Anticipating an excessive commitment of resources to take and hold the island, American war planners abandon an invasion of Formosa and focus directly on the Japanese home islands. They set their sites first on Okinawa to serve as a forward base of attack. Japan, seeking time to build defenses, plans to sacrifice Okinawa by fighting to the last man to delay the Allied advance. The Japanese are well prepared with layered defenses forcing American troops to fight a series of difficult, costly battles while naval forces deal with large, organized kamikaze attacks.
