| Okinawa |
| With Iwo Jima secured, a large base close to the home islands
was needed to press the attack, and Okinawa in the Ryukyus seemed ideal for
the part. To capture it with minimum losses, airfields in southern Japan
had to be pounded until they were incapable of launching effective airborne
opposition to the impending invasion. |
| Indianapolis, with the fast carrier force, departed Ulithi
14 March 1945, and proceeded toward the Japanese coast. On 18 March, from
a position 100 miles southeast of Kyushu, the flat-tops launched strikes
against airfields on the island, ships of the Japanese fleet in the harbors
of Kobe and Kure on southern Honshu. After locating the American Task Force
21 March, Japan sent 48 planes to attack the ships, but 24 planes from the
carriers intercepted the enemy aircraft some 60 miles away. At the end of
the battle, every one of the enemy planes was in the sea. |
| Preinvasion bombardment of Okinawa began 24 March and for 7 days,
Indianapolis poured 8-inch shells into the beach defenses. Meanwhile,
enemy aircraft repeatedly attacked the ships; Indianapolis shot down
six planes and assisted in splashing two others. |
