SGS Okinawa

SGS Okinawa is an operational strategy game about the Battle of Okinawa, fought between US Army and Marine Corps forces and the Imperial Japanese Army from 1 April to 22 June 1945. You can command either side in a battalion-scale campaign, managing units and playing cards to pursue different objectives. The battle lasted 82 days and began with the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater of World War II.

The battle

The Allies sought to secure Okinawa as a base for Operation Downfall, the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands, 340 miles (550 km) away. The battle, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was the bloodiest in the Pacific War. It caused approximately 160,000 military casualties: at least 50,000 Allied and 84,166–117,000 Japanese, including Okinawans drafted into Japanese uniforms. Local authorities report that at least 149,425 Okinawan people were killed, died by suicide or went missing, roughly half the estimated pre-war population of 300,000.

Command both sides

You can play as the Americans or the Japanese. Your forces include mobile infantry, tanks and aircraft, as well as fixed defenses such as bunkers, trenches, tunnels and mines. You receive cards each turn to support your strategy, and must balance your unit mix and use those cards to meet your objectives.

As the American commander, you aim to capture the island quickly and with limited losses. Your forces have strong equipment, air power and naval gunfire support, but face tight timelines and objectives, as well as Japanese traps and plans. As the Japanese commander, you aim to hold out until the end and inflict heavy casualties on the attackers. Japanese forces have few mobile troops, tanks, artillery or aircraft, but their fixed defenses are well organized and difficult to break. Their cards and events reflect their defensive strength and the island terrain.

The historical outcome is set: US forces eventually clear the island. Your challenge is to make the battle less costly than it was historically, whether you command the Americans or the Japanese.

Scenarios and turns

Scenarios cover different parts of the historical battle and tell different stories. They run for 20 to 40 turns, with each turn usually representing two days. Starting options can change the historical setup by adjusting troop numbers, replacements, air support or initial positions, allowing for different scenarios.

Air units generally represent the equivalent of carrier air groups: three squadrons for fleet carriers and one for light carriers. Fixed units such as bunkers, trenches and mines represent several assets or buildings.