This list of Marine Corps casualties - those who died or were killed - is compiled from: USMC Casualty Cards (mc), American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC or bm), POW/MIA Accounting Agency (pm), and ; States Lists (na, from National Archives) sites. With the capture of Saipan, the American military was now only 1,300mi (1,100nmi; 2,100km) away from the home islands of Japan. 3 Gordon L. Rottman, World War II Pacific Island Guide: A Geo-Military Study (Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2002), 378. Landings continued into the night. The bulk of the documents in this collection were produced by the V Amphibious Corps; the 3d, 4th, and 5th Marine Divisions; and Task Force 56 during the campaign to capture the island of Iwo Jima, known as Operation Detachment. 29-P1000 made available online by Hyperwar. Around 24,000 were killed, 5,000 committed suicides, 921 were taken as prisoners of war, and among the 22,000 . Corrections? Two of the Dela Cruzs daughters died in a bombing. 29,000 casualties: 24,000 KIA. This force was the main naval fire support for the seizure of the island and consisted of 7 older battleships, 11 cruisers, and 26 destroyers, along with destroyer transports and fast minesweepers. endstream endobj startxref 29 Heinrichs and Gallicchio, Implacable Foes, 111. If you would like to make a contribution to help to complete the database, please contact bill.beigel@ww2research.com, with thanks! So VAC purchased 30 Canadian Ronson flamethrowers and requested that the Army's Chemical Warfare Service in Hawaii install them in M3 Stuarts, and termed them M3 Satans. These, plus the fields of sugarcane, made taking and holding ground particularly slow going.32. Saipan had a significant Japanese civilian population. Four of them (California, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Tennessee) were survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor.[14]. date order, as well as background to battles and actions The WW2 Casualties Database is a work in progress and a huge undertaking. The standard method of clearing suspected bunkers was the use of high-explosive and/or high-explosives augmented with petroleum (e.g., gelignite, napalm, diesel fuel). He was serving with "I"Company, 24th Marine Regiment, when he was hit by shrapnel in the buttocks by Japanese mortar fire during the assault on Mount Tapochau. "RT @WWIIMemorial: Burial at sea for a casualty of the battle for Iwo Jima, taken on board USS Hansford while she was evacuating wounded men" The . The read more, The Battle of Midway was an epic clash between the U.S. Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy that played out six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This list of Marine Corps casualties - those who died or were killed - is compiled from: USMC Casualty Cards (mc), American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC or bm), POW/MIA Accounting Agency (pm), and ; States Lists (na, from National Archives) sites. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The Japanese war plan, aimed at the American, British, and Dutch possessions in the Pacific and in Southeast Asia, was of a rather makeshift character. They also called in the operations reserves, the Armys 27th Infantry Division.26, The unexpected difficulties on the beaches also prompted Admiral Spruance to bolster the naval defense by committing still more ships to the operation. Admiral Shigetar Shimada, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), saw an opportunity to use the A-Go force to attack the U.S. Navy forces around Saipan. On April 1, 1945Easter Sundaythe Navys Fifth Fleet and more than 180,000 U.S. Army and Marine Corps troops descended on the Pacific island of Okinawa for a final push towards Japan. On the fate of the remaining civilians on the island, Saito said, "There is no longer any distinction between civilians and troops. RM HN59XJ - PACIFIC WAR During the Battle of Saipan a US Marine finds a family hiding in a hillside cave on 21 June 1944. 7,000 Japanese civilians (many of which were suicides) 22,000 civilians dead. cit. 92 0 obj <> endobj The weapons used and the tactics of close quarter fighting resulted in high civilian casualties. 37, No. The Americans flamethrowers, too, shone brightly amid the carnage: We could see some of our landing craft being hit by Japanese artillery and we watched Japanese tanks as they counterattacked from the low hills.30, The center of Saipan, no more than six or so miles from the farthest coast, is mountainous, but the rest of the island consisted mostly in open farmland, almost all of it planted with sugarcane and therefore inhabited.31 Uncultivated landsabout 30 percent of the islands surfacefeatured dense thickets and even denser grasslands. 