Organization of Japanese defensive units in Okinawa prior to the American invasion.

The defense of Okinawa Island

Okinawa Island

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, and is home to Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. The island has an area of...

 was weakened when the 9th Division was
transferred to Taiwan. Ground forces on the island ended up with only the 24th and 62nd Divisions and the 44th Independent Mixed Brigade as the core of the Thirty-second Army commanded by Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima

Mitsuru Ushijima

- Notes :...

Commander of Okinawan defensive forces

• Mitsuru Ushijima
  Mitsuru Ushijima
  - Notes :...
  
   - Commander of Japanese Army forces in Okinawa
• Isamu Cho
  Isamu Cho
  - Notes :...
  
   - Sub Commander of Japanese Army forces in Okinawa

Deployable land units

• Thirty-second Army - Mitsuru Ushijima
  Mitsuru Ushijima
  - Notes :...
  
  
• 24th Division - Tatsumi Amamiya
• 62nd Division - Takeo Fujioka
• Keiichi Arikawa: Commanding Officer Infantry Group 62nd Division,Okinawa
• Kunisaki Detachment
• 44th Independent Mixed Brigade
• 9th Division (transferred to Taiwan)
• 27th Tank Regiment - Lieut. Colonel Murakami

Japanese Army

For the Okinawa campaign, the Army planned to commit a total of 970
planes:

• Homeland (Kyushu, Shikoku)
  • Sixth Air Army—220
  • Tokko units—300

• Taiwan Area:
  • 8th Air Division—200
  • Tokko units—250

Japanese Special Forces in Okinawa

Later elements of the Giretsu (Heroic) Airborne Unit were dropped upon North and Central Airfields, engaged in hand-to-hand fighting, and for a time seized control of both strips.