Ever Closer The Marianas Islands

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Ever CloserThe Marianas Islands

• The Battle for Saipan
• Guam
• Taking Tinian

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Moving Towards The Japanese Homeland

• American war strategy in the western Pacific was
  developed around the premise that Japan would
  never surrender and that the nation would fight
  to the last man particularly if the home islands
  were invaded.

• After the fall of the Marshall Islands the US
  would not use ground forces until SAIPAN
• US needed Saipan and nearby Tinian for the New
  B-29 Bombers

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SAIPAN JUNE 15, 1944

• An armada of 535 ships carrying 127,570 U. S.
  military personnel of which 2/3 were Marines of
  the 2nd and 4th Divisions converged on Saipan.
• 40,000 different items supporting the assault-
• everything from toilet paper to government
  issued coffins

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POUNDING SAIPAN

• 15 BATTLESHIPS
• 165,000 SHELLS

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• Joined by 8 more battleships US Navy completely
  rings the islands
• They poured HELL ONTO THAT ISLAND
• Caves provided the only shelter for the
  islanders against this death rain

• 1 supply ship carried enough food to feed
  90,000-month
• 7 US battleships 11 destroyers shelled Saipan
  Tinian for 2 days before the landings.
• 15,000 16 and 5 inch shells fired at the islands
  along with 165,000 other shells of different
  caliber

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Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
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• Main invasion force landed along 4 miles of beach
  at Chalan Kanoa
• Japanese positioned colored flags in the lagoon
  to mark the range of landing force register
  their howitzers on the landing force from behind
  Mt. Fina Susu
• They destroy 28 US tanks on day 1

• Japanese shell fire rained down on the advancing
  force every 15 seconds in a deadly cauldron of
  exploding steel.

July 7, 3,000 Japanese charged in the largest
suicide rush of the war.
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• 31,629 Japanese on Saipan roughly 29,500
  Japanese died as a result of the fighting.
• 2,100 Japanese prisoners survived

• 2,000 casualties 1st day for 2nd Marines
• This type of fighting would go own daily until
  July 9th when organized resistance on Saipan
  ceased
• American loses on Saipan were double those
  suffered on Guadalcanal.
• 3,100 were killed, 13,100 wounded or missing in
  action

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• One of the most lamentable events of the battle
  for Saipan involved the suicide of hundreds of
  families, many of whom jumped to their deaths
  from the high cliffs at the island's most
  northern point. This tragic event continued
  despite efforts by Americans and Saipanese using
  loudspeakers to try to convince many Japanese
  that surrender would be shameless and harmless
• WHY????????

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The civilian population was indoctrinated that
the Americans would rape the women, kill the
children and leave no one alive
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Tojo stunned by the fall of Saipan

• Most who had the whole picture of Japan's war
  efforts realized that the war was lost it was
  only a matter of time before the Japanese home
  islands come under attack

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The WindTalkers
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June 5 - 1st mission by b-29 Super fortress77
bomb Japanese railways in Bangkok, Thailand

• June 15/16 1st US bombings of Japan since
  Doolittle

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The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot

• Last great aircraft carrier battle  just off of
  the Marianas on June 19, 1944 
• 15 U. S. carriers 950 planes struck a Japanese
  force of 5 carriers and 550 Aircraft
• Before the day was over the Battle For The
  Philippine Sea, saw the Japanese lose 240 planes
  and 2 carriers the Taiho and Shokaku
• US 29 planes battleship South Dakota is damaged
  .

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UNLUCKY SEVEN
Commander David McCampbell
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• Part of Task Force 58 protecting the Marianas
  landings, Fighting Squadron 16 was expecting an
  attack from the 400-plane Japanese carrier force
• 12 Hellcats were launched from the USS Lexington
  to intercept the Japanese force

• Alex Vraciu ACE 19 kills
• Task Force 58 Hellcats destroyed over 300
  Japanese aircraft

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GUAM
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On December 10, 1941, the 400-man garrison on
Guam was overwhelmed by 5,000 Naval Marines of
the Japanese Navy in a few hours of fighting.
Guam would not be the scene of fighting again
until 1944
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Invasion Tactics

• 1ST carrier aircraft and planes from the Marshall
  Islands to the east, then once air superiority
  was gained, close bombardment by battleships

• Guam is perfect for operations
• Deep Harbors, large fields
• A Great Base for the B-29s

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POUNDING GUAM
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July 21, 1944

• A combined Army and Marine force invaded the
  Island
• Fighting was savage
• The Americans fought for every inch
• July 25-26 5000 Japanese Soldiers launched a
  Banzai Charge at the US Soldiers
• FEW SURVIVED

• Seabees Building the airfields
• These Airfields will be used to BURN UP THE
  JAPANESE MAINLAND
• The last Japanese soldier on Guam did not
  surrender until 1972 Sergeant Shoichi Yokoi was
  discovered by hunters. He had lived alone in a
  cave for 27 years.

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TINIANA SMALL ISLAND WITH A HUGE DESTINY
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JULY 24TH-AUGUST 1ST

• 2ND AND 4TH Marine Divisions landed supported by
  naval bombardment and artillery firing across the
  strait from Saipan.
• Japanese as on Saipan retreated during the day
  and attacked at night
• By 31 July US forces were facing Banzai Charges
• Japanese forces under Lieuitenant Kinichi Yamada
  held out until the end of the war

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• The battle of Tinian saw the first use of NAPALM
  in battle
• Carried by P-47 Thunderbolts
• FIRE BOMBING
• Camps were built for 50,000 troops. 15,000
  SEABEES turned the island into the busiest
  airfield of the war, with six 2,400 m runways for
  attacks by B-29 Superfortress bombers
• The Island that changes history

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By 8 August the Marianas Island belonged to the US
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Peleliu
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Peleliu

• Sept 15, 1944-November 1944
• Protect Macs flank
• A maze of coral caves and cliffs

• Bloody Peleliu
• 1st Marine Division 81st Army ID
• 9,500 casualties
• NOT NECESSARY

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BATTLE OF LEYTE GULF

• Invasion of Leyte in the Philippines with forces
  under Douglas MacArthur
• 20 October -31 December 1944-45
• Japanese commander Tomoyuki Yamashita saw the
  landings on Leyte as an opportunity to fight a
  decisive battle
• 2nd bloodiest of the Pacific campaign

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Battle Of Leyte Gulf4 PART BATTLE

• General Walter Krueger-6th Army faced roughly
  54,000 Japanese Soldiers
• The battle on the sea was the largest naval
  battle in History THE LAST
• It rages from 23 Oct until 26 Oct

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The Battle of Leyte Gulf destroyed Japanese naval
power and opened the way for the advance to the
Ryukyu Islands in 1945
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Kamikaze

• As the war became obviously a losing cause
  Japanese commanders began to launch Kamikaze
  raids
• The honorable death was one many Japanese pilots
  accepted freely

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The only weapon I feared in the War, Adm. Halsey
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2,257 Kamikazes
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