The Battle of Okinawa would last 82 days, making it the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater. American casualties ran to more than 39,000 killed, wounded, or missing. Japanese deaths are estimated at over 110,000, with an additional roughly 11,000 captured. The civilian population of Okinawa suffered devastating losses. It was, by any measure, one of the most violent sustained battles in the history of American arms.
## The Maeda Escarpment
The Maeda Escarpment — the terrain that became known informally as Hacksaw Ridge because of its appearance — was a feature of the Okinawan landscape that presented the American advance with a specific tactical problem.
The escarpment was a coral ridge rising approximately 400 feet above the surrounding terrain near Urasoe-Mura in central Okinawa. Its top was a critical piece of ground; controlling it meant controlling the observation and fire that could support movement in the surrounding area. The Japanese had fortified it accordingly, with machine gun positions, mortar emplacements, and a network of tunnels and caves that allowed defenders to hold the high ground with considerable effectiveness.
The 1st Battalion of the 307th Infantry was tasked with taking the escarpment. Getting to the top required climbing the cliff face itself, using cargo nets and ropes that had been rigged for the ascent. Three men, including Doss, had volunteered to help hang those cargo nets to enable the climb — a detail that the 2016 film Hacksaw Ridge omitted.
On April 29, 1945, Company B, led by Lieutenant Goronto, assaulted the top of the escarpment. Doss reportedly asked the men to pray together before the attack. The company reached the summit, knocked out a number of Japanese positions, and suffered relatively few casualties that day. By one account, the company had an unusually successful initial assault, with the wounded limited to one man hurt by a falling rock.