The Last Banzai

The Japanese retreated to the Northern part of the island and waited for help from the Imperial Japanese Navy. When the IJN was soundly defeated, all hope was lost for the defenders. Orders were given to the remaining troops for …

1944-07-07

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The Japanese retreated to the Northern part of the island and waited for help from the Imperial Japanese Navy. When the IJN was soundly defeated, all hope was lost for the defenders. Orders were given to the remaining troops for the gyokusai attack. At dawn, a horde of Japanese soldiers crashed into the lines of Army and Marine units. A desperate fight of life and death signaled the end of the campaign.

Saipan, Mariana Islands

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. It has been referred to as the "Pacific D-Day" with the invasion fleet departing Pearl Harbor on 5 June 1944, the day before Operation Overlord in Europe was launched, and launching nine days after. 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 Saito. 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 Tōjō and left the Japanese archipelago within the range of United States Army Air Forces B-29 bombers.

Wikipedia: Battle of Saipan

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