{"title":"Western Okinawa Beaches (Attack Order A405-45)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe main assault on Okinawa began at the Hagushi beaches on Easter Sunday, 1 April 1945. Rear Admiral L. F. Reifsnider’s Attack Order A405-45, dated 8 March, set out the Northern Attack Force’s part in landing Marines, equipment and supplies for Operation Iceberg. These top secret “Western Okinawa Beaches” sketches formed Section F of an appendix to that much larger order. We have four consecutive sheets, numbered 1–4 of six, following the western coast from the northern flank through the Marine landing beaches to the Army sector beyond the Bishi River.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe maps put the coastline in the hands of men who had yet to see it. Each front combines a 1:10,000 plan, with assessed Japanese guns, trenches and pillboxes overprinted in red, an oblique view from the offshore line of departure, and a running shoreline profile. The reverse supplies aerial reconnaissance photographs with the relevant beaches boxed, alongside April 1945 tide and moonlight tables. Reefs, rocky stretches, caves and Okinawan tombs mattered as much as roads and airfields when choosing where men and landing craft could come ashore.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSheet 1 — Black Beaches 1–6:\u003c\/strong\u003e Around Uza, Tokeshi and Takashippo, these lay north of the main 1 April assault frontage. The front shows the broken shore in profile, including rocks, caves and tombs, and a flag key for marking beaches by day and night; the back identifies the Black beaches in aerial photographs. After Marines reached nearby Zampa Misaki on 2 April, the beaches were judged unsuitable for the unloading role envisaged for them.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSheet 2 — Green Beaches 1–2:\u003c\/strong\u003e Here the 22nd Marines of the 6th Marine Division landed beside Yontan Airfield. Its concrete structures appear on the plan amid red defensive markings and clusters of tombs that might serve as strongpoints. The neighbouring 4th Marines took the airfield on the first day. Green 1 and 2 are boxed in the photographs on the back, while the front also gives day and night beach-flag signals.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSheet 3 — Red, Blue and Yellow:\u003c\/strong\u003e Around Sobe, the 4th Marines were assigned Red 1–3, the 7th Marines Blue 1–2 and the 5th Marines Yellow 1. The plan marks anticipated gun positions and trenches and a line of obstacles along the reef. Its back photographs the Red and Blue beaches. The group is reported to have come from an officer of USS \u003cem\u003eDade\u003c\/em\u003e, which landed Marines and cargo on Blue Beach.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSheet 4 — Yellow, Purple and Orange:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yellow 1–3 carried the 5th Marines; across the Bishi River, the 17th and 32nd Infantry of the Army’s 7th Division landed on Purple and Orange beaches. The front plots Kadena Airfield and dense defensive markings around Kadena, Toguchi and Hiza. Kadena was taken that day, and the Hagushi river mouth became a major unloading point. The back photographs the Yellow and Purple beaches.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite the formidable defences anticipated in the sketches, the first waves met little resistance at the water’s edge. Both Yontan and Kadena airfields fell on 1 April; the principal Japanese defence lay farther inland to the south, where the battle became prolonged and costly.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"western-okinawa-beaches-green-yontan-top-secret-us-navy-assault-map-1945-p-8-007087","title":"Western Okinawa Beaches—Green \u0026 Yontan—Top Secret US Navy assault map 1945","description":"\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e'Western Okinawa Beaches—Top Secret—Sheet 2 of 6— Green 1 \u0026amp; 2'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eYontan Airfield, captured by the Marines on the first day of the invasion, dominates this TOP SECRET US Navy map, issued with the attack order of Rear Admiral Reifsnider's Amphibious Group Four, the Northern Attack Force. Sheet 2 of 6 covers Green Beaches 1 and 2, where the 22nd Marines of the 6th Marine Division came ashore on Easter Sunday, 1 April 1945, while the neighbouring 4th Marines seized the airfield. The airfield's concrete structures appear at upper right, with Japanese gun positions and trenches overprinted in red among clusters of tombs that could serve as strongpoints. Each beach is shown three ways: a 1:10,000 plan, an oblique sketch as seen from the line of departure, and a running shoreline profile. A flag key explains how the beaches were to be marked by day and night. The reverse carries aerial reconnaissance photographs with Green 1 and 2 boxed, and tide and moonlight tables for April 1945.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Antiquemapsandprints.