12 Levine, Pacific War, 121; Kirby, War Against Japan, 432. return The campaign on Saipan had brought many American casualties, and it also heralded the kind of fighting which would be . The element of surprise was the main factor in casualties being so low. But after Tj failed to shuffle his Cabinet due to excessive internal hostility, he conceded defeat. Two days later on July 9, 1944, Saipan was declared secure, but the horror didn't end there. The loss of Saipan was a heavy blow to both the military and civilian administration of Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tj. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}1511N 14545E / 15.183N 145.750E / 15.183; 145.750. We were unable to verify the number of Japanese casualties. 25 Heinrichs and Gallicchio, Implacable Foes, 98. American personnel in Hawaii ran their final rehearsals in May.3 Unfortunately, the Marines and Army had conducted most of their training separately. Lieutenant j.g. Behind them came the wounded, with bandaged heads, crutches, and barely armed. Goldberg, D-Day, 3. The loss of Saipan, with the deaths of at least 29,000 troops and heavy civilian casualties, precipitated the resignation of Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tj and left the Japanese archipelago within the range of United States Army Air Forces B-29 bombers. [34] Former IJA General Kuniaki Koiso became Prime Minister on 22 July. It is estimated that between 800 to 1,000 civilians died by suicide during the month-long battle of Saipan. Battle Of Saipan summary: Possession of the island of Saipan in the Northern Marianas island chain became a critical objective for American forces during World War II in order to place the Japanese home islands within the flight range of the new B-29 Superfortress bombers. 1 Woodburn S. Kirby, The War Against Japan, vol. cit. The landings[15] began at 07:00 on 15 June 1944. "[32] The victory would prove to be one of the most important strategic moments during the war in the Pacific Theater, as the Japanese archipelago was now within striking distance of United States' B-29 bombers. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. 5 See the oral testimony of Professor Harris Martin, in Saipan: Oral Histories of the Pacific War, compiled and edited by Bruce M. Petty (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2002), 157. Sait organized his troops into a line anchored on Mount Tapochau in the defensible mountainous terrain of central Saipan. to US Navy Casualties, WW2. Although the price for victory was high, the seizure of Saipan was a highly significant step forward in the advance on the Japanese home islands. They were pretty flimsy buildings, recalls Martin, with corrugated tin roofs and . By 8 June, a great assemblage of Navy ships arrived in the Marianas region from various points in the east, from Majuro in the Marshalls to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.8, Having hobbled Japanese air forces in the region by 11 June and, in the two days before D-Day, bombarded Saipans coasts, conducted risky but invaluable reconnaissance, and blown up parts of the coastal reefs, the Navy was now ready to land American personnel on the island.9, Before dawn on D-day, 15 June, Sailors prepared a grand breakfast for the Marines of the 2nd and 4th Divisions, and then it was time to board the amphibian tractors.10, Fifty-six of these vehicles proceeded in lines of four toward the eight beaches that had to be stormed. For days, Sailors had been watching the action on the shore from Sheridans decks. The list of requirements was exacting: it had to be mechanically reliable, it . [11] From these latter bases, communications between the Japanese archipelago and Japanese forces to the south and west could be cut. . The final major battle occurred on the night of 6-7 July. Both sides suffered a lot of casualties, and this battle was deadly. If you have any questions about these collections, please contact the Archives at (703) 784-4685 or history.division . 