Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
1950
THE COVER OF THIS NARRATIVE shows Marines pitching grenades at the entrenched foe. One grenade is in the air, another is smoking and ready to go.
Principal Ground Events
Battle of Saipan
| Chapter | Page | ||
| 1. | Plans and Preparations | 1 | |
| Strategic Situation | 1 | ||
| Historical Background | 2 | ||
| Saipan | 3 | ||
| Japanese Defenses | 8 | ||
| Japanese Organization | 10 | ||
| High-Level Planning | 13 | ||
| Casablanca Conference | 13 | ||
| Washington and Quebec Conferences | 15 | ||
| Cairo Conferences | 17 | ||
| Campaign Plan GRANITE | 18 | ||
| JCS Directive of 12 March | 20 | ||
| Command Relations | 22 | ||
| Logistics and Administration | 23 | ||
| Intelligence Information | 25 | ||
| Tactical Plans | 27 | ||
| Training and Rehearsal | 30 | ||
| Movement to the Objective | 34 | ||
| Naval Gunfire and Air Bombardment | 35 | ||
| Related Covering Actions | 43 | ||
| Final Approach of the Northern Attack Force | 43 | ||
| 2. | D-day--15 June 1944 | 45 | |
| Pre-H-Hour Preparations | 45 | ||
| Tanapag Demonstration | 47 | ||
| The Landing | 48 | ||
| RED Beach Action | 51 | ||
| GREEN Beach and Afetna Point | 54 | ||
| YELLOW Beach and Agingan Point | 55 | ||
| BLUE Beach and Charan Kanoa | 58 | ||
| 4th Division Tanks Land | 60 | ||
| 14th Marines Land | 62 | ||
| General Schmidt's Command Post | 64 | ||
| 2d Division Tanks | 64 | ||
| Minor Enemy Tank Thrusts | 65 | ||
| 10th Marines' 75mm Pack Howitzers Land | 66 | ||
| 2d and 24th Marines Land | 66 | ||
| Darkness D-Day | 67 | ||
| A Noisy and Restless Night | 71 | ||
| Reports--Impending Naval Action | 74 | ||
| 3. | Expansion of the Beachhead | 77 | |
| D-plus 1--16 June | 77 | ||
| Spruance's Decisions | 77 | ||
| 6th Marines Consolidate; 8th Captures Afetna Point | 79 | ||
| Remainder of 2d Marines Lands | 80 | ||
| Artillery Build-Up | 81 | ||
| The Push to O-1 | 81 | ||
| 27th Division Begins to Land | 84 | ||
| Night of 16-17 June--Tank Counterattack | 86 | ||
| D-plus 2--17 June | 92 | ||
| Through Susupe's Marshes | 92 | ||
| The Move to Aslito Airfield | 94 | ||
| More Corps Troops Ashore | 96 | ||
| Night of 17-18 June | 99 | ||
| Japanese Air Strikes | 100 | ||
| D-plus 3--18 June | 101 | ||
| Into the Coconut Grove | 102 | ||
| Drive to the East | 102 | ||
| Seizure of Aslito Airfield | 104 | ||
| Japanese Air Activity | 106 | ||
| Night of 18-19 June | 107 | ||
| D-plus 4--19 June | 107 | ||
| The Approach to Nafutan Point | 107 | ||
| The 4th Division Left Progresses | 108 | ||
| Active Patrolling | 108 | ||
| Artillery Situation | 109 | ||
| Rear Installations | 110 | ||
| Night of 19-20 June | 110 | ||
| Battle of the Philippine Sea | 112 | ||
| D-plus 5--20 June | 113 | ||
| Surge to O-4 | 114 | ||
| The Capture of Hill 500 | 114 | ||
| Securing the Cliff | 115 | ||
| Punches at the Point | 117 | ||
| Night of 20-21 June | 120 | ||
| D-plus 6--21 June | 120 | ||
| The Pause Before the Northern Push | 120 | ||
| Searching the Swamp | 121 | ||
| ". . .Hold Present Front Lines. . ." | 121 | ||
| Night of 21-22 June | 123 | ||
| Summary of Medical Activities to Date | 124 | ||
| 4. | Drive to the North | 126 | |
| D-plus 7--22 June | 126 | ||
| Intermediate Objective O-4A | 126 | ||
| To Tipo Pale's Summit | 128 | ||
| Commitment in the Center | 131 | ||
| Night of 22-23 June | 132 | ||
| Japanese Situation | 132 | ||
| Air Activity | 133 | ||
| D-plus 8--23 June | 134 | ||
| The Introduction to Death Valley | 134 | ||
