6th Marine Division on Okinawa
The 6th Marine Division on Okinawa is a 1945 Kodachrome color documentary film produced about the action of the 6th Division during the Battle of Okinawa. The film was released shortly after the event.
| To The Shores of Iwo Jima | |
|---|---|
| Produced by | United States Marine Corps |
Release date |
|
Running time | 47 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film begins by outlining the strategic and psychological importance of Okinawa, including its use as a supply base for Japanese forces in Malaya, the Marianas and the Philippines, as well as a "choke hold" over China. It also informs the audience that Okinawa is an actual part of the Japanese homeland, only a few hundred miles south of Kyushu.
The movements of the units and their order of battle is carefully traced, from the landings on April 1 to the assault on Naha. Some interesting footage is also shown on life in northern Okinawa soon after liberation, with the locals setting up a democratic government under the US military and opening up schools while battle is raging in the south.
Some of the footage includes the use of flame-throwing tanks and close air support in an attempt to dislodge heavily dug-in Japanese defenders. The film ends with a eulogy for all those who died attempting to secure the island, as Marines visit a gigantic graveyard prior to departing for their next objective.
References
External links
- 6th Marine Division on Okinawa at IMDb
- 6th Marine Division on Okinawa is available for free download at the Internet Archive