2 - by DATE, return Note the extensive cultivated areas(80-G-238385). [20][21] Future Hollywood actor Lee Marvin was among the many Americans wounded. The U.S. was then able to use Saipan as a strategic bomber base from which to attack Japan directly. from the official USMC Chronology, are being added at: UNITED U.S. casualties totaled 3,400 dead, and Japanese deaths were 27,000 troops and 15,000 civilians. Battleships, destroyers and planes had pounded key targets in pre-assault bombardments, but they had missed many gun emplacements along the beach cliffs. For his outstanding bravery, which earned him the nickname, "The Pied Piper of Saipan," Gabaldon received a Silver Star, which was upgraded to the Navy Cross. Families. The Marines dubbed the ridge Purple Heart Ridge for the many American casualties sustained there. Battle of Saipan, capture of the island of Saipan during World War II by U.S. Marine and Army units from June 15 to July 9, 1944. See Kirby, War Against Japan, 431. Although these articles may currently differ in style from others on the site, they allow us to provide wider coverage of topics sought by our readers, through a diverse range of trusted voices. The Battle of Saipan lasted from June 15 to July 9, 1944. Meanwhile, Navy civil engineers (Seabees) delineated a plan for the camp and ordered the construction of shelters and other facilities. STATES MARINE With the battle underway, Vicky watched the grisly deaths of her family members before herself falling victim to the American onslaught: I felt something hot on my back. Download Free eBook:Battle for Saipan 2022 1080p BluRay x264-OFT - Free epub, mobi, pdf ebooks download, ebook torrents download. Pacific War, major theatre of World War II that covered a large portion of the Pacific Ocean, East Asia, and Southeast Asia, with significant engagements occurring as far south as northern Australia and as far north as the Aleutian Islands. The Japanese were forced to retreat further north, marking the turning point in the Battle of Saipan. The worst scenes played out atop the cliffs at the islands northern tip. When it was all over, Saipan could be declared secure. The 2nd Marine Division, 4th Marine Division and the Army's 27th Infantry Division participated. The BATTLE OF IWO JIMA: On 19 February 1945, Marines landed on Iwo Jima in what was the largest all-Marine battle in history. The deadliest battle in WWII, Dnieper, had 1.58 million casualties. Many were killed in the fighting, but thousands more committed suicide, along with many soldiers, rather than come under the control of the Americans. The 27th Division of the New York National Guard suffered heavy losses during the World War II battle for the Pacific island of Saipan in the Northern Marianas where the Japanese were determined . We were close, Lieutenant William VanDusen remembers: Heavier ships were firing over our heads onto the beach. The Americans gradually developed tactics for clearing the caves by using flamethrower teams supported by artillery and machine guns. Japanese military personnel, too, opted for suicide, rather than face execution at the hands of their own compatriots for attempting to surrender to the Americans. ), 49. (Records of General Headquarters, Far East Command, Supreme Commander Allied Powers, and United Nations Command, RG 554) At 10 p.m. on March 31, 1944, two Japanese four-engine Kawanishi HSK2 . On September 15, 1944, U.S. Marines fighting in World War II (1939-45) landed on Peleliu, one of the Palau Islands of the western Pacific. 22 Heinrichs and Gallicchio, Implacable Foes, 95; Kirby, War Against Japan, 432. 13 Heinrichs and Gallicchio, Implacable Foes, 94; Rottman, World War II, 376. Part %%EOF Buy electronics, fashion apparel, collectibles, sporting goods, digital cameras, baby items, and everything else from Korean eBay sellers According to one Japanese admiral: "Our war was lost with the loss of Saipan. In the early 1960s the absence of speed limit indications on Dutch motorways saw serious accidents on the rise, so the Rijkspolitie (State police) was tasked with finding a suitable vehicle for high-speed patrol. cit. Black-and-white photographs, captured by Life magazine photographer W. Eugene Smith, show the everyday horrors for the U.S. soldiers fighting Japanese forces on the Mariana Island of Saipan in 1944. The following day, two naval bombardment groups led by Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf arrived on the shore of Saipan. ), 162. The Japanese used many caves in the volcanic landscape to delay the attackers, by hiding during the day and making sorties at night. The Americans tried numerous times to hunt them down but failed due to their speed and stealth. The brutal three-week Battle of Saipan