Ushijima used his few days of unhindered preparation to amass his troops on the Yuza-Dak and Yaeju-Dake escarpments. His approximate troop strength of 11,000 men were ordered to fight to the end. Five different divisions of American forces converged on the south end of the island.
On June 17, the once proud 32nd Army on Okinawa was defeated. The remaining Japanese forces either surrendered, fought to the death, or committed suicide. The remainder of June saw the tracking down of any remaining forces ending all resistance. Gerneral Buckner � the American leader Japanese command recognized as instrumental in their defeat, died from an explosion causing a piece of coral to strike him. General Ushijima and Lt. Gen. Cho committed Seppuku (ritual disembowelment) rather than face surrender.
By June 21, the Okinawan land campaign was over and the last air attack on American ships occurred June 21-22. American casualties tallied 49,151 with 12,520 killed, the largest loss of any Pacific campaign. The Japanese casualties were much higher, losing 110,000 men, with 7,400 taken prisoner. By far their biggest loss was the control of Okinawa as now the Americans could begin the establishment of a massive forward base in preparation for the invasion of Japan.
The Last Battle, p 429
The Last Battle, p. 444