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Saipan Bombing
Bombartment of Saipan began on 13 June 1944. 15 battleships
were involved and 165,000 shells were fired. Seven modern fast battleships delivered 2,400 16inch shells. -
U.S Army Invades Saipan
The U.S Army invaded Saipan and wanted to get rid of Japanese forces in order for their bombers to reach Japan. The attack suprised Japanese high commander because they expeted the attack further south. The invasion began at 07:00. More than 300 LTV's landed 8,000 Marines on the West Coast of Saipan by about 09:00. -
27th Infantry Division
On June 16th, units of U.S Army 27th Infantry Division landed and advanced on the Aslito airfield. The Japanese counter-attacked later that night. -
Tricky Battle
On this day, the 27th Infantry Division moved between the Second and Fourth Marine divisions to conduct a three-division attack on Mount Tapotchau. This was ricky because the Americans were not used to terrain varying from flat cane fields to swamps and breakneck cliffs. -
Civilians
The U.S had erected a civilian encampment on 23rd June that soon had more than 1,000 inmates. Electric lights at the camp were left on overnight to attract other civilians with the promise of three warm meals and no risk of accidentally being shot in combat. -
July 6, 1944
After days of fighting, there are around 4,000 Japanese soldiers left. Later in the day, the 1st battalion of 105th Infantry advanced to a beach position in the Northern end of the Island. Lieutenant William J. Obrien was the commander of the Battalion. -
July 1944
By July the 7th the Japanese had nowhere to retreat. The Emperor made plans for a final suicidal banzai attack -
During the Night
At 8.00pm a Japanese soldier was caught and he told the Americans of the banzai attack the emperor had ordered -
Banzai Attack
At dawn 3000 Japanese soldiers attacked the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 105th U.S Infantry. Behind the Japanese soldiers, there were other wounded soldiers, with banged heads, crutches, and barely armed. -
The end of the battle
This day becamse the beginning of the end. The Imperial Japanese Army had spent the last of their man power in the Banzai charge. This is the chance the U.S had to "mop up" what was left. -
Saipan is Secured
By 4.15 on July 9th, Admiral Turner announced that Saipan was officialy secured. Vice-Admiral ChuiChi Nagumo, the naval commander who led the Japanese carriers at Pearl Harbor and Midway Atoll, who landed on Saipan to help the groung defense committed suicide. -
Committing Suicide
When the U.S reached the Northern end of Saipan, a lot of civilians including women and childern committed suicide by jumping over the cliffs. Some were pushed by Japanese soldiers and some died holding onto grenades in caves. -
Aftermath
After the Japanese were defeated in Saipan, there was a meeting of higher officials. They decided to remove the Emperor from the public eye so that he is not blamed for the war. Instead, they decided to blame Prime Minister Hideki Tojo(pictured). -
U.S Base in Saipan
After the Japanese were defeated, Saipan became an important base for further operations in the Marianas, and then the invasion of the Philippines in October 1944. Bombers based at Saipan attacked the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands, and Japan -
Sakae Oba
A group of Japanese soldiers, led by IJA captain Sakae Oba, held out in the mountains until December 1945. A total of 46 men laid down their arms when the final order to surrender reached them. That was three months after Japan had surrended to the U.S.
