As the largest and most important island in the archipelago known as the Nansei Shoto, which stretched almost 800 miles from Kyushu to Formosa, Okinawa sat at a strategic crossroads. It was roughly equidistant to Formosa, the coast of China, and Kyushu, and within an easy flight radius of them all. In Allied hands, Okinawa would provide a logistical backstop for the invasion of Japan, as well as ample terrain suitable for large airfields and harbors.
