_Taking part in the prelanding bombardment of Okinawa was the_ Idaho
_(BB 42), blasting away at the island with her 14-inch guns at
preselected targets. As the troops landed, naval gunfire ships let
loose with rolling barrages which cleared the way._]
Now came the turn of the 2d Marine Division and the ships of the
Diversionary Force to decoy the Japanese with a feint landing
on the opposite coast. The ersatz amphibious force steamed into
position, launched amphibian tractors and Higgins boats, loaded them
conspicuously with combat-equipped Marines, then dispatched them
towards Minatoga Beach in seven waves. Paying careful attention to the
clock, the fourth wave commander crossed the line of departure exactly
at 0830, the time of the real H-Hour on the west coast. The LVTs and
boats then turned sharply away and returned to the transports, mission
accomplished.
There is little doubt that the diversionary landing (and a repeat
performance the following day) achieved its purpose. In fact, General
Ushijima retained major, front-line infantry and artillery units in the
Minatoga area for several weeks thereafter as a contingency against
a secondary landing he fully anticipated. The garrison also reported
to _IGHQ_ on L-Day morning that “enemy landing attempt on east coast
completely foiled with heavy losses to enemy.”
But the successful deception came at considerable cost. Japanese
_kamikazes_, convinced that this was the main landing, struck the small
force that same morning, seriously damaging the troopship _Hinsdale_
and _LST 844_. The 3d Battalion, 2d Marines, and the 2d Amphibian
Tractor Battalion suffered nearly 50 casualties; the two ships lost
an equal number of sailors. Ironically, the division expected to
have the least damage or casualties in the L-Day battle lost more
men than any other division in the Tenth Army that day. Complained
division Operations Officer Lieutenant Colonel Samuel G. Taxis: “We had
asked for air cover for the feint but were told the threat would be
‘incidental.’”
[Illustration: _A flotilla of LSM-Rs delivers final suppressive fires
before assault waves hit the beach. Upon impact, they churned up the
earth and caused considerable damage._
Photo by Capt Edward Steichen, USNR, in Marine Corps Historical
Center
]
On the southwest approaches, the main body experienced no such
interference. An extensive coral reef provided an offshore barrier
to the Hagushi beaches, but by 1945 reefs no longer posed a problem
to the landing force. Unlike Tarawa, where the reef dominated the
tactical development of the battle, General Buckner at Okinawa had more
than 1,400 LVTs to transport his assault echelons from ship to shore
without hesitation. These long lines of LVTs now extended nearly eight
miles as they churned across the line of departure on the heels of 360
armored LVT-As, whose turret-mounted, snub-nosed 75mm howitzers blasted
away at the beach as they advanced the final 4,000 yards. Behind the
LVTs came nearly 700 DUKWs, amphibious trucks, bearing the first of
the direct support artillery battalions. The horizon behind the DUKWs
seemed filled with lines of landing boats. These would pause at the
reef to marry with outward bound LVTs. Soldiers and Marines alike had
rehearsed transfer line operations exhaustively. There would be no
break in the assault’s momentum this day.
[Illustration:
Photo by Capt Edward Steichen, USNR, in Marine Corps Historical
Center
_Amphibious mastery at work: assault Marines in amphibian tractors
(LVTs) churn towards the beach on L-Day beneath the protective heavy
fire of a battleship._]
The mouth of the Bishi Gawa (River) marked the boundary between the
XXIV Corps and IIIAC along the Hagushi beaches. The Marines’ tactical
plan called for the two divisions to land abreast, the 1st on the
right, the 6th on the left. Each division in turn landed with two
regiments abreast. The assault regiments, from north to south, were the
22d, 4th, 7th, and 5th Marines. Reflecting years of practice, the first
assault wave touched down close to 0830, the designated H-Hour. The
Marines stormed out of their LVTs, swarmed over the berms and seawalls,
and entered the great unknown. The forcible invasion of Okinawa had
begun. Within the first hour the Tenth Army had put 16,000 combat
troops ashore.
[Illustration: LANDING PLAN--1 APRIL 1945