by Daniel Wrinn
One hundred and forty-seven firebombs were used during the Tinian campaign. Ninety-one of them contained the napalm mixture. While they were most effective in clearing cane fields, General Cates later wrote: “the first morning they put it down, I went to the front line and those planes came in over our heads maybe a hundred feet in the air.
“They released their napalm bombs right over our heads and less than 300 yards in front of us. It was devastating and particularly so to the morale of the Japanese. I didn’t feel too comfortable sitting there. I figured some of them might drop short.”
Each of those bombs cleared an area of over 150 feet and left behind charred bodies of Japanese troops in some cases. Most Marines were impressed, and infantry commanders sought napalm for their flamethrower tanks.
Napalm was also widely used to support ground troops in the Philippines in 1944. In one Luzon operation, over 200 fighter planes saturated an area with napalm. The usually stoic Japanese fled into the open, making themselves easy targets to pick off.
Napalm was also used in firebombing Japanese cities and the pre-invasion efforts to soften up Iwo Jima's defenses. On January 31, 1945, Seventh Air Force Liberator Bombers began a sixteen-day daytime campaign. Over 600 tons of bombs were dropped, and 1,100 drums of napalm were used in a futile effort to burn off camouflage from defensive positions and gun emplacements.
A Marine intelligence official later wrote, “the main effect of the long bombardment of Iwo was to cause the enemy to build more elaborate underground defenses.”
Preparatory Strikes
There were no easy battles in the Pacific War. But there was less concern among the American military about the outcome of Tinian than in almost any other major operation of the war. Admiral Spruance described it as “one of the most brilliantly conceived and executed amphibious operations of the war.” General Holland Smith called it the “perfect amphibious operation.”
This assault took place under optimal success conditions. The small Japanese garrison on the island had no hope of resupply, relief, victory, or escape. Just three miles away and across the narrow Saipan channel were three battle-tested veteran American divisions—50,000 men—prepared for the inevitable invasion. After a seven-week bombardment from sea, air, and the big guns on Saipan, Tinian had been relentlessly pounded day and night.
Marine General James Underhill, who later became the island’s military commander at the end of the battle, wrote: “The state of these people was indescribable. They had no possessions except rags on their backs. After two months of intense bombardment, many suffered from shell shock. They had lived on nothing but scant rations for six weeks and for the past week had nothing to eat.
“They’d been cut off from their water supply for a week and only had what rainwater they could collect in bowls and cans. Hundreds of them were wounded, and some were gangrenous. Syphilis, dysentery, pneumonia, and tuberculosis were common. They needed food, water, shelter, medical care, and sanitation.”
On June 11, the bombardment began four days after Saipan's invasion when carrier planes from Task Force 58 launched a three-day pummeling of the principal Mariana Islands. After a fighter sweep on the first day, 225 Grumman Hellcats destroyed 150 Japanese aircraft, America’s control over the islands’ skies was secured.
After the raid, a Japanese soldier garrisoned on Saipan wrote in his diary: “for over two hours the planes ran amok. They finally left leisurely during the inaccurate anti-aircraft fire. All we could do was watch helplessly and die.”
Over the next two days, the bombers hit the islands in the shipping area with zero let-up. Battleships from Task Force 58 joined in the bombardment from long range on June 13. Their firing was later considered ineffective and misdirected at soft targets rather than the concealed gun positions circling the island.
During the next six weeks, the effort to destroy Tinian’s defenses escalated. Navy Task Force 52, on June 18, added its firepower to the mission. More airstrikes involving carrier planes and Army P-47s were ordered. Starting on June 28 until Jig Day on July 24, massed artillery battalions fired from Saipan’s southern shore poured thousands of tons of artillery onto the island. By July 15, thirteen battalions were engaged in the mission, firing a total of 160 guns—105mm and 155mm around the clock.
