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PART V. ONWARD TO THE MARIANAS
Following its harrowing battlefield experience on Tarawa, the Second Marine Division made a 2,000 mile sea voyage to its new home the big island of Hawaii. During the trip, the dying continued as severely wounded Marines lost their fight to live. Each one was buried at sea in solemn remembrance. The Division's new home, christened Camp Tarawa in honor of the fallen, lay 65 miles northwest of the town of Hilo on land belonging to the famous Parker Ranch. In the distance, the tall peaks of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea were rimmed with snow that December. Christmas came and went sadly as the Guadalcanal veterans struggled through malaria attacks and all hands tried to cope with what they had just survived in the Gilberts. In his novel Battle Cry, Second Marine Division veteran Leon Uris described the mood that winter at Camp Tarawa:
In April 1944, MajGen Julian Smith was transferred out of the Division to assume the duties of Commanding General, Expeditionary Troops, Third Fleet. His replacement was MajGen Thomas E. Watson, a veteran of expeditionary service in China and the Dominican Republic. Many other personnel changes took place during this time as the Second prepared for future operations. The infantry regiments focused on tank-infantry operations, assaulting fortified positions, working with engineers and artillery. Another area of emphasis was landing from amphibian tractors. Fortunately, the terrain at Camp Tarawa, although lacking in heavy vegetation, resembled the topography of the next objective.
As the spring of 1944 ticked onward, the war against Japan had entered its third year and American forces were preparing to assault the Marianas, a chain of islands about 1,300 miles south of Japan. On 12 March 1944, the Joint Chiefs of Staff issued an order to Admiral Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief, Pacific. Among other tasks, the Joint Chiefs directed Nimitz to prepare for assault operations against the Southern Marianas with a target date of 15 June 1944. Codenamed FORAGER, the operation had the mission to: 1. Seize the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Guam for use as strategic bomber bases to bombard the Japanese home islands. The conquest of Saipan was such an important objective, that two Marine divisions; the Second and the Fourth, were tasked with the D-Day assault. This was the first multi-divisional amphibious assault in Marine Corps history. Additionally, the 27th Infantry Division (USA) was initially designated as the Expeditionary Troops reserve division, and the 77th Infantry Division (USA) was assigned as strategic reserve for Operation FORAGER. As events unfolded in the Marianas, both of these units would go into combat under challenging battlefield conditions. The Marianas were a hilly chain of volcanic islands located in the Central Pacific. They had been ceded to Japan after World War I and were known as the Japanese Mandated Group. Stretching from northeast to southwest for about 425 miles, the Marianas Group was about 3,500 miles west of Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands. Saipan, northernmost island in the group, presented a variety of tactical challenges. It had a landmass of about 72 square miles, and was 12 and 1/2 miles long from northeast to southwest, and at its widest point, was 5 and 1/2 miles across from west to east. Fringed by 54 miles of coastline, Saipan had only 12 miles of beach accessible to amphibious assault, the rest being fronted by coastal cliffs. Mount Topatchau, a 1,554 foot hill mass, dominated the center of the island. Several towns dotted the landscape, among them Charan Kanoa, Garapan, and Tanapag. The main airstrip, Aslito Field, was located on the southern end of the island, and another emergency strip had been constructed at Marpi Point. On both Saipan and on neighboring Tinian, sizeable population groups of Japanese civilians were present, as were native Chamorros. Weather during the campaign promised to be hot and humid, with daytime temperatures between 76-85 degrees Fahrenheit, and humidity levels of 90 percent. The operation was scheduled in the middle of the rainy season. Robert Leckie recorded the following pre-invasion briefing in his book Strong Men Armed -The United States Marines Against Japan:
Tinian was situated three miles south of Saipan and had a landmass of about 50 square miles. About 10 and 1/2 miles long from north to south, the island was dotted with four Japanese airfields. The highest point on the island was a rugged, 558-foot tall limestone hill mass locate near the southern coast. Cane fields covered most of the island's flat. open areas. Tinian Town, a small built-up area, was located on the southwestern coast.
PRE-ASSAULT PREPARATIONS
Critical to the preparations for Operation Forager was the replenishment of troops and equipment. The Division had endured severe casualties and equipment losses at Tarawa, and new replacements and supplies streamed into Camp Tarawa as the date for embarkation drew near. Training focused on tank-infantry tactics, engineer support in reducing enemy fortifications, and employment of supporting arms. Between 12-31 March 1944, the Division conducted full-scale amphibious exercises at Maalaea Bay, Hawaii. In the last days before departing from Camp Tarawa, MajGen Watson conducted a full-scale walk-through of the landing plan for the Division. Although the name of the objective island was still secret at this point, the exercise later paid dividends because the key points of D-Day operations were already familiar to all hands. A corps-level exercise was held at Maalaea Bay beginning on 17 May 1944. Several unfortunate accidents plagued the landing. Among these was one aboard USS LST-485, carrying Marines of Landing Team 2/8. Embarked for the landing exercises, 19 men were either killed or listed as missing early on 14 May 1944 after their landing craft fell overboard and was rammed by another LST. Two other similar accidents occurred during the rehearsal, with a total of 29 Marines either dead or missing. Upon returning to Pearl Harbor after the rehearsals, the transport vessels refueled in preparation for sailing to the western Pacific. On 21 May 1944, one of the worst accidents of the war occurred among LST's carrying elements of the Second and Fourth Marine Divisions. Moored at West Loch, the USS LST-353 was in the process of unloading ammunition when it burst into flames. Before the fires finally burned out, six LST's were completely destroyed, along with a large amount of equipment. Other LST's suffered heavy damage. In this horrible tragedy, 163 sailors lost their lives, as did 207 Marines, 95 from the Second Marine Division, and 112 from the Fourth Marine Division. Hundreds more Marines and sailors were wounded. After a herculean effort, the lost ships, troops and equipment were replaced, and as a result, the LST convoy sailed from Pearl Harbor on 25 May 1944, only one day late. Aboard were the Marines, LVT's and equipment of the assault landing teams. The remainder of the Division sailed from Pearl in Attack Group 2 on 30 May 1944. Their destination was Eniwetok, a large protected anchorage that served as the final staging area. In the official history Saipan, Beginning of the End, author Carl Hoffman captured the situation among the assault Marines aboard ship:
And so the stage was set. As this huge troop-carrying convoy approached Saipan, far-ranging American naval and air forces were already pounding Japanese targets both in the Marianas, and further away. This campaign's objective was to isolate the enemy and seal off the battlefield to prevent Japanese reinforcement. Marine and Navy commanders knew the enemy would put up very stiff resistance against the assault. On 9 June 1944, Expeditionary Troops commander Gen Holland M. Smith told Robert Sherrod, "A week from today, there will be a lot of dead Marines." Assistant division commander Gen "Red Mike" Edson stated, "This one is not going to be easy. Maybe I'm wrong and I hope I am, but you know I've got a reputation as a pessimist."
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