During the Battle of Okinawa in the Pacific War, the bodies of Japanese soldiers who had been killed were lying face down in front of the trenches. During the Battle of Okinawa, both Japanese soldiers and Japanese residents were caught up in the fighting and killed.

      During the Battle of Okinawa in the Pacific War, the bodies of Japanese soldiers who had been killed were lying face down in front of the trenches. During the Battle of Okinawa, both Japanese soldiers and Japanese residents were caught up in the fighting and killed. Among them, there were many who were killed not only by the American military, but also by the Japanese military. The fighting was fierce, and at close range, the American and Japanese forces engaged each other on the slopes of many hills, and in caves, trenches, foxholes and pillboxes.

    In the fighting that continued until June 23, 1945, around 100,000 combatants and 200,000 civilians died. Boys and girls organized into groups such as the Tekketsu Kin'o-tai and Himeyuri Butai also became victims of the Battle of Okinawa. Approximately 800 Okinawan civilians were killed by the Japanese military for reasons such as being in the way of the fighting.

   Before the American invasion of Okinawa, the Japanese military constructed a complex system of strongholds in the southern part of the island. The defensive line, which stretched from east to west, crossed the length of the island. The defensive line, which was built on ridges, hills and cliffs, turned the terrain into a fortress. The US 10th Army, which had landed on the western side of Okinawa Island, pushed straight south towards the Japanese military headquarters in Shuri, penetrating the stronghold of the defensive network prepared by the Japanese military. One of the fiercest battles of the Pacific War was fought here.

   The US invasion was paid for in blood by the Japanese military, who were outnumbered and fighting a defensive battle in dug-in trenches. The Japanese terrain and fortifications proved to be a formidable obstacle for the American forces. The intense heat and incessant downpours throughout most of May 1945 hampered the American advance. The American 10th Army had only advanced a short distance in the seven weeks since the battle began. By the end of May, the rain had eased and the Japanese forces had been considerably weakened, and it took the Americans only four weeks to make the final 16km push to the southern tip of Okinawa Island.