Weaponized Landscapes: An Environmental History Of The Battle Of Okinawa And Its Aftermath

By the onset of the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, the Japanese had mastered the use of terrain as a defensive ally. The subject of the environment has gained increasing attention in the study of military history. Japan, being less industrialized than other nations at the time, increasingly relied on weaponized landscapes for the purpose of defense following the Battle of Saipan in 1944. By the onset of the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, the Japanese had mastered the use of terrain as a defensive ally. This thesis uses Okinawa as a case study to explore the environmental history of the Pacific theater. Through the use of interdisciplinary sources from biology, geology, and entomology, along with primary sources from the National Archives in College Park Maryland and the U.S. Army Heritage Education Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, this research will reveal the natural world’s role as an active combatant in the Battle of Okinawa. It will also highlight the post-war weaponization and militarization of landscapes in the Cold War period, blurring the line between wartime and peacetime military occupation.