By: HISTORY.com Editors
On April 7, 1945, the Japanese battleship Yamato, one of the greatest battleships of its time, is sunk in Japan’s first major counteroffensive in the struggle for Okinawa.
Weighing 72,800 tons and outfitted with nine 18.1-inch guns, the battleship Yamato was Japan’s only hope of destroying the Allied fleet off the coast of Okinawa. But insufficient air cover and fuel cursed the endeavor as a suicide mission. Struck by 19 American aerial torpedoes, it was sunk, drowning 2,498 of its crew.
On April 1, 1945, Allied forces invade the island of Okinawa and engage the Japanese in the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War.
Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on April 7th
The post-World War II trials marked the first-ever prosecutions for genocide and crimes against humanity.
For centuries—and especially since World War II—countries have attempted to define the rules of war and determine punishment for violators.
Learn the backroom politics, courtroom dramas and moral debates.
A ragtag 'Hooligan’s Navy' defended America’s shores in WWII.
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