Stovepipe Funeral

As part of the invasion to capture the southern Marianas Islands, the 2nd Marine Division landed on the southwest coast of Saipan on 15 June. Lt. Gen. Yoshitsugu Saito chose not to expose the bulk of his troops to an American shoreline bombardment, but instead deployed the 43rd Infantry …

1944-06-15

S069

As part of the invasion to capture the southern Marianas Islands, the 2nd Marine Division landed on the southwest coast of Saipan on 15 June. Lt. Gen. Yoshitsugu Saito chose not to expose the bulk of his troops to an American shoreline bombardment, but instead deployed the 43rd Infantry Division and 9th Tank Regiment inland where they could counterattack the Marine beachhead as it formed. The Marines landed under fire but quickly pushed off the beach. Saito took advantage of the relatively level and open terrain to launch a combined-arms attack, headed by Colonel Takashi Goto's 9th Tank Regiment, to smash the Marine position before the Americans could bring their forces to bear against him.

Charan Kanoa, Saipan

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.

Japanese

American

Scenario Type = Starter Kit