While the exact effect from the artillery assault on Saipan will never be known, a young major at the time serving as the operations officer in the 4th Marines during the Tinian campaign later wrote: “I remember going by one of the Japanese machine gun crews. They’d been trying to get to a firing position and were caught by the artillery barrage. They were laid out just like a ‘school solution.’ Each man carried his own particular portion of the gun crew’s equipment. And that was where they died.”
In the two weeks from June 26 to July 9, cruisers, Birmingham, Montpelier, and the Indianapolis hit the islands daily. Their fire was supplemented by battleships: Tennessee, Colorado, and California. Joined in by the cruisers Cleveland, New Orleans, and Louisville, and sixteen destroyers and dozens of other supporting vessels. They fired various ordinances ranging from 40mm and rocket barrages to white phosphorus targeted at the wooden areas around the Japanese command post on Mount Lasso.
Aerial Reconnaissance
Before the invasion of Tinian, an intensive reconnaissance was underway. The first aerial photographs of 1944 were acquired back in February when US carrier planes attacked Saipan. More were obtained in April and May by photo planes based at Eniwetok. These early photographs were scarce and of little use to the invasion planners. The quality was poor, and many were taken at angles that distorted the terrain.
These problems hindered the Saipan planners, but on Tinian, it was another story. Perhaps no other Pacific island had become so familiar to the assault forces because of such thorough photography and mapping prior to the landings.
Much of the familiarization came from first-hand observation by battalion, division, and regimental commanders who used observation planes to conduct their own reconnaissance of the Tinian beaches and inland terrain.
Colonel Justice M. Chambers, the commander of the 3/25 Marines later wrote of his pre-invasion visit to the island: “A naval aviator named Lieutenant Commander Muller had sent a lot of roving orders. He brought his flight of three Liberators to Saipan. I thought it was a good idea to take my company commanders and overfly the beaches we were going to use. So, the 3rd Battalion group took the flight and many other battalions followed suit.
“We took off from Saipan, and of course the minute you’re airborne, you’re right over Tinian. I talked it over with Muller and told him that the last beach we would overfly would be the one we were going to hit. I said, ‘let’s take a look at some of the other beaches first and then fly over through the interior.’ After we made passes over several of the beaches. I stood up in a blister where I could see my officers. We had the bomb bays open and were looking down. After flying around for twenty minutes, we made a big loop and then came back over the beaches where we were going to land. I’m glad we did because we spotted mines in the water which the Navy UDT teams later disposed of.
“We zoomed in on Mount Lasso, the only mountain on Tinian. This island was just one big cane field, and Mount Lasso was directly ahead of our beaches. Muller pulled out, and I saw white things zipping by the outside of our plane. I fought to keep my stomach down because a fast elevator is too much for me. I asked, ‘what’s that?’
“Mueller said, ‘twenty millimeter. Where do you want to go now?’
“‘Saipan. There aren’t any foxholes up here,’ I said.”
The photographic coverage of Tinian, along with documents, prisoners captured on Saipan, and other intelligence, allowed US forces to become as familiar with Japanese strength on Tinian as Colonel Ogata.
Heroes of Tinian
Private First Class Robert Lee Wilson was born on May 21, 1920 and grew up on his parents’ farm with seven siblings. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in the fall of 1941 and
served in the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division during action against enemy Japanese forces on Tinian Island on August 4, 1944.
As one in a group of Marines advancing through heavy underbrush to neutralize isolated points of resistance, Private First Class Wilson advanced ahead of his companions toward a pile of rocks where Japanese troops were supposedly hiding. He was fully aware of the danger involved. He moved forward while the rest of the squad armed with automatic rifles closed together in the rear. An enemy grenade landed in the middle of the group. Private First Class Wilson cried a warning to the men and unhesitatingly threw himself on the grenade—heroically sacrificing his own life so that others might live and fulfill the mission. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his exceptional valor, courageous loyalty, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of great peril.