resulted in more than 3,000 U.S. deaths and over 13,000 wounded. In 1943, Allied forces began a long series of Pacific battles against the Japanese. U.S. commanders reasoned that taking the main Mariana IslandsSaipan, Tinian and Guamwould cut off Japan from its resource-rich southern empire and clear the way for further advances to Tokyo. to CZIVA. . From: Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Operation Downfall, the planned Allied amphibious invasion of Japan? However, the suicidal maneuver failed to turn the tide of the battle, and on July 9, U.S. forces raised the American flag in victory over Saipan. Landing on the island's west coast, American troops were able to push their way inland against fanatic Japanese resistance. ), 166. The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from 15 June to 9 July 1944 as part of Operation Forager. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-saipan. Documents include operation plans, operation orders, field orders, intelligence reports, action reports, periodic reports, administrative orders, official correspondence, studies, comments and recommendations, and memoranda concerning Operation Forager in the Mariana Islands, specifically the battle of Saipan (15 June - 9 . [16] The Japanese counter-attacked at night but were repelled with heavy losses. . The list also shows next of kin address. ), 1920. [10] The U.S. 2nd Marine Division, 4th Marine Division, and the Army's 27th Infantry Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Holland Smith, defeated the 43rd Infantry Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Yoshitsugu Sait. Historians do not know exactly how many Maratha soldiers died in the battle but many estimate that their casualties could range from 50,000 to 70,000. [29] During the war, his commanders had requested that he receive the Medal of Honor for his actions; however, his initial award was the Silver Star. A D-Day of 15 June 1944 saw the island assaulted by the V Amphibious Corps (VAC), consisting of the 2nd and 4th MarDivs, with the 6th and 8th Marines conducting landings on the northern-most beaches. The date was 9 July, more than three weeks since the start of the invasion.41 Now began the work of tending and processing the prisoners, both civilian and military. American commanders decided to make the first Mariana landing on Saipan, the largest of the Mariana Islands. Interested in participating in the Publishing Partner Program? The Mariana Islands were a strategic location as American capture of th. The U.S. capture of Iwo Jima (19 February 26 March 1945) ended further Japanese air attacks. On 18 June, Saito abandoned the airfield. Large battle casualty counts are usually impossible to calculate precisely, but few in this list may include somewhat precise numbers. The intensity of the enemys fire resulted in one area becoming overcrowded with Marines trying to get a footing on shore. On 15 June, he gave the order to attack. Month after month, on islands like Tarawa, the Marshalls, the Marianas, Leyte, Iwo Jima, and . The Battle of Saipan was fought June 15 to July 9, 1944, during World War II (1939-1945) and saw Allied forces open a campaign in the Marianas. It took place at the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. ), 2223. The general staff believed it was now time to distance the Imperial House of Japan from blame as the tide of war turned against the Japanese. On April 1, 1945, more than 60,000 soldiers and US Marines of the US Tenth Army stormed ashore at Okinawa, in the final island battle before an anticipated invasion of mainland Japan. Home. The American invasion of the Japanese stronghold of Saipan in the western Pacific was an incredibly brutal battle, claiming 55,000 soldiers' and civilians' lives in just . "The Campaign in the Marianas" Annex 3 to Enclosure A, Henry I. Shaw, Jr., Bernard C. Nalty, and Edwin T. Turnbladh, Central Pacific Drive, vol. On preparatory strikes, see Alvin D. Coox, The Pacific War, in The Cambridge History of Japan, vol. To learn more about an individual, you may contact Bill Beigel for research options for that person by clicking "Submit Search Request.". In intensive fighting, U.S forces gradually drove the Japanese defense from their nearly impregnable position in the heights. 