The Battle of Okinawa was the final land battle between the US forces and the Imperial Japanese Army in the Asia-Pacific War. Active combat extended over three months, claiming the lives of over a quarter of the Okinawan population. Over the past decades, those who witnessed the battle began to come to terms with this traumatic event and an impulse to share their stories grew. This dissertation will engage with and analyse these eyewitness accounts in order to develop a broader perspective of how the war and the structures that led to this disastrous battle were perceived by those that experienced them.