| Operations at Hill 600 | 136 | ||
| ". . .Focal Points of Combat" | 137 | ||
| Night of 23-24 June | 139 | ||
| Japanese Plans and Actions | 140 | ||
| D-plus 9--24 June | 141 | ||
| To Garapan's Outskirts | 141 | ||
| The Troublesome Cliff | 144 | ||
| To Chacha and Laulau | 145 | ||
| General Ralph Smith Relieved | 146 | ||
| Night of 24-25 June | 147 | ||
| Japanese Thoughts | 147 | ||
| D-plus 10--25 June | 148 | ||
| Kagman Peninsula | 148 | ||
| Failure of a Plan | 150 | ||
| Seizure of Mt. Tapotchau | 151 | ||
| Stalemate at Nafutan Point | 155 | ||
| Night of 25-26 June | 156 | ||
| "There Is No Hope for Victory . . ." | 156 | ||
| D-plus 11--26 June | 157 | ||
| Mop-Up on Kagman Peninsula | 157 | ||
| Colonel Stebbins Takes Over 106th Infantry | 158 | ||
| By-Passing the Pocket | 159 | ||
| "Seven Lives for One's Country" | 161 | ||
| Progress in Unloading | 164 | ||
| Medical Situation | 165 | ||
| Related Raids by U.S. Navy | 166 | ||
| 5. | Swing to Tanapag | 167 | |
| D-plus 12--27 June 1944 | 167 | ||
| Japanese Situation on D-plus 12 | 167 | ||
| Rapid Progress on the Right | 168 | ||
| Important Localities Seized | 170 | ||
| Pinch, Shift, Adjust, Consolidate | 171 | ||
| Night of 27-28 June | 174 | ||
| D-plus 13--28 June 1944 | 174 | ||
| Four "Pimples" | 175 | ||
| General Griner Assumes Command of 27th Division | 177 | ||
| "Hold Present Positions . . ." | 179 | ||
| Night of 28-29 June | 180 | ||
| D-plus 14 and D-plus 15 (29-30 June) | 180 | ||
| Waiting and Patrolling | 181 | ||
| Vertical Gap Reduced | 181 | ||
| A Successful Ruse | 182 | ||
| Nights of 29 and 30 June | 185 | ||
| D-plus 16 and D-plus 17 (1-2 July) | 186 | ||
| The Limestone Hill | 186 | ||
| Gaining Momentum | 191 | ||
| The Surge to O-6A | 193 | ||
| Nights of 1 and 2 July | 194 | ||
| Saito Changes His Defense | 195 | ||
| D-plus 18 and D-plus 19 (3-4 July) | 196 | ||
| Garapan Seized | 196 | ||
| The Thrust to Flores Point | 201 | ||
| The Struggle for the Hills | 203 | ||
| Change of Direction | 206 | ||
| Naval Activities from 27 June to 4 July | 207 | ||
| 6. | Saito's Last Battle | 208 | |
| D-plus 20--5 July | 208 | ||
| Tanapag Plain | 208 | ||
| From O-7Z to O-8A | 210 | ||
| Night of 5-6 July | 212 | ||
| D-plus 21--6 July | 212 | ||
| The Ditch and the Gulch | 212 | ||
| Expansion of the Front | 218 | ||
| Night of 6-7 July | 221 | ||
| The Banzai Attack | 222 | ||
| The 2d Division's Mop-Up of 8 and 9 July | 230 | ||
| D-plus 22, 23 and 24 (7, 8 and 9 July) | 235 | ||
| To the Shore at Marpi Point | 235 | ||
| Naval Activity | 243 | ||
| The Crowning Horror | 245 | ||
| Maniagassa Island | 246 | ||
| 7. | Conclusions | 247 | |
| Summary | 247 | ||
| Naval Gunfire | 247 | ||
| Air Support | 248 | ||
| Artillery | 250 | ||
| Landing Vehicles | 251 | ||
| Tanks | 253 | ||
| Engineers | 254 | ||
| Signal Communications | 256 | ||
| Logistics | 256 | ||
| Medical | 256 | ||
| Japanese Tactical Lessons | 258 | ||
| Japanese Strategical Summary | 259 | ||
| The Assessment | 261 | ||
| Appendices | |||
| I. | Bibliography | 263 | |
| II. | Chronology | 266 | |
| III. | Casualties | 268 | |
| IV. | Command and Staff List of Major Units | 270 | |
| V. | Kyle's Mission | 275 | |
| VI. | Basic Organization--Higher Echelon Task Forces | 278 | |
| VII. | Task Organization | 279 | |
| VIII. | Japanese Order of Battle | 281 | |
| IX. | The Last Days of General Saito | 283 | |
| X. | Navy Unit Commendation | 285 | |
| XI. | Distinguished Unit Citation | 286 | |
