In April 1945, the Battle of Okinawa became the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific campaign — and the most brutal. Thousands of Japanese kamikaze pilots launched suicidal attacks against the U.S. Navy fleet, determined to halt the American advance toward Japan. Armed with nothing but courage and a plane packed with explosives, these pilots dove straight into warships, destroyers, and carriers. U.S. sailors fought back with an endless wall of anti-aircraft fire — tracer rounds, flak bursts