Battle of Saipan order of battle

On 15 June 1944, United States Marine forces landed on the southwest coast of the island of Saipan in the central Marianas chain; these were followed a day later by US Army forces.

This invasion was part of Operation Forager, an effort to recapture the entire Marianas chain from the Empire of Japan.

As military conflict with the United States became increasingly likely during the 1930s, Japan expended great effort in fortifying Saipan.

In mid-1944, nearly 30,000 troops were based on the island, almost double the estimates of US intelligence.

United States Pacific Fleet[2] Admiral Chester W. Nimitz HQ at Pearl Harbor Expeditionary Troops (Task Force 56) Lieutenant General Holland M. "Howlin' Mad" Smith[a] V Amphibious Corps Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith[c] Central Pacific Area Fleet HQ[6] Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo (self-inflicted gunshot 6 July) Chief of staff: Rear Adm. Hideo Yano (seppuku 7 July) Orders of battle involving United States Marine forces in the Pacific Theatre of World War II:

US warships prepare to depart Roi for Saipan.
2nd Marine Division asst. cmdr. Merritt A. Edson confers with 8th Marine Regiment officers James P. Riseley and Kenneth F. McLeod on Saipan.
Marines digging in on the beach at Saipan.
Two Marines crawl to their assigned positions on the beach on Saipan.
African-American Marine ammunition carriers on Saipan.
Two Marine PFCs display the bazooka they used to disable Japanese tanks on Saipan.
US Army soldiers disembark from LSTs on Saipan.
A captured Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero fighter at a Japanese airfield on Saipan.