June 1944 marked a defining moment in World War 2, with two crucial operations taking
place simultaneously. While the US military was engaging in the vital Overlord operation
in France, the US Navy, Marines, and Army Air Corps were attempting an equally monumental
undertaking on the opposite side of the globe: Operation Forager.
The battle's objective was the Marianas Archipelago, primarily the island of Saipan,
which was a critical strategic point. If successful, the precious territories
would turn into a launching point for Allied aircraft right into Tokyo, the heart of Japan.
Consequently, the US military deployed hundreds of vessels,
aircraft and tens of thousands of troops to subdue the Japanese stronghold.
However, Japan was unwilling to give up the precious Archipelago without a fight.
In an explosive clash that some called the D-Day of the Pacific Theatre, the Americans fought
relentlessly in what was considered the most decisive battle of the offensive in the Pacific…
Aiming For Tokyo
The Mariana Islands were critical for two main reasons. First, the Archipelago was
the door to the Central Pacific and offered an unmatched position for the Pacific Fleet.
Dominating the air and sea communications with Japan's "Inner South Seas Empire," the Marianas
were key to striking Palau, the Philippines, Formosa, or China. In addition, the Army Air
Corps planned to acquire the strategic islands to establish air bases from which their brand-new
long-range bomber, the B-29 Stratofortress, could easily reach the Japanese home islands.
So, the US forces launched an attack on the Marianas, with the added benefit that,
should the Japanese Combined Fleet venture forth to support their garrisons on land,
a powerful US fleet would destroy it.
The 5th Fleet was commanded by Admiral Raymond Spruance, and it consisted of no less than 800
ships. The main fleet was accompanied by Task Force 58, with 12 fast aircraft carriers flying
800 aircraft and escorted by eight battleships and 80 other warships. Spruance's vessels transported
80,000 Marines and nearly 50,000 soldiers for a massive landing.
In turn, the Expeditionary Troops comprised three Marine Divisions, a reinforced Marine Brigade,
and two Army Infantry Divisions. The troops were divided into Northern and
Southern Troops and Landing Forces for the assaults on Saipan, Tinian, and Guam.
Despite their obvious superiority in numbers, US intelligence underestimated
the Japanese force on Saipan at 19,000 men. In fact, the Japanese defenders numbered
some 60,000 across the Archipelago, with about half stationed on Saipan.
Three-quarters of the troops were Army,
commanded by General Yoshitsugu Saito. The rest were Navy, commanded by Admiral Nagumo,
and were well fortified around Tanapag Harbor with heavy artillery, including a battery of
eight-inch guns and three airfields which had been destroyed by the 5th Fleet's fighters.
Operation Forager
With the enemy force more than a thousand miles away from the nearest US base, the landing in
Saipan represented the most remote and formidable target the Navy/Marine team had attempted.
On the early morning of June 15,
1944, a large fleet of US transport ships approached the southwest shores of Saipan.
To achieve their objective, the Navy would have to stretch its logistical capabilities to the
limit to support the largest amphibious operation yet mounted in the Pacific.
By 9:00am, Operation Forage was underway, thousands of Marines began riding toward
the beaches of Saipan in more than 300 amphibious landing vehicles.
Soon, the Allies ran into trouble. During pre-assault bombardments, battleships,
destroyers, and aircraft hit key targets. However,
dozens of gun emplacements missed the mark and were peppered along the beach cliffs.
As a result, many of the Marines headed straight into explosives,
chattering trees and destroying equipment. Persevering and despite finding heavy and
unexpected resistance, about 8,000 of them managed to reach the shore that first morning.
By the end of the first day, about 20,000 troops
had successfully established a beachhead on Saipan, albeit not without losses.
The next morning, these troops were joined by Army reinforcements, and all began pushing inland.
The Advance
The invasion surprised the Japanese high command, as leaders had been expecting an
attack from the south. In turn, Admiral Shigetarō Shimada, Commander-in-Chief of
the Imperial Japanese Navy, ordered an attack on the United States Navy forces around the area.
However, during this Battle of the Philippine Sea, from June 19 to 20,
the Imperial Navy lost three aircraft carriers and hundreds of planes in an embarrassing defeat.
Without any way to resupply, General Yoshitsugu Saito knew the Battle was
hopeless for the defenders, but he was determined that the Japanese,
like always, would fight to the very last man.
