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In early 1945, the American 5th Fleet steams into battle formation towards Japan.
After 3 ½ years of war, four huge task forces under control of Admiral Spruance
head to the island of Okinawa. On Easter Sunday, April 1st, the last great battle
of World War II begins as the American marines storm the beaches. Resistance is
light at first, but the well-trained Japanese defenders will force the battle to
rage on for 83 days. But Japan has one more surprise for the U.S. Navy. A secret
weapon, known as the Kamikaze pilot is readied to cause havoc on the entire Allied
armada. The Kamikaze pilot, whose only mission is to die in a blaze of glory as
they fly their planes and self into enemy warships. Japan raises the art of suicide
to a military tactic. On April 6th, 3,500 planes take off to their final destiny on
this Earth. The entire Allied fleet readies for this ferocious attack and the
Japanese pilots fly their planes into ships like the Bunker Hill, Enterprise,
Nevada, Idaho, New Mexico and Tennessee. It would be the greatest threat the
American Fleet had to endure during the entire war. Before the battle ends,
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dies as millions of people morn the leader’s
death. Back in Okinawa, memorial masses are performed in honor of the military’s
commander-in-chief. At the close of battle, 1 out of every 7 naval casualties in
the entire war was a result from this war’s last great battle. Of the 1,500 naval
ships involved in the campaign, 30 are sunk, 232 were damaged, including 8 carriers.
Fortunately, none of the carriers were lost. More than 3,500 enemy planes were
destroyed along with their pilots. It was the greatest suicide mission in history.
Thus the last battle of the war was perhaps one of the greatest victories ever.
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