Big guns, brave men : mobile artillery observers and the battle for Okinawa / Rodney Earl Walton.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Walton, Rodney Earl.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Army. Artillery.

World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Japan--Okinawa Island.

World War, 1939-1945.

World War, 1939-1945--Artillery operations, American.

United States. Army. Artillery--History--20th century.

United States.

Artillerymen--United States--History--20th century.

Artillerymen.

History.

Physical Description:

xiv, 229 pages, 17 unnumbered pages of illustrations : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Annapolis, Maryland : Naval Institute Press, 2013.

Summary:

The ferocity of the Japanese counterattacks tested the Americans' resolve. Artillery radioman Moynihan and the infantrymen positioned in front of him withstood two banzai attacks or Kakazu, furious human-wave assaults by Japanese light infantrymen who rushed forward shouting, "Banzai!" in honor of their emperor. Private Moynihan was at the 2nd Battalion command post, located about 100 to 150 feet behind the infantry companies, but that did not protect him from Japanese attempts to retake the crest of the ridge and penetrate the draw. The Japanese troops typically did not expect to survive a banzai assault and pressed forward despite mortal wounds... "When they came over... they [already] had tourniquets on their legs, by their groin and they had tourniquets on their arms." Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Inventing the American Mobile Artillery Observer 23

Chapter 2 Prelude to Okinawa 33

Chapter 3 Easter Invasion 43

Chapter 4 Assault on Kakazu Ridge 53

Chapter 5 Daily Life 67

Chapter 6 April Battles 85

Chapter 7 Reducing the Shuri Line 97

Chapter 8 The Battle Ends 107

Chapter 9 Special Topics 125

Chapter 10 Aftermath 145.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781612511306

1612511309

OCLC:

813910311