Editing Shuri Castle (section)

===World War II===
{{See also|Battle of Okinawa}}
During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army had set up its headquarters in the castle underground, and by early 1945 had established complex lines of defense and communications in the regions around Shuri, and across the southern part of the island as a whole. The Japanese defenses, centered on Shuri Castle, held off the massive American assault from 1 April through the month of May 1945. Beginning on 25 May, and as the final part of the Okinawa campaign, the American battleship ''[[USS Mississippi (BB-41)|Mississippi]]'' shelled it for three days<ref>Kerr, George. ''Okinawa: The History of an Island People''. Revised Edition. Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2000. p. 470.</ref><ref name="wonder-okinawa.jp">{{cite web|url=http://www.wonder-okinawa.jp/001/002-e/004_03.html |title=The Ordeals of Shuri Castle |publisher=Wonder-okinawa.jp |date=August 15, 1945 |access-date=April 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704145457/http://www.wonder-okinawa.jp/001/002-e/004_03.html |archive-date=July 4, 2009 |df=mdy }}</ref> and by 27 May it was ablaze.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wonder-okinawa.jp/001/002-e/004_03.html |title=The Ordeals of Shuri Castle |access-date=2010-04-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704145457/http://www.wonder-okinawa.jp/001/002-e/004_03.html |archive-date=2009-07-04 }}</ref> The Japanese retreated during the night, abandoning Shuri, while the US forces continued to pursue them south. US Marine and Army units secured the castle against little resistance.<ref name="wonder-okinawa.jp" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/wapa/indepth/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003135-00/sec5a.htm |title=The Final Campaign: Marines in the Victory on Okinawa (Assault on Shuri) |publisher=Nps.gov |access-date=April 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100415060912/http://www.nps.gov/archive/wapa/indepth/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003135-00/sec5a.htm |archive-date=April 15, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> On 29 May, Maj.&nbsp;Gen. [[Pedro del Valle]]—commanding the [[1st Marine Division]]—ordered Captain Julian D. Dusenbury of Company A, [[1st Battalion 5th Marines|1st Battalion]], [[5th Marine Regiment (United States)|5th Marines]] to capture the castle, which represented both strategic and psychological blows for the Japanese and was a milestone in the campaign.<ref name="valor.militarytimes.com">{{Cite web|url=http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=7742|title=Valor awards for Julian D. Dusenbury|website=valor.militarytimes.com|access-date=2016-06-22}}</ref>