Private Joseph W. Ozbourn was both in Herrin Illinois in 1919. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on 30 Oct 1943 and served with the 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines, in the 4th Marine Division, during the battle for enemy held Tinian Island on July 30, 1944
Private Ozbourn was a member of a platoon assigned the mission of clearing remaining Japanese troops from dugouts of pillboxes along the tree line. Private Osborne was flanked by two men and moving forward to throw a hand grenade into a dugout when a terrific blast from the entrance wounded the four men and himself. Unable to throw the grenade into the dugout and with no place to hurl it without endangering his comrades. Private Ozbourn unhesitatingly grasped the grenade close to his body and fell on it, sacrificing his own life to absorb the full impact of the explosion—saving his comrades. For his unwavering loyalty and great personal valor in gallantly giving his life for his country, Private Ozbourn too was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Thedestroyer USS Ozbourn, named in his honor, was christened by the widow Ozbourns on 22 Dec 1945 and was launched out of Boston.
Recapture of Guam
Back to Guam
After a two-hour bombardment from six battleships, nine cruisers, and a handful of destroyers hammering the wrinkled black hills, cliffs, rice patties, and caves facing the attacking fleet on the west side of the island—liberation day began at 0530 on July 21, 1944.
Flames fountained from 14-inch guns belching thunder and fire. Setting off a spectacular blossom of flame on the inland hillsides and fields. The glow from the star shells illuminated the shore, the ships, and the troops lining the rails of the LSTs (Landing Ships, Tank), bringing the soldiers and Marines back to Guam.
The daylight shelling was enhanced by the bombing and strafing of carrier fighters, torpedo planes, and bombers for the pre-landing softening up. Task Force 58 had blasted Guam’s airfield since June 11, while other bombardments had started as early as May 6.
Marine assault troops laden with fighting gear, and bayonets bulging from their packs, enjoyed their traditional Marine pre-landing breakfast of steak and eggs. The loudspeakers echoed: “Now hear this. . . Now hear this.” Unit commanders on board the LSTs visited with their Marines and double-checked their gear. They straightened packs, gave encouraging pats on the shoulder, and squared away the lines of Marines going below to the well decks before boarding the LVTs (Landing Vehicles, Tracked).
Troops on board the attack transports went over the rail and down cargo nets. Weighed down with forty-plus pound packs and weapons—they held on for their lives. They clambered into their LCVPs (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel) or Higgin’s boats. If all went as planned, these troops would transfer from the landing craft to the LVTs at the reef’s edge.
Aircraft roared overhead. Navy guns thundered a deafening background noise. The voice of Major General Roy Geiger, commander of III Amphibious Corps, boomed: “You’ve been honored. The nation watches you go to battle to liberate this former American bastion from the enemy. The honor bestowed on you is a signal one. May the glorious traditions of the Marine Corps esprit de corps spur you to victory. You have been honored.”
On board the crowded and muggy well decks of the LSTs, troops climbed on board the LVTs. They waited in a hell of claustrophobia until the LSTs’ bow doors dropped. The loaded LVTs rattled out over the ramps into the swell of the sea. Amphibian tractors circled near the lines of departure while a flight of attack craft from the Wasp drowned the amtrac engines’ whine, whirling up clouds of fire and dust obscuring the landing beaches. Fifty-three torpedo planes, sixty-five bombers, and eighty-five fighters executed a bombing sweep and grass-cutting strafing along the northern landing beaches of Agana, heading south toward Bangi Point.
Task Force 53 commander, Admiral Richard Conolly, said: “I aim to get the troops ashore standing up.” Conolly earned the nickname “Close-in Conolly” from his insistence on having naval gunfire support ships fire very close in to the beaches.
Private First Class James Helt was a radio man in the bow of an LVT moving toward shore. He later wrote about how he wondered if anything could still be alive on Guam.
Colonel Hideyuki Takeda, a staff officer in the defending 29th Division, wrote the island could only be defended if the Americans did not land. In his diary, he also noted that the only respite from the barrage was a “stiff drink.”
The bold and brave Navy UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams) cleared all the beach obstacles for the assault. Navy Chief James Chittum noted these pathfinders were often close enough to draw small arms fire. They exploded 650 wire obstacle cages filled with cemented coral on Asan. On Agat, they detonated a 200-foot hole for unloading in the coral reef. Navy UDT teams also removed half of a small freighter blocking the channel from the assault. Scouts and swimmers left a sign for this first assault wave at Asan: “Welcome Marines—USO This way.”
