This official U.S. Marine Corps photograph, captioned 'Marines working on Jap snipers in Naha City,' documents the house-to-house fighting that characterized the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Naha, the Okinawan capital, was almost completely destroyed by naval gunfire, aerial bombing, and ground combat as American forces advanced against determined Japanese resistance. Here, Marines can be seen moving cautiously through the skeletal remains of a reinforced-concrete building, its roof beams and wiring exposed, searching adjoining structures for concealed enemy riflemen. Photographs like this one were distributed by the Marine Corps as part of wartime press coverage of the Okinawa campaign, the last and costliest island battle of the Pacific War. Project: 218500