HACKSAW RIDGE AND THE BLOODY BATTLE FOR OKINAWA

1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries Podcast

Jon Hagadorn

Society & Culture, History

4.4 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 30 August 2020

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This is the story of the bloody battle for Okinawa in 1945- the last stop before the invasion of the island of Japan, which continued to refuse to surrender even though Emperor Hirohito and the top military elite knew they had no chance of winning.The Japanese dug in with 140,000 army regulars and Okinawan conscripts and prepared for an all out suicide war using civilians as human shields. Over 1000 Kamikaze planes were turned loose on the fleet supporting the Okinawa invasion, and for 81 straight days the American forces on land and sea fought a hellish battle against an unyielding enemy. The Battle of Hacksaw Ridge and the role of conscientiousobjector Desmond Doss is an integral part of this story. NEW 1001 Ghost Stories & Tales of the Macabre is now playing at Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-ghost-stories-tales-of-the-macabre/id1516332327 NEW Enjoy 1001 Greatest Love Stories on Apple Devices here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-greatest-love-stories/id1485751552 Enjoy 1001 Greatest Love Stories on Android devices here: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=479022&refid=stpr. Get all of our shows at one website: www.1001storiespodcast.com CALLING ALL FANS.. REVIEWS NEEDED SUPPORT OUR SHOW BY BECOMING A PATRON! www.patreon.com/1001storiesnetwork. Its time I started asking for support! Thank you. Its a few dollars a month OR a one time. (Any amount is appreciated). YOUR REVIEWS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS AT APPLE/ITUNES AND ALL ANDROID HOSTS ARE NEEDED AND APPRECIATED! LINKS BELOW... Open these links to enjoy our shows! APPLE USERS Catch 1001 RADIO DAYS now at Apple iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-radio-days/id1405045413?mt=2 Catch 1001 Heroes on any Apple Device here (Free): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-heroes-legends-histories-mysteries-podcast/id956154836?mt=2 Catch 1001 CLASSIC SHORT STORIES at iTunes/apple Podcast App Now: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-classic-short-stories-tales/id1078098622 Catch 1001 Stories for the Road at iTunes/Apple Podcast now: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-stories-for-the-road/id1227478901 ANDROID USERS- 1001 Radio Days right here at Player.fm FREE: https://player.fm/series/1001-radio-days 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales:https://castbox.fm/channel/1001-Classic-Short-Stories-%26-Tales-id1323543?country=us 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries: https://castbox.fm/channel/1001-Heroes%2C-Legends%2C-Histories-%26-Mysteries-Podcast-id1323418?country=us 1001 Stories for the Road:https://castbox.fm/channel/1001-Stories-For-The-Road-id1324757?country=us Catch ALL of our shows at one place by going to www.1001storiesnetwork.com- our home website with Megaphone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Oh, Welcome back everyone to 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories and mysteries podcast.
0:33.0	This is your host, John Hagadorn.
0:35.1	And today, we bring you the true story of the Battle of Okinawa,
0:38.4	the last great Battle of World War II.
0:41.0	Code-named Operation Iceberg. It involved U.S. Army, Navy, and Marines and took a heavy toll on all three.
0:48.2	Okinawa has been called the Typhoon of steel for the number of Allied armored ships that took part in the battle.
0:54.3	A battle which is known for the atrocity and frequency of Japanese kamikaze attacks
0:59.0	and the number of casualties incurred. Over 140,000 lives lost along with hundreds of planes and dozens of ships.
1:07.0	Before we begin our narrative, I would like to share a little bit of the backstory to Japanese aggression and the nature of this battle because this battle, the Battle of Okinawa,
1:16.4	answers the question of why it was necessary to end the war by bombing Japan.
1:21.5	Okinawa was carnage on a grand scale, and there is no doubt that with mainland Japan being
1:26.5	the next stop and considering the level of resistance mounted by the Japanese, resistance
1:31.9	which included forcing native civilians and children as young as
1:34.9	13 into the fight, and using suicide tactics, Japan's home island would have suffered huge losses
1:41.4	before capitulating.
1:47.0	Japanese Emperor Hirohito, Prime Minister Tojo, and their minions would have sacrificed every man, woman, and child
1:51.5	in Japan in a fight they knew they could not win.
1:55.2	To make that point, on Okinawa, 1,780 middle school boys were organized by the Japanese
2:01.5	into frontline service while girls students were organized by the Japanese into front-line service while girl students were
2:04.0	organized into nursing units. These children the Japanese called
2:08.1	volunteers. When the Allied invasion took place all school students were forced into service.
2:14.8	Between the 21 male and female schools that were pressed into fighting, 2,000 students would end
	...

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