This fully illustrated study explains the British Pacific Fleet's campaign against the Japanese in the Sakishima Islands, as well as whether this campaign remains overshadowed by the Battle of Okinawa. The invasion of Okinawa was, famously, the culmination of the United States island campaign. Less well known is the fact that it was also the largest campaign of the British Pacific Fleet during the war against Japan, carried out by five naval transports over two months with a distinct objective.
The mission of the Fleet Air Arm in Okinawa was to suppress and destroy the Japanese airfields on the Sakishima Islands, which were used as bases for kamikaze attacks and to launch aircraft from Japan to Okinawa. In this book, naval expert Angus Constand offers a new research report on the Fleet Air Arm's aerial campaign in Sakishima. By 1945, the transports and their crews were well-prepared and ready to face demanding and significant targets.
It explains the capabilities of the Fleet Air Arm at the end of the Okinawa war and analyzes their effectiveness against Japan's still-dangerous air force. Famous, on Okinawa, the Royal Navy's armored transports proved to be much more resilient to kamikaze attacks compared to the wooden transports of the Americans. Filled with stunning original artwork, photographs, diagrams, and maps, this book is an exceptionally illustrated history of the Royal Navy's most extensive campaign.