3 By Greg Bradsher Enlarge Adm. Mineichi Koga. The U.S. was then able to use Saipan as a strategic bomber base from which to attack Japan directly. to Part 1 - by NAME: POW/MIA The campaign that resulted in the most US military deaths was the Battle of Normandy (June 6 to August 25, 1944) in which 29,204 soldiers were killed fighting against Nazi Germany . Naval Academy, The Sullivan Brothers and the Assignment of Family Members, Historic Former U.S. Navy Bases and Stations, The African American Experience in the U.S. Navy, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. Navy, Contributions of Native Americans to the U.S. Navy, The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet, Navy Underwater Archaeology Return Program, Annual Navy History and Heritage Awards - Main, Research Permits for Sunken & Terrestrial Military Craft, Scanning, Copyright & Citation Information, Obtain Duplications of Records and Photos, Impact on American Public and Broader War, Extraordinary Heroism and Conspicuous Courage, Operation Torch: Invasion of North Africa, African Americans in General Service, 1942, "USS Robin": When the CNO Needed a Royal Navy Carrier, Landings at Salerno, Italy: Operation Avalanche, Naval Air Strikes Against German Shipping: Operation Leader, Operation Shingle: Landing at Anzio, Italy, Gamble at Los Negros: The Admiralty Islands Campaign, Evacuation by Submarine: USS Angler in the Philippines, Securing New Guinea: Operations Reckless and Persecution, Exercise Tiger: Disaster at Slapton Sands, Defeating the Sharks: The Capture of U-505, Pearl Harbor Ablaze Again: The West Loch Disaster, Operation Neptune: The U.S. Navy on D-Day, U.S. Navy Vessels in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Port Chicago Disaster: Leadership Lessons Learned, Operation Forager Continued: Landings on Guam and Tinian, Operation Dragoon: The Invasion of Southern France, Operation Stalemate II: The Battle of Peleliu, "Calmness, Courage, and Efficiency": Remembering the Battle of Leyte Gulf, The Battle off Samar: The Sacrifice of "Taffy 3", "Taffy 3" Presidential Unit Citation and Other Awards, United States Navy War Instructions, 1944, The Japanese Hell Ships of World War II, Battle of Iwo Jima Medal of Honor Recipients, Navy Nurses Behind Enemy Lines in the Philippines, Battle of Okinawa: Historic Overview & Importance, A Kamikaze Attack on New Mexico, Fifth Fleet Flag: A Photo Essay, A Ceremony for the Fallen: Aftermath of a Kamikaze Attack, Admiral Spruance Recounts Kamikaze Attack on His Flagship, New Mexico (BB-40), On the Verge of Breaking Down Completely: Combat Fatigue off Okinawa and the Destruction of USS Longshaw, Investigating Okinawa: The Story Behind A Kamikaze Pilots Scarf, The Most Difficult Antiaircraft Problem Yet Faced By the Fleet, Victory in Europe: Germany's Surrender and Aftermath, Homeward Bound World War II Ends in the Pacific, ENS Allen W. Bain and Minneapolis (CA-36), LCDR Joseph W. Callahan and Ralph Talbot (DD-390), LT Albert P. Scoofer Coffin of Torpedo Ten, MAtt1/c Leonard R. Harmon and CDR Mark H. Crouter of San Francisco (CA-38), CDR Frank A. EricksonFirst Helicoptar SAR, LCDR Bernard F. McMahon and Drum (SS-228), LTJG Melvin C. Roach, Guadalcanal Fighter Pilot, CDR Joseph J. Rochefort and "Station Hypo", Chief Machinist William A. Smith and Enterprise (CV-6), LCDR William J. Department of War created these lists. 2 Waldo Heinrichs and Marc Gallicchio, Implacable Foes: War in the Pacific, 19441945 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017), 94. ), 51; in the same volume, cf. We never found his body, she continues; like so many, he just disappeared.7, In May, there were strikes on Marcus and Wake Islands to secure the approach to Saipan. The Battle of Saipan began on June 15, 1944, when the U.S. forces launched an attack on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands to gain an airbase within a direct striking distance of mainland Japan. 18 Oral testimony of William VanDusen, in Saipan: Oral Histories (op. This film is about the battle for Saipan in the Mariana Islands campaign during WWII. Japan's 1944 Naval Battle Strategy Drifts into U.S. On the morning of June 15, 1944, a large fleet of U.S. transport ships gathered near the southwest shores of Saipan, and Marines began riding toward the . The invasion surprised the Japanese high command, which had been expecting an attack further south. The Japanese [were] jumping from the cliffs at Marpi Point, remembers Lieutenant VanDusen, who watched the scenes from aboard Twining: We could see our men in their camouflage uniforms talking to them with loudspeakers, trying to convince them that no harm would come to them, but obviously this was to no avail.40. hbbd```b`` AiD2 RLU;}0 &X