The Battle of Okinawa began on April 1, 1945, when U.S. forces launched the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Codenamed Operation Iceberg, the invasion started with an intense naval bombardment followed by the landing of more than 180,000 troops from the U.S. Tenth Army on the western shores of Okinawa. Surprisingly, they encountered little initial resistance, as Japanese forces had strategically withdrawn to fortified positions in the island's southern hills, pr