This article, “Pacific Theatre Part 18: Okinawa & the Yamato,” by Lestrade, argues that the Battle of Okinawa was a staged event, a “PR flip,” designed to justify the use of nuclear weapons against Japan. The author contends that the battle was unnecessarily bloody and apocalyptic to create a narrative that the invasion of Japan would have been even worse, thereby making the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki appear as a necessary measure to save lives.
Lestrade dismisses the official accounts of the battle, questioning the authenticity of photographs and the logic of troop movements and engagements. He highlights discrepancies in historical records, suggesting that many battles and troop presences were exaggerated or fabricated by military intelligence, particularly focusing on the supposed operations on the Sakishima Islands and Kerama Islands. The author critically examines the role of key Japanese commanders and the Battleship Yamato, suggesting that the ship’s operational history and sinking were part of a fabricated narrative. He also scrutinizes the tactics employed by American forces, particularly Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.’s frontal assaults and the use of staged footage, including mannequins posing as corpses, in Netflix documentaries.
The article concludes that the true purpose of Okinawa was to create a bloody spectacle to serve as propaganda, supporting the narrative of a brutal war that necessitated the use of nuclear weapons. The author also touches upon the post-war US occupation of Okinawa and the storage of potentially fake nuclear weapons, further questioning official historical accounts.
Here is a list of subjects, names, references, locations, companies, etc. found in the text, marked with double square brackets:
The author argues that the Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a staged event designed to justify the use of nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He questions the necessity and scale of the battle, suggesting it was a “PR flip” to create a narrative that the invasion of Japan would have been worse.
Lestrade critiques official accounts, pointing to fabricated photographs and questionable troop movements. He focuses on the Sakishima Islands and Kerama Islands, suggesting operations there were invented. Key figures discussed include General Mitsuru Ushijima, Lt. General Isamu Cho, Hiromichi Yahara, and Admiral Minoru Ōta, whose suicides and actions are questioned. The author also dissects the history of the Battleship Yamato, suggesting its exploits and sinking were part of a fabricated narrative.
He scrutinizes American tactics, particularly Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.’s frontal assaults and the use of staged footage, including mannequins, in Netflix documentaries. The article implies that much of the conflict was a “controlled skirmish” with exaggerated casualty figures.
The text mentions United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces. It references information from Wikipedia and the Netflix series “World War 2 in Colour: Road to Victory.”
Locations mentioned include Okinawa, Kerama Islands, Kadena Air Base, Kyushu, Honshu, Times Square, Amami Islands, Kikaijima, Ōsumi Islands, Yakushima, Tanegashima, Tokunoshima, Sakishima Islands, Formosa (Taiwan), Luzon Straits, Ishigaki, Iriomote, Miyako, Ryukyu Islands, Zamami Island, Tokashiki, Shuri Castle, Wuhan, Nanjing (Nanking), Mabuni caves, Oroku Peninsula, Kavieng, Admiralty Islands, Truk, Hashirajima, Kure, Yokosuka, Lingga Islands, San Bernardino Strait, Sibuyan Sea, Samar, Brunei, East China Sea, Tokuyama, Bungo Channel, Kagoshima, Philippines, Leyte Gulf, Philippine Sea, Tarawa, Makin atolls, Wake Island, Okinawa Naval Base, Itoman, Chinen Peninsula, Iheyajima island, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, Maeda Escarpment, Hacksaw Ridge, Hedo Point, Motobu Peninsula, Mount Yaedake, Ie Shima (Iejima), Ie town, Yomitan, Zakimi Castle, Hija River, Chatan, Kadena area, Chibichiri Cave, Naha, Kiyan Peninsula, Oroku Peninsula, Hill 89, Kadena Airfield, Rangoon, Ishikawa Isthmus, Ibaru Ridge, Virginia Military Institute, West Point, Aleutian Islands, Manila, Hong Kong, vietnam, Agent Orange, Naha Airbase, USS Ticonderoga (CV-14), Pearl Harbor, Midway, Guadalcanal, Truk, Yokosuka, Kavieng, Admiralty Islands, Philippines, Leyte, Sibuyan Sea, Samar, Brunei, East China Sea, Tokuyama, Bungo Channel, Kagoshima, San Bernardino Strait, Kure, Hashirajima, Truk, Lingga Islands, East Indies, Okinawa Naval Base, Itoman, Oroku Peninsula, Kanto Plain, Chōshū clan, Boshin War, Meiji Restoration, Satsuma Domain.
Companies and entities: Pepsi (not in text, but a general example of entity type), Netflix, World War 2 in Colour: Road to Victory, ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence), Bitchute, YouTube, Royal Navy, British Pacific Fleet, Task Force 57, Imperial Japanese Army, Imperial Japanese Navy, US Navy, OSS (Office of Strategic Services), US Air Force, US Army, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Japanese Statistics Bureau, LA Times, Japan Broadcasting Corp., Yomiuri, Paul Allen.
Battleships and Naval Vessels: IJN Battleship Yamato, USS Mississippi, USS Gambier Bay, USS Ticonderoga (CV-14), MIM-14 Nike-Hercules, A-4 Skyhawk, USS Sealion, USS Skate, USS Flying Fish, HMS Indefatigable, USS Makin Island, Nagato, Kongō, Musashi, Yahagi, Asashimo, Hamakaze, Isokaze, Suzutsuki, Hatsushimo, Yukikaze, Fuyutsuki, Kasumi.
Other References: Star Blazers (anime referencing the Yamato), The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot, Operation Shō-Gō, Operation Ten-Go (Operation Heaven One, Ten-ichi-gō), Ace’s and eights, Raymond Spruance, Morton Deyo, Marc A. Mitscher, F6F Hellcat, F4U Corsair, TBM Avenger, FM-2 Wildcat, San Shiki (anti-aircraft shells), Agent Orange, Desmond Doss, Coyote Weeds, Ernie Pyle, Paige Cavanaugh, Robert E. Sherwood, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph B. Coolidge, Shigeru Makino, Admiral Perry, Theodore Roosevelt, President Theodore Roosevelt, Kennedy, Matome Ugaki, Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., Roy Geiger, Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr., Kōsaku Aruga, Admiral Kōsaku Aruga, Admiral Takeo Kurita, Admiral Soemu Toyoda, Masahide Ōta, Arthur MacArthur Jr..