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54181506482523,"sku":"P-8-007087","price":1000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0923\/9583\/1643\/files\/P-8-007087a.jpg?v=1790272642"},{"product_id":"western-okinawa-beaches-black-uza-tokeshi-top-secret-us-navy-assault-map-1945-p-8-007086","title":"Western Okinawa Beaches—Black, Uza \u0026 Tokeshi—Top Secret US Navy assault map 1945","description":"\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e'Western Okinawa Beaches—Top Secret—Sheet 1 of 6— Black 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 \u0026amp; 6'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis TOP SECRET invasion map was issued with the attack order of Rear Admiral Reifsnider's Amphibious Group Four, the Northern Attack Force that landed the Marines on Okinawa on 1 April 1945. Sheet 1 of 6, it covers Black Beaches 1 to 6 around Uza, Tokeshi and Takashippo, at the northern end of the invasion coast. Each beach is analysed three ways: a plan at 1:10,000 overprinted in red with Japanese gun positions, trenches and pillboxes, an oblique sketch of the shore as seen from the line of departure, and a running profile of rocks, caves and tombs. A flag key shows how beaches were to be marked by day and night. The Black beaches lay outside the main assault frontage; after Marines cleared nearby Zampa Misaki on 2 April they were found unsuitable for unloading. The reverse carries aerial reconnaissance photographs with each beach boxed, and tide and moonlight tables for April 1945.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Antiquemapsandprints.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54181506515291,"sku":"P-8-007086","price":680.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0923\/9583\/1643\/files\/P-8-007086a.jpg?v=1790272644"},{"product_id":"western-okinawa-beaches-red-blue-yellow-sobe-top-secret-us-navy-assault-map-1945-p-8-007088","title":"Western Okinawa Beaches—Red\/Blue\/Yellow—Sobe—Top Secret US Navy assault map 1945","description":"\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e'Western Okinawa Beaches—Top Secret—Sheet 3 of 6— Red 1, 2 \u0026amp; 3; Blue 1 \u0026amp; 2; Yellow 1'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe heart of the Okinawa landings appears on this TOP SECRET US Navy map: Red, Blue and Yellow beaches around Sobe, where the 4th, 7th and 5th Marines were assigned to land on 1 April 1945. Issued with the attack order of Rear Admiral Reifsnider's Amphibious Group Four, the Northern Attack Force, sheet 3 of 6 shows the defences planners expected: gun positions and trenches overprinted in red, and a line of obstacles strung along the reef. In the event, initial resistance was light, as Japan's main defence lay inland to the south. Each beach is shown in plan at 1:10,000, as an oblique sketch from the line of departure and in shoreline profile. The reverse carries boxed reconnaissance photographs of Red and Blue beaches, with tide and moonlight tables for April 1945. The group reportedly came from an officer of USS Dade, which landed Marines at Blue Beach.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Antiquemapsandprints.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54181506580827,"sku":"P-8-007088","price":1220.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0923\/9583\/1643\/files\/P-8-007088a.jpg?v=1790272642"},{"product_id":"western-okinawa-beaches-kadena-yellow-purple-orange-top-secret-us-navy-map-1945-p-8-007089","title":"Western Okinawa Beaches—Kadena, Yellow\/Purple\/Orange—Top Secret US Navy map 1945","description":"\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e'Western Okinawa Beaches—Top Secret—Sheet 4 of 6— Yellow 1, 2 \u0026amp; 3; Purple 1 \u0026amp; 2; Orange 1'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eKadena Airfield and the mouth of the Bishi River, the dividing line between the Marine and Army assault forces, anchor this TOP SECRET US Navy invasion map of Okinawa. Sheet 4 of 6 covers Yellow Beaches 1 to 3, assigned to the 5th Marines, and Purple and Orange beaches, where the 17th and 32nd Infantry of the Army's 7th Division landed on 1 April 1945 and took Kadena the same day. Issued with the attack order of Rear Admiral Reifsnider's Amphibious Group Four, it overprints in red a dense web of gun positions, trenches and pillboxes around Kadena, Toguchi and Hiza. The river mouth at Hagushi became the main unloading point for the whole invasion. Each beach is shown in plan at 1:10,000, as an oblique sketch from the line of departure and in shoreline profile. The reverse carries boxed reconnaissance photographs of Yellow and Purple beaches, with tide and moonlight tables for April 1945.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Antiquemapsandprints.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54181506646363,"sku":"P-8-007089","price":1120.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0923\/9583\/1643\/files\/P-8-007089a.jpg?v=1790272644"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.antiquemapsandprints.com\/fr\/collections\/western-okinawa-beaches-attack-order-a405-45.oembed","provider":"Antiquemapsandprints.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}