On this day in 1944, during the Pacific Campaign of World War II, members of the U.S. Marine Corps stormed the beaches of the strategically significant Japanese island of Saipan
On this day in 1944, during the Pacific Campaign of World War II, members of the U.S. Marine Corps stormed the beaches of the strategically significant Japanese island of Saipan, with a goal of gaining a crucial air base from which the U.S. could launch its new long-range B-29 bombers directly at Japan’s home islands. Facing fierce Japanese resistance, Americans poured from their landing crafts to establish a beachhead, battle Japanese soldiers inland and force the Japanese army to retreat north. Fighting became especially brutal and prolonged around Mount Tapotchau, Saipan’s highest peak, and Marines gave battle sites in the area names such as “Death Valley” and “Purple Heart Ridge.” When the U.S. finally trapped the Japanese in the northern part of the island, Japanese soldiers launched a massive but futile banzai charge. On July 9, the U.S. flag was raised in victory over Saipan. The brutal three-week Battle of Saipan resulted in more than 3,000 U.S. deaths and over 13,00...