroku Peninsula
The seizure of Oroku was the final opposed amphibious landing of World War II.
To outflank the Japanese naval forces holding the peninsula below Naha, the 6th Marine Division launched a shore-to-shore assault across the estuary on short notice, planning and mounting a division-level amphibious operation in barely a day and a half. The 4th Marines led across the beaches, with the 29th and 22d following, attaining complete surprise against Rear Admiral Ota's naval troops, who fought with great determination and were heavily armed with machine cannons stripped from wrecked aircraft, mines, coast guns, and spigot mortars. The battle was savage and lethal, fought through caves and minefields until Ota's force was overrun and the admiral took his own life. The Marines planned and executed the entire amphibious assault and the overland reduction that followed.
Podcast episodes on World War II
Record no. 848