The Battle of Okinawa

The Battle of Okinawa (1971) is a war, history film directed by Kihachi Okamoto rated 7.8/10.

The Americans are swiftly closing on Okinawa, an island just south of the Japanese mainland. The Imperial command sends top generals and several army divisions to defend it at all costs. The mission quickly degenerates as vital resources and troops are diverted to other islands. After a civilian evacuation ends in tragedy most of non-combatants are forced to remain on the island. Many convert to soldier status. Tokyo sends mixed messages that squander time and resources, as when they order the defenders to build an airstrip for aircraft that never come. The truth soon becomes obvious: the high command decides that the island cannot be held and effectively abandons the Okinawan defenders. When the Americans land many troops are deployed in the wrong places. As the slaughter mounts, a suicidal attitude takes hold. Okinawa becomes a death trap, for civilian volunteers and non-combatants as well.

Cast

Keiju Kobayashi

General Ushijima

Yūzō Kayama

Tetsuro Tamba

Lieutenant General Isamu Cho

Tatsuya Nakadai

Colonel Hiromichi Yahara

Mayumi Ozora

Kenji Sahara

Katsuhiko Sasaki

Communications Officer Miyake

Hideyo Amamoto

Okinawa Regional Officer

Ryō Ikebe

Rear Admiral Ota

Ichirō Nakatani

Chief of Staff Ueno

Gorō Mutsumi

Kamatari Fujiwara