Interview with author Joseph Wheelan--Bloody Okinawa

It was the last great land battle of WWII, the only one to take place on Japanese soil, and the ferocity of the Japanese defenders showed the American military leaders that the invasion of Japan's home islands would be even bloodier. The carnage on Okinawa was appalling, with over 120,000 civilians killed (mostly but their own hand, as Japanese propaganda had warned their citizens not to surrender under any circumstances).