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THE 6th MARINE DIVISION ON OKINAWA (1945)

1945 · Short film · 27 min

  • War
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Synopsis

Created in 1945, this documentary film shows the massive battle for the island of Okinawa, focusing on the activities of the American 6th Marine Division. The 6th Marine Division was formed in September 1944. During the invasion of Okinawa it saw combat at Yae-Take and Sugar Loaf Hill and was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation. The 6th Division had also prepared for the invasion of Japan before the war ended. After the war it served in Tsingtao, China where the division was disbanded on April 1, 1946, being the only Marine division to be formed and disbanded overseas and never set foot in the United States. The Division's initial objectives in the amphibious landing was the capture of Yontan Airfield while protecting the left (North) Flank.Despite a Japanese battalion in their zone the Division met only light resistance and by the 3rd day was approaching Iskhikawa, twelve days ahead of schedule. By 14 April, the division had swept all through the northern Ishikawa Isthmus – 55 miles from the original landings. The division's rapid advance continued until eventually they encountered prepared and dug-in defenders at Yae-Take, where the majority of the Udo Force was entrenched. The Udo Force, or Kunigami Detachment, under Colonel Takehiko Udo was built around the 2d Infantry Unit of the 44th Independent Mixed Brigade – reinforced by having absorbed both former sea-raiding suicide squadrons and remnants of the Battalion earlier destroyed by the 6th – was responsible for…

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Details

Running time
27 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films
Internet Archive item
20912OkinawaReel1

Subjects on the Internet Archive

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