Changing strategies, General Saito retreated his troops into Mount Tapochau.
At 1,555 feet of elevation, Mount Tapochau was the highest point on the island of Saipan,
offering a 360-degree view of the island.
By the time the Americans neared Tapochau,
the area was bordered by a ridge where heavily armed Japanese soldiers,
protected by the mountainous terrain, fired directly down on the approaching Americans.
From the middle to the end of June, the United States forces engaged in a massive
battle against the Japanese, leading the Marines to dub the ridge Purple Heart Ridge,
or Death Valley, for the many American casualties sustained there.
In intensive combat, fighting their way through rugged jungle terrain,
United States forces gradually drove the Japanese defense from their nearly
impregnable position in the heights. As the Battle raged, a contingent of
troops assaulted Japanese positions by moving across a large and much more exposed valley.
The Final Wave
When the Marines finally won control of Mount Tapochau, the Japanese were forced
to retreat further north, marking the turning point in the Battle of Saipan.
By early July, trapped by American land, sea and air power, the Japanese had nowhere else to go.
General Saito ordered a final banzai charge,
not making any distinction between civilians and troops.
Realizing he could no longer hold out against the Americans, the General took his own life.
At dawn on July 7, with a dozen men carrying a red flag in the lead, about 4,000 men charged in one
final attack for the Battle of Saipan. Shouting "Banzai!" the men charged with grenades, bayonets,
swords, and knives against an encampment of soldiers and Marines near Tanapag Harbor.
Behind these remaining able-bodied troops came the wounded,
with bandaged heads, crutches, and barely armed.
Together, the Japanese surged over the American front lines wave after wave,
engaging both Army and Marine units, marking the largest Japanese Banzai charge in the Pacific War.
Engaging in hand-to-hand combat and wounding hundreds of Americans,
the Japanese forces were repelled by howitzers and point-blank machine-gun fire.
When the dust had settled, on July 9, Admiral Turner announced that Saipan was
officially secured, and US forces raised the American flag in victory over Saipan.
Our War
The Battle for Saipan cost the United States 16,525 casualties, including 3,426 lives lost,
while the Japanese losses amounted to 29,000 men. However, the struggle was worth the pain;
it provided the first B-29 base in the Pacific.
As the Pacific War raged on, with a bold offensive against Guam and Tinian,
the Allied forces emerged victorious in a matter of weeks, securing all three islands by August.
Even before the ground fighting was over, the skilled and dedicated Seabees wasted no time
to start constructing airfields capable of handling the massive B-29 bombers.
The expert builders had created five major airfields across the islands,
each capable of accommodating up to 180 warplanes with remarkable speed.
The bases proved a game-changer. At last, the Allies could launch massive bombing
raids on Japan itself. The first B-29s arrived on Saipan on October 12, 1944,
with the first combat mission two weeks later.
The 73rd Bomb Wing made history, launching the first-ever mission against Tokyo from
the Marianas on November 24, 1944, with 111 B-29s raining destruction down on the enemy.
It was a truly historic moment, marking the first attack on Japan's capital since
the legendary Doolittle Raid more than two years earlier.
Having secured the skies over the Pacific, victory was all but assured,
as a Japanese Admiral lamented: [QUOTE] "Our war was lost with the loss of Saipan."
But not all of his men had given up the fight.
The Fox
When all seemed lost, a band of Japanese soldiers and their fearless captain,
Sakae Ōba, refused to yield to the enemy. Though vastly outnumbered, they retreated
deep into the island's dense jungle, leading a valiant resistance against their pursuers.
Despite the Americans' relentless efforts to capture them, Ōba and his men emerged
time and time again, unleashing their guerrilla tactics with unyielding fury,
ambushing enemy patrols and raiding their supplies.
In the face of overwhelming odds, Ōba remained steadfast in his mission to protect the innocent
civilians while never losing sight of his ultimate goal: to continue the fight against their foes.
Their bravery and cunning were such that even when the Americans were practically upon them,
the fox-like Ōba and his band of warriors managed to evade their notice,
hidden in plain sight mere feet above their heads.
Their heroic stand lasted sixteen long months, a testament to their indomitable spirit.
Finally, on the first day of December 1945, they emerged from the shadows,
their heads held high in surrender. The U.S. Marines bestowed upon Ōba the fitting
nickname of "The Fox," a symbol of his cunning and bravery that would forever be etched in history.
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