--- description: The battle was over on June 22, 1945 title: World War II Battle of Okinawa: How It Ended image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71982609e1e96ce0/6988542e35ba6f84cdc0db6b/okinawa.jpeg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [conflict](/tag/conflict/) ## conflict Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Gory Way Japanese Generals Ended Their Battle on Okinawa  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Jun 22, 2015 11:00 AM CUT  Soldiers of US 10th Army march inland after securing beachheads following the last amphibious assault landings of WWII as vessels from the Allied fleet patrol the waters off of Okinawa, Japan, April 1945. Soldiers of US 10th Army march inland after securing beachheads following the last amphibious assault landings of WWII as vessels from the Allied fleet patrol the waters off of Okinawa, Japan, April 1945.J. R. Eyerman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Jun 22, 2015 11:00 AM CUT When the World War II battle over the Japanese island of Okinawa officially ended 70 years ago today, on June 22, 1945, it had secured its place as the bloodiest clash in the Central and Western Pacific fronts. TIME’s initial estimate a few days later was that more than 98,000 Japanese people had been killed and nearly 7,000 Americans were dead or missing. Two men were not among that haunting count. It wasn’t until weeks later, in its July 9 issue, that TIME [reported](http://time.com/vault/issue/1945-07-09/page/27/ "undefined") on what happened to Lieut. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima and Lieut. Gen. Isamu Cho, based on the tale told by the soldier who cooked their last meal: --- > “” --- As for the American forces, the battle closed in a much gentler fashion: to symbolize that the U.S. had conquered the island all the way to its farthest tip, Corporal John C. Corbett of the 8th Marines stood on a cliff and tossed a stone into the ocean. **_Read more, from 1945, here in the TIME Vault:_** [End on Okinawa](http://time.com/vault/issue/1945-07-02/page/31/ "undefined") ### Behind the Picture: Joe Demler, WWII's 'Human Skeleton'  American Pvt. Joe Demler, photographed on the day that the notorious prison camp, Stalag 12-A in Limburg, Germany, was liberated by Allied troops, spring 1945. John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Unidentified American prisoner in Stalag 12-A, Limburg, Germany, 1945. John Florea—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Joe Demler at the New York Historical Society on May 22, 2013.) Ben Gabbe/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3918248/okinawa-ended-1945-history/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3918248/okinawa-ended-1945-history/"},"headline":"The Gory Way Japanese Generals Ended Their Battle on Okinawa","datePublished":"2015-06-22T11:00:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:03:05.718Z","description":"'The Generals opened their blouses, unbuckled their belts'","url":"https://time.com/3918248/okinawa-ended-1945-history/","keywords":["conflict","Military","Japan","World War II","WWII"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71982609e1e96ce0/6988542e35ba6f84cdc0db6b/okinawa.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71982609e1e96ce0/6988542e35ba6f84cdc0db6b/okinawa.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Landing On Okinawa","caption":"Landing On Okinawa","creditText":"J. 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