At 0730, a flare was fired overhead the waiting flotilla. Admiral Conolly ordered: “Land the Landing Force.” The first wave of the 3rd Marine Division broke the circle of waiting LVTs and formed a line to cross the 2,000 yards of water to the beach between Asan and Adelup. By 0830, the first elements of the 3rd Marine Division were on Guam. Less than five minutes later, the lead assault troops of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade crossed the shell-cratered strand at Agat, six miles south of the beachhead at Asan-Adelup.
Operation Forager Planning
In late 1943, the Joint Chiefs of Staff decided to advance the direction of the Pacific War. In command of the Southwest Pacific, General MacArthur was ordered to head north through New Guinea to regain the Philippines. Admiral Nimitz, commander-in-chief of the US Pacific Fleet, proposed to move through the Central Pacific to secure a hold in the Marianas.
The strategic bombing of Japan would originate from captured airfields on Guam, Saipan, and Tinian. The new strategic weapon for the attacks would be the B-29 bomber with a range of 3,000 miles and the ability to carry over 10,000 pounds of bombs. The codename for this Marianas operation was “Forager.” The drive in the Central Pacific started with the landings on Tarawa in November 1943. Followed by landings on Roi-Namur, Eniwetok, and Kwajalein.
Admiral Nimitz finalized his plans for Guam in 1944. He selected his command structure for the Marianas campaign. Admiral Spruance, coming off a tremendous victory at Midway, was designated Commander of the Fifth Fleet and all the Central Pacific Task Forces. Spruance would command all units involved in Operation Forager.
Admiral Turner, who had commanded naval forces at Guadalcanal’s landings, was to head Task Force 51. Admiral Turner would also command the northern attack force for the invasion of Saipan and Tinian. Admiral Connolly who’d commanded the invasion forces at Roi-Namur in the Marshalls, would lead the southern attack force—Task Force 53 assigned to Guam.
General Holland Smith, the expeditionary troop commander for the Marianas, would be responsible for the northern troops and landing forces on Saipan and Tinian. Marine General Roy Geiger, an aviator who had conducted the Bougainville operation, would command the southern troops and the III Amphibious Corps landing forces on Guam.
Guam’s invasion was originally set for June 18, the 3rd Marine Div
ision, the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, and the Army’s 77th Infantry Division would lead the assault, but the 3rd and 1st Marine Division were held in floating reserve until the course of operations on Saipan became clear. The 77th stood by on Oahu, ready to be called in if needed.
Admiral Spruance kept the floating reserves southeast of Saipan, out of the path of any Japanese naval attack. A powerful Japanese fleet was eager to clash with the American invasion force and descended on the Mariana Islands. The opposing carrier groups fought it out nearby in the battle of the Philippine Sea, one of the most critical battles of the Pacific War. The Japanese Imperial Navy lost over 300 planes out of the 430 launched in the fight. On June 19, the clash would be forever known as “the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.” It was a catastrophe for the Japanese and ended once and for all any enemy air or naval threat to the Mariana Islands invasion.
The brutal fighting on Saipan eventually shifted in favor of the American Marines and soldiers battling the Japanese. The US Navy was now ready to direct their attention to Guam, currently slated to receive the most thorough pre-landing bombardment yet seen in the Pacific War.
After weeks at sea, the 3rd Division and 1st Brigade were given a break and a chance to lose their sea legs. The Task Force 53 convoy moved back to Eniwetok atoll, where a twenty-mile-wide lagoon became the forward naval base.
Marines welcomed the break and walked on the island’s dry land—there was even warm beer to all those onshore. The Marine veterans of New Georgia, Eniwetok, and Bougainville had a chance to look over the soldiers from the Army’s 77th Infantry Division arriving from Oahu. The recapture of Guam named W-Day was now set for July 21.