Operation Iceberg: Campaigning in the Ryukyus

摘要

Operation ICEBERG, the campaign for the Ryukyus and the Keramas, was the largest naval campaign conducted in the Pacific theater during World War II. ICEBERG was one of five major amphibious operations that collectively represent the evolution of amphibious doctrine over the course of the war. Guadalcanal (8- 9 August 1942), Tarawa (20 November 1943), Leyte Gulf (24 October 1944), and Iwo Jima (19 February 1945), as precursors to the Ryukyus Campaign, are remembered as the major milestones enroute to final victory. (Arguably, the less studied Bougainville operation (1 November 1943) may be inserted into this sequence based on demonstrated advancements in the application of combined arms and logistics.), Focused on the largest of the Ryukyus (Okinawa), Operation ICEBERG was the final episode in the four-year long advance across the Pacific. The Ryukyus Campaign warrants continuing study for a number of reasons. Foremost, ICEBERG was a joint air, land, and sea campaign of unprecedented size and scope. Moreover, ICEBERG was the product of a continuous assessment of both strategic and operational variables, resulting in the fusion of resources previously dedicated to several subordinate campaigns. It is therefore an ideal model of campaign design. Of particular interest to students of operational art, ICEBERG provides the opportunity to examine a formidable and determined opponent's decision-making at both the operational and operational-tactical levels. Further, this campaign superbly illustrates the concept of operational vision as exercised by both U.S. and Japanese commanders and